One of the
most competitive Fantasy NBA leagues of which I am a part is a keeper league.
That means that before the start of every season, each team owner/manager
declares three (3) players he wants to keep from his previous season’s lineup.
These
players usually fall into two categories: the ones who did really well in the
previous season, or the ones who are projected to do really well in the
upcoming season. There are many players, of course, who can fit easily in both
categories (read: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kevin Love, etc.).
Before the
start of the current season, I narrowed down my keeper choices to the following
six players: Rudy Gay, Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Greg Monroe, Jrue Holiday,
and DeMarcus Cousins. Gay, Granger, and Holiday were my keepers for the
2011-2012 season, and they didn’t exactly have eye-popping and stellar
performances. Holiday, in particular, disappointed me. I had really high
expectations of him, but he was more of a boom-bust guy. He was inconsistent. He
was the first one I dropped from the six (why, yes, I’m scratching my head at
that, too).
Bosh was the
next to fall. I dropped him for two reasons: I felt he would continue to
regress, and, well, he’s a Heat player, so there. The last one I dropped was
Gay. I felt like it was really a toss up between him and Granger, since they
offered similar things, but what swung me towards Granger was his three-point shooting.
I kept Granger and dropped Rudy.
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| Chris Bosh is having a fine season -- to the detriment of my Fantasy NBA performance!!! (image by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) |
Now it’s all
coming back to haunt me. I feel I landed a gem in Monroe, and I think Cousins
will be a borderline All-Star this season, but I feel really down on Granger.
Nobody can really predict an injury, but I just feel really sad because he’s a
personal favorite of mine and because I gave up Rudy Gay for him. RUDY GAY.
Damn.
Now Gay
isn’t exactly the best player on the planet, but at about 19 points, 6
rebounds, 2 dimes, and better than 1 three-pointer per game? Man. I missed out.
 |
| I missed out on Rudy Gay's great nightly production. (image by Danny Johnston/AP) |
I grossly
miscalculated on Bosh, too. I never thought he had enough toughness in him to
bounce back after two below-expectations seasons in Miami, but he’s proven me
dead wrong. He’s scoring in the 20s again while grabbing 8 boards and blocking
better than 1 shot per game. He’s also enjoying his best FG and FT shooting
year ever at 56.2% and 87.1% respectively.
Here's the
kicker, though – if I kept Bosh and Gay together with Granger, I believe I would
still have been able to land Cousins in the first round, get Holiday in the
second and maybe steal Monroe in the third.
Now I’m dead
last in the standings with no reprieve in sight. Damn.
Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Portland 118, Cleveland 117
(2-OT)
Nicolas
Batum's go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left in double overtime lifted the
Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-117 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Portland
trailed, 117-115, with 2.5 left and following a timeout, Damian Lillard passed
to Batum along the right corner and he turned, fired, and nailed the triple in
front of the Cleveland bench. The Cavs didn't get a shot off before time
expired. Lillard tallied 24 points and Batum added 22 for Portland, which
snapped its four-game losing streak. Anderson Varejao had 19 points and 17
rebounds for Cleveland, which has dropped 11 of its last 13 contests.
Miami 102, Brooklyn 89
Dwyane Wade
scored a game-high 34 points and the Miami Heat used a strong second-half to
defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 102-89, and take sole possession of first place in
the Eastern Conference. Both teams entered the contest winners of five
straight, but the Heat outscored the Nets 52-30 over the final two quarters to
notch their 12th win of the season and to keep their streak going. LeBron James
followed with a strong performance as well, finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds
and six assists in Miami's 12th straight victory over the Nets. Without
starting center Brook Lopez, who sat for the second straight game with an
injured foot, Andray Blatche stepped up for the Nets and tallied a team- high
20 points to go along with eight rebounds. Deron Williams finished with 10
points and 12 assists in the loss.
Chicago 93, Philadelphia 88
Luol Deng
filled the stat sheet with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead
the Chicago Bulls past the Philadelphia 76ers, 93-88, at the United Center.
Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah each added a double-double for Chicago, which won
its second straight game and earned a bit of payback for being eliminated in
the first round of last season's playoffs by Philadelphia. Boozer finished with
12 points and 12 rebounds, while Noah had 12 points and 13 boards in the win.
Jrue Holiday scored a team-high 23 points and Thaddeus Young followed with 22
for the 76ers, who had a three-game win streak snapped.
