fBasketballBlog

Good one, New York Post.

New York City is feeLin a little less Linsane this morning, now that the NBA’s Linderella story is heading to Houston. Sorry, had to get that out of my system now that this chapter of the Jeremy Lin saga is closed.

We all saw the writing on the wall well before it became official, but at 11:59 p.m. EDT last night, the New York Knicks declined to match Lin’s ridiculous three-year, $25.1 million deal with the Houston Rockets, officially saving the Knicks from financial ruin in 2014-15 ridding the Knicks of its most exciting player — in exchange for nothing — and potentially setting up Rockets fans for an exciting season of Lin-Omer Asik pick-and-rolls.

I know you didn’t come here to read a fantasy basketball blogger’s take on the matter (not that you can’t tell from the previous sentence), so here’s my projection for Lin’s fantasy value next season: Unless Toney Douglas somehow finds his way again, Lin will be the unquestionable starting point guard in Houston, which bodes well for his fantasy value. On a gutted team devoid of much talent, Lin should have plenty of opportunities to shoot and put up gaudy lines. However, it remains to be seen how well he’ll hold up during an entire season against defenses that are now readier to stop him — the lack of help on his squad probably hurts his fantasy appeal in this regard. Expect solid points and assists from Lin, but also be wary of what’s sure to be an awful lot of turnovers. Spending a sixth- or seventh-round pick on Lin sounds sensible in leagues that count turnovers; in leagues that don’t count turnovers, he shouldn’t fall below the fourth round.

The Internet is a treasure trove in times like these, so below are the links you need to be the man/woman of the hour at your local watercooler today: (continue reading…)

• 

  Check out these links. (Stefano A/Flickr)

  I recently had my debut in Dime magazine’s print edition with my 2010-11 fantasy basketball preview. By the time it went to print there were already a few things I wish I could’ve changed, but I still stand by the vast majority of it.

• To continue the vanity, here are my posts on DimeMag.com about risk vs. reward players, and the 10 most intriguing fantasy basketball players with new teams this season.
• The guys at Give Me The Rock unveiled a podcast discussion about the Miami Heat. All three guys have wonderful radio voices. Patrick also posted his list of this year’s breakout players.
• Yahoo’s Roto Arcade is killing it with the stuff they’re putting out lately. Check out their head-to-head guiding principles, roto strategy primer and life-after-Don Nelson overview.
• Over at Weakside Help, Henry challenges many owners’ perceptions of delicate guys like Andrew Bogut and Troy Murphy.
• Lester’s Legends has a list of value picks that can help you win the three-point category.
• You want position rankings? Head over to Rotoprofessor (small forwards) and Damn Lies & Statistics (point guards).
• As always, Fantasy Basketball Daily has your daily dose of fantasy basketball news and notes.
• I’d like to end this post with a non-fantasy basketball item, but one I think most of you will enjoy: Brett Favre recently getting hit in his now-infamous groin with a football. Read into this what you will.

If you don't get the connection between this image and this post, I feel sorry for you. (Hint: Google "Strong Bad") (Michael Cooper/Flickr)

• Cheat sheets might have been frowned upon in your school days, but in fantasy basketball they should be embraced with open arms. The good guys at Give Me The Rock have shared their cheat sheets with us, including Top 200 Overall, Top 200 by Position and Top 200 for Auction Leagues. Gold, pure gold.
• Wanna cheat some more? Head on over to Busersports.com’s ADP report and draft sheet.
• It’s always good to have a new addition to the family. Nate at MFBarkley is pumping out some fantasy rankings for y’all, so head on over and take a look.
• If you’re looking for team previews in addition to the ones here (and you should be), take a look at these:
  • Damn Lies & Statistics
  • Life is Just a Fantasy … Basketball Blog
  • Fantasy Basketball Daily (which is also asking a lot of questions these days)
• Yahoo Sports’ Roto Arcade is going through its own mock draft, which is currently in round three.

I'd like to tell you that KG's telling the ref to "Check out these links," but he's probably saying something closer to "**** ******* *** **** *********." (Keith Allison/Flickr)

A friendly reminder: Our flash-mob mock draft at Mock Draft Central is taking place tomorrow evening (Thursday, Aug. 26). Since I’m gunning for us all to take part in a free draft (bloggin’ ain’t easy — or lucrative), I can’t predict exactly what time or how many spots (10 or 12) will be available in the slot we get, but it will be sometime around 7 p.m. EDT (it won’t be earlier than that). The good news is that you can reserve your spot as soon as the time slot is created by the good people at Mock Draft Central, so keep an eye out for an update here and on Twitter sometime late tonight or early tomorrow morning about exactly when the draft will take place. It will be 14 rounds of nine-category goodness, and you choose your pick position. After the draft is over, I’ll post a round-by-round analysis where I’ll publicly laud or embarrass your picks (half-kidding). I hope you’re excited as I am.

• You’ll find Dirk Nowitzki ranked as the No. 4 overall fantasy player just about everywhere, but that doesn’t mean it’s cool. Justin at Life is Just a Fantasy…Basketball Blog talks about why he’s going with Stephen Curry at No. 4.
• Henry at Weakside Help is optimistic about the likes of Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum this season, but Pau Gasol? Pau-lease.
• Fantasy Basketball Daily is in the midst of his position-by-position fantasy rankings (based on a scoring system). Tippy’s going with Deron Williams over Chris Paul.
• The great Dan Gilbert is the guest poster for Give Me The Rock’s Cleveland Cavaliers fantasy team preview, and guess what? Comic Sans, that’s what.
• Yao Ming‘s famous foot (shouldn’t it have a nickname by now?) is declared fully healed and the big man appears optimistic. The AP report mentions his conditioning (he lost 40 pounds in the last 3.5 months, and wants to lose more weight) and that his minutes will be limited in the early going, as expected. If you’re optimistic about his fantasy value this season, giggle with glee.
• Kevin Garnett used to be a fantasy monster — now he’s relegated to being good for a highlight reel’s worth of cussing. Head over to Basketbawful to witness some of KG’s verbal diarrhea, but put earmuffs on the ears of any children that might be in the room.

It's summer. Here are some links. (TheBusyBrain/Flickr)

Yes, it’s only late July, but there’s already some delightfully juicy fantasy basketball content floating around in the ocean that is the Internet. Here are some delicious morsels:

• Henry at Weakside Help recently put up a post titled, “What type of fantasy player are you?” Are you Mr. Average? The Dan Gilbert? Ms. Bo Peep? I’d like to think I don’t fall into any of those archetypes. It’s an entertaining read that will probably make you nod and remember names and faces that you’d rather not deal with until your drafts start.
• Doneycat at Tale of 9 Cats is doing some admirable work over there. First, it was another interview with Ken Slight at Basketball Monster, then it was an interview with Steve “Dr. A” Alexander of RotoWorld fame. I’m looking forward to who he interviews next.
• Give Me The Rock continues its fruitful summer with a fantasy basketball preview of the Golden State Warriors. (They’ve already covered the 76ers, Pacers and Thunder.)
• Summer League is over, so here’s John Cregan’s (ESPN) take on what real-life player attributes can translate into fantasy value, along with which players to keep an eye on in light of those scouting observations. (J.J. Hickson, Reggie Williams and DeMar DeRozan are among them.)
• Speaking of Summer League, Basketball Monster (wow, two appearances in one post?) recently posted its Summer League fantasy player rankings, based on averages. The top five, in order, are John Wall, Nick Young (who only played one game), Coby Karl, John Lucas and Ty Lawson.