fBasketballBlog

A narwhal, a unicorn and Jessica Alba. If this doesn't get your attention, I give up. (I promise that it's sort of related.)

If you’ve ever clicked on the “About Jason” link at the top of this site, you probably know that I am, indeed, an actual human being. But in all my posts about NBA players, the numbers they put up and the limbs they injure, you probably don’t get the sense that I’m a human being who actually enjoys connecting with readers. While comments and tweets are a couple ways for us to interact, it feels a little hollow and unsatisfying to me.

Since I’m the one with the soapbox, I decided to take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself — specifically, what my days look like. Maybe this will explain why I’m sometimes slow in responding to your questions, or maybe this will help you to be more forgiving when you see errors in my work. But more than anything else, I hope this will somehow bridge the gap that exists between us, even if just a bit. (continue reading…)

Yep, this will be fun. (Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images)

The 2011-12 NBA season is finally within reach, ready to be ripped open by the childishly eager fingers of ravenous fans. For fantasy basketball owners, the joy comes with a bit of business. Once they cut through the excitement of seeing the first tip-off of the season, they’ll immediately wonder how their draft picks will pay off, what clues they can pick up in the early going and which players sitting in the free-agent pool might be worth a pickup.

While making heavy-handed conclusions after just the first day of games isn’t recommended, it doesn’t hurt to have a list of things to watch and hope for during the first official day of this unique NBA season. Below is a Christmas Day wish list for fantasy basketball owners who have players participating in the first day’s games. (continue reading…)

With Bynum's suspension, Kobe's wrist and an early back-to-back-to-back set, Gasol will be a workhorse in Week 1. Maybe pats on the head instead of punches to the chest will help, too. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

The 2011-12 NBA schedule is peculiar, for various reasons. For one thing, not only will each team play 66 games (in the NBA’s 66th season, no less), but every team is slated to play at least one back-to-back-to-back set – that’s three games in three consecutive nights – at least once during the season. This obviously has implications for older teams/players, guys playing through injuries, etc. Here are a few quick observations:

• The Lakers will be first to experience a back-to-back-to-back set, right from the Christmas Day start of the season. Given Andrew Bynum’s five-game suspension and Kobe Bryant’s bum shooting wrist, expect Pau Gasol to be heavily leaned on in the first week.
• The Boston Celtics (Week 16), Cleveland Cavaliers (Week 16), Detroit Pistons (Week 17), Golden State Warriors (Week 17), Memphis Grizzlies (Week 15), Philadelphia 76ers (Week 17), San Antonio Spurs (Week 17) and Washington Wizards (Week 15) all have a back-to-back-to-back set during what could be your league’s fantasy playoffs. While this might seem like a windfall for the fantasy-relevant players on these squads, it’s more nuanced than that (injuries, veteran players in need of rest and playoff standings).
• Having a back-to-back-to-back set doesn’t guarantee that the team will have five games that week (e.g., Minnesota Timberwolves in Week 10).
• Some of these three-in-three sets start in one week and end in the next.
• The New Orleans Hornets are the only team to have a back-to-back-to-back set in the shortened week before All-Star Weekend (Week 9), but they’re not the only team to have three games that week.
• Twelve teams have two back-to-back-to-back sets; the remaining 18 have just one.

Here’s a look at when each NBA team has three-in-three sets this season: (continue reading…)

It's simple: Don't sleep on Teague. (NBA.com)

Here’s a quick list of my top 20 fantasy basketball sleepers for the 2011-12 NBA season (assuming nine categories), broken down into three tiers: napping, dozing and comatose. For the full list, which includes an introduction and explanations for each listed player, head on over to DimeMag.com.

Napping (sleepers in a loose sense of the word, because just about everyone knows it):

• Arron Afflalo (SG, TBD): Target in rounds 6-7
• Jared Dudley (SG/SF, Suns): Target in rounds 6-7
• Jeff Teague (PG/SG, Hawks): Target in rounds 8-9
• DeAndre Jordan (PF/C, Clippers): Target in rounds 9-10 (continue reading…)

Horace Junior Grant

Career averages: 50.9% FG, 69.2% FT, 11.2 Pts, 8.1 Reb, 2.2 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 1.0 Blk, 1.1 TO