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| Luol Deng was all-around awesome as the Bulls beat the Sixers. (image by Nam Y. Huh/AP) |
Houston 124, Utah 116
Patrick
Patterson had 20 points and was one of seven Houston players to score in
double-digits as the Rockets used a late run to take a 124-116 win over the
Utah Jazz. Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin each had 19 points, James Harden
added 18 points and seven assists while Omer Asik posted 14 points and 12
boards for the Rockets, who have won four of their last five. Greg Smith and
Carlos Delfino each posted 13 points off the bench. Gordon Hayward scored 21
points while Al Jefferson and Randy Foye each gave 20 points for the Jazz, who
have dropped their past two games.
Oklahoma City 100, New
Orleans 79
Kevin Durant
poured in 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, despite sitting out the entire
fourth quarter, to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-79 win over the New
Orleans Hornets on Saturday. Russell Westbrook had 18 points, 10 assists, five
rebounds and three steals and Kevin Martin added 19 points for the Thunder, who
have won five straight. Nick Collison added 12 points and Kendrick Perkins
chipped in with 10 points in the victory. Ryan Anderson had 21 points and 10
rebounds and Robin Lopez netted 12 for the Hornets, who have dropped nine of
their last 10 overall.
Milwaukee 91, Boston 88
Brandon
Jennings buried the go-ahead 3- pointer late in the fourth quarter and the Bucks
overcame a rough start to defeat the Celtics, 91-88, on Saturday. Jennings
finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Fresh off his first career
triple-double, Larry Sanders scored a team-high 18 points, pulled down 16
boards and blocked five shots in the win for the Bucks, who won consecutive
games against Boston for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Monta Ellis
shot just 6-of-20, but tallied 17 points, seven assists and two steals in the
victory. Ersan Ilyasova added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Without suspended point guard Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry filled his role with 15
points and 11 assists, but Terry and Paul Pierce both missed from downtown with
a chance to tie the game on Boston's final possession. Pierce scored a game-high
19 points and also had six assists in the loss.
San Antonio 99, Memphis 95
(OT)
Tony Parker
poured in eight of his game- high 30 points in overtime, as the San Antonio
Spurs held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 99-95, on Friday at AT&T Center.
Parker added six assists and knocked down a pair of free throws with under 10
seconds remaining in the extra session to seal the game for San Antonio, which
has won six of its last seven. Tim Duncan registered a double-double with 27
points and 15 rebounds in the victory. Marc Gasol paced the Grizzlies with 20
points and eight boards, while Zach Randolph finished with 17 points and 15
rebounds for Memphis, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Dallas 92, Detroit 77
O.J. Mayo
poured in 27 points and Elton Brand had 17 and 12 rebounds to lead the Dallas
Mavericks to a 92-77 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. Vince Carter
added 12 points and five assists and Chris Kaman had 10 points and nine boards
for the Mavericks, who put the brakes on a three-game skid. Derek Fisher, who
signed with Dallas on Thursday, made his debut with the Mavs. The 16-year
veteran had two points and three assists in just under 25 minutes of play.
Brandon Knight scored 20 points and Tayshaun Prince had 12 points and five
rebounds for the Pistons, who have dropped two in a row. Jason Maxiell had 10
points and 12 rebounds, while Greg Monroe dropped in eight points to go along
with a game-high 15 boards in the setback.
Golden State 103, Indiana 92
Klay
Thompson poured in 22 points to lead five Warriors in double figures on
Saturday night, as Golden State downed the Indiana Pacers, 103-92, at Oracle
Arena. Stephen Curry recorded a double- double with 20 points and 11 assists,
Jarrett Jack donated 18 points and Carl Landry netted 16 points for the
Warriors, who have won three straight games. David Lee added 13 points and 12
boards in the victory. David West scored a game-high 23 points to go with eight
rebounds and George Hill chipped in 19 points in the setback, Indiana's second
in its last six games.
LA Clippers 116, Sacramento
81
Jamal
Crawford netted 17 points to lead seven double-digit scorers for the Clippers
as Los Angeles eased past the Sacramento Kings, 116-81, at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe followed with 14 points apiece,
while DeAndre Jordan had 13, Matt Barnes netted 12 and Caron Butler finished
with 11 for the Clippers, who have won two straight. Marcus Thornton paced the
Kings with a game-high 20 points and Jason Thompson added 16 points and 12 rebounds
for Sacramento, which has lost its last three.
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