Chain Gang

Chain gang: NBA action, fantasy rankings, Summer League, David Lee, Amar’e Stoudemire, Roddy Beaubois

by Jason on Jul.14, 2010, under Chain gang

Could this be the face of this year's biggest fantasy sleeper? (It's Rodrigue Beaubois, by the way.) (Keith Allison/Flickr)
Having a hard time keeping tabs on all the player movement in the NBA this summer? ESPN.com has you covered with this helpful chart.
Matt Buser at Yahoo! Sports has an updated fantasy basketball Big Board. See how it compares with my top-25 list.
If you want to see how players are doing during this year’s NBA Summer League games, head on over to NBA.com for a list of statistics. So far, DeMarcus Cousins (16.5 points, 11 rebounds per game), John Wall (21.0 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 steals per game) and Reggie Williams (23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game) are faring well. We’ll break down the potential ramifications of Summer League once all the games are played.
David Lee vs. Amar’e Stoudemire: who ya got? Tom Lorenzo at FanHouse mulls this question over and comes to a tough call. (I’m taking David Lee, though as Lorenzo astutely points out, that will hinge on how well Andris Biedrins plays this season.)
It’s looking more and more like Shawn Marion will be coming off the pine in Dallas this season, making way for Roddy Beaubois to start at SG for the Mavs. While this is bad news for Marion’s already tanking fantasy value, Beaubois immediately becomes a sexy sleeper pick.
Nels at Give Me The Rock has posted his preview of the Oklahoma City Thunder, armed with a song parody and guidance on where to take Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook.

Leave a Comment :amare stoudemire, david lee, demarcus cousins, jeff green, john wall, kevin durant, reggie williams, rodrigue beaubois, russell westbrook, shawn marion, summer league more...

Chain gang: Jordan says Kobe is better than LeBron, game theory, winners and losers

by Jason on Jul.12, 2010, under Chain gang

“Kobe.” Michael Jordan declared that Kobe Bryant is better than LeBron James (via Lakers Blog at LATimes.com):

While this is far from surprising, especially in light of Kobe’s recent championship and LeBron’s recent choke job followed by his controversial decision to shy away from a shot at personal greatness, MJ’s verbal stamp on the matter is certainly interesting.

The Monkey Cage uses game theory to explore whether or not LeBron dug himself into a “suboptimal outcome.” It’s a thought-intensive read, but well worth the interesting perspective it offers.
Sam Smith offers his take on the winners and losers of the “Great Free Agency of 2010″ over at Bulls.com.
John Wall has already impressed a lot of NBA bigwigs, according to ESPN.com’s Daily Dime.
Over at Bleacher Report, Jose Cruz offers his thoughts on the top-15 fantasy ballers for 2010-11. He has LeBron dropped to No. 7 overall, placed Danny Granger at No. 3 and has Paul Millsap at No. 10. This clearly conflicts with my projections, but hey — it can’t hurt to read other perspectives to help inform your decisions on draft day, so read on.

Leave a Comment :john wall, kobe bryant, lebron james, michael jordan more...

Chain gang: Daily recaps, buy or sell, other news

by Jason on Nov.10, 2009, under Chain gang

Check out these Links. (thinkdocreate.com)

If you’re looking for good daily fantasy recaps (besides the ones I post here and on Dimemag.com), check out these sites:
- Give Me The Rock – these guys never disappoint; check out today’s recap here
- FourPointPlay – good stuff; check out today’s recap here
- Fantasy Basketball Daily – thorough overviews of each game; read today’s box score review here
- Rotoworld – last but definitely not least; read today’s Daily Dose here
FourPointPlay, The Fantasy Lounge and Give Me The Rock recently posted their takes on what to do with certain players who are struggling or surging.
Brian McKitish at ESPN.com posted his rankings of the top 130 players and discusses the scarceness of blocks and steals.
Matt Buser at Yahoo! Sports writes about T-Mac, Iverson, Don Nelson and more in his NBA Skinny.

Leave a Comment :allen iverson, blocks, daily recaps, don nelson, steals, tracy mcgrady more...

Chain gang: Rankings, drafts, strategies, more rankings

by Jason on Oct.20, 2009, under Chain gang, Rankings

Take a gander at the preseason player rankings that Craver at Fantasy Basket Blog just posted, which will be updated closer to the start of the NBA season.
Check out these links. (Flickr/bcmacsac1)

Henry at FourPointPlay posted the result of his Self Esteem League’s four-hour draft day. It’s very descriptive and fun to read. The quote, pick and pass of each round is also highlighted, along with odds on each team’s chances of winning.
Erik at Points in the Paint is offering his keen insights into rotisserie and head-to-head fantasy formats, with sample rosters included.
Matt Buser recently posted parts one and two of his great head-to-head guide at busersports.com. If you’re into roto scoring, he’s got primers for each position on his site, too.
Patrick at Give Me The Rock is starting to tick off his top 10 fantasy players at each position and has already covered point guards and shooting guards.
Yours truly has already posted his top 10 fantasy players at each position in 2009-10 at Dimemag.com: point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers. I’ve already had a change of heart on some of those rankings, but on the whole I firmly stand behind them. There are valid disagreements and perspectives in the comments – read them and let me know what you think.

1 Comment :draft, Rankings, top 10 more...

Chain gang: Mock drafts, crappy teams, previews, ESPN draft kit

by Jason on Sep.27, 2009, under Chain gang

Patrick at Give Me The Rock takes a keen look at mock drafting, listing pros and cons for the experience. Find out if he thinks it’s worth it or not.
Check out these links. (Flickr/Max Klingensmith)

Speaking of mock drafts, Henry and friends are in round three of their own mock draft at FourPointPlay. You can never look at too many mock draft results/rankings, so head on over and learn something.
Doneycat at Tales of 9 Cats offers a preview of another “crappy team” as he takes a gander at the Indiana Pacers. “I’ll say it now: you can win your league if you’ve picked Danny Granger in the first round, but you won’t win your league because you picked Danny Granger in the first round,” he writes. Find out what he means. Also, see where he stands with Troy Murphy, T.J. Ford and other Pacers this season.
ESPN has its Fantasy Basketball 2009-10 Draft Kit up and running and, as always, it’s full of helpful stuff. Brian McKitish’s “Draft-Day Manifesto” is quite insightful and includes a look at the “point guards/power forwards strategy” and great draft preparation tips.