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.

First, some background: I’m a 29-year-old child hiding in a man’s body who works as an editor at my full-time job. In addition to that, I do some freelance writing outside of my 8-5 routine, on top of my fantasy basketball blogging. I also serve as a leader at my church, which requires some of my time during weekdays and weekends. So, as you can deduce, free time and adequate sleep are scarce during the NBA season — unicorns and pretty female celebrities I can only dream about.

Here’s a breakdown of a typical day for me:

• 5:20 a.m.: wake up and write up those daily fantasy basketball recaps (which I try to set up the night before), with the help of:
• Yahoo! Sports (box scores, player stats)
• ESPN (injuries)
• Rotoworld (injuries, news)
• Basketball Monster (to get a feel for the top performances each night)
• Give Me The Rock (specifically for their helpful schedules of NBA games)
• 6:20 a.m.: take a shower, wash up, get dressed and eat breaksfast
• 6:55 a.m.: leave my house and head to work
• 8 a.m.-5 p.m.: my full-time job; it’s during these hours that I’ll try to tweet and answer questions (on this site, on Twitter and on DimeMag.com)
• 6:15 p.m.: get home, eat dinner and unwind
• 7:30 p.m.: start on my non-fantasy basketball freelance writing and try to catch whatever NBA action is on TV
• 9:30 p.m.: this is around when I try to start looking at scores and laying the foundation for the next day’s post; I’ll try to stay up until at  least the early games are done
• 11-11:30 p.m.: I always try to target a 10:30 p.m. bedtime (yes, I’m really only 29), but 11:30 p.m. tends to be the actual time I’m tucked into bed

Then it’s back to the start.

On the weekends, I’ll try to keep a running list of players/news to highlight for Monday’s weekend recap, with a near-final post ideally (but not always) ready by the time I go to bed Sunday evening.

So, there it is: a day (or week) in the life of this fantasy basketball blogger.

While I would love to make a full-time career out of fantasy basketball, I’ve gotta pay the bills, as the adults say. Besides, I enjoy the full-time and freelance stuff I do. Being able to have this blog and an outlet like DimeMag.com, and to know that people out there actually care about the words my fingers type is more than I can ask for.

I know I’m not the busiest guy in the world, let alone the world of fantasy basketball, but I just wanted to share a little more of my life with you all.

Thanks for reading, [insert your name here]. Really, thank you. Though most of you might be silent and though we may never meet in real life, I appreciate your eyeballs and time.

Here’s to a successful fantasy basketball season for us all.

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.

Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (12 p.m. EST):

• Healing for Paul Pierce’s bone bruise in his heel and a memorable Christmas Day performance
• Confidence and some form of a shooting touch for Rajon Rondo
• Protection for Jermaine O’Neal’s body, which will be heavily relied upon this season
• Extra rebounding opportunities for Amar’e Stoudemire, who will have to fight to maintain his rebounding average from last season now that Tyson Chandler’s on board
• A place for Landry Fields in the Knicks’ offense
• A place for Iman Shumpert in the Knicks’ offense
• A huge start to the season for Toney Douglas

Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks (2:30 p.m. EST):

• A triple-double and a pristine touch from the free-throw line for LeBron James
• Minutes for Norris Cole
• Plenty of open looks from three-point territory for Shane Battier
• A significant place for Udonis Haslem in the Heat’s rotation
• A glimmer of hope from Rodrigue Beaubois
• A performance to serve as an accurate indicator of Vince Carter’s value this season
• Enough minutes for Lamar Odom

Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m. EST):

• A high field-goal percentage from Derrick Rose
• Seamless integration into the Bulls’ offense for Richard Hamilton
• A more comfortable, productive role for Carlos Boozer
• Healing and protection for Kobe Bryant’s bum shooting wrist
• Confidence and a huge role for Pau Gasol, especially with Kobe’s injury and Andrew Bynum’s four-game suspension
• Across-the-board production from Josh McRoberts
• Something from Troy Murphy

Orlando Magic vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m. EST):

• A miraculously improved touch from the free-throw line for Dwight Howard
• Plenty of minutes for both Glen Davis and Ryan Anderson
• Sufficient minutes for J.J. Redick
• For the impressive weight loss to benefit Kendrick Perkins’ on-court production
• Even more signs of progress from Serge Ibaka
• A starting gig for James Harden
• An improved shooting touch for Russell Westbrook
• More assists than turnovers from Kevin Durant

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors (10:30 p.m. EST):

• A stupid number of assists from Chris Paul
• Fifty-percent shooting from the floor and plenty of threes for Chauncey Billups
• A pair of blocks and immaculate free-throw shooting from Blake Griffin
• A comfortable spot in the rotation for Mo Williams
• A coming-out party for DeAndre Jordan, with plenty of blocks and boards to go around
• An accurate indication of what Caron Butler will do this season
• Healing and protection for Stephen Curry’s ankle
• A focused Monta Ellis
• A strong sequel for Dorell Wright’s breakout 2010-11 campaign
• No tooth incident for David Lee, and a strong reminder of his fantasy appeal
• Minutes for Ekpe Udoh and Klay Thompson

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:

Atlanta Hawks (two): Week 2 (Jan. 5-7), Week 13 (March 23-25)
Boston Celtics (one): Week 16 (April 13-15)
Charlotte Bobcats (one): Week 3 (Jan. 12-14)
Chicago Bulls (one): Week 3 (Jan. 9-11)
Cleveland Cavaliers (one): Week 16 (April 13-15)
Dallas Mavericks (one): Week 11(March 8-10)
Denver Nuggets (two): Week 1-2 (Dec. 31, 2011-Jan. 2, 2012), Week 6 (Feb. 2-4)
Detroit Pistons (two): Week 6 (Jan. 30-Feb. 1), Week 17 (April 17-19)
Golden State Warriors (one): Week 17 (April 20-22)
Houston Rockets (one): Week 1 (Dec. 29-31)
Indiana Pacers (two): Week 8 (Feb. 14-16), Week 13 (March 22-24)
Los Angeles Clippers (two): Week 4 (Jan. 16-18), Week 13 (March 20-22)
Los Angeles Lakers (one): Week 1 (Dec. 25-27)
Memphis Grizzlies (one): Week 15 (April 2-4)
Miami Heat (one): Week 7-8 (Feb. 12-14)
Milwaukee Bucks (one): Week 13 (March 22-24)
Minnesota Timberwolves (two): Week 2-3 (Jan. 8-10), Week 10 (Feb. 28-March 1)
New Jersey Nets (two): Week 4-5 (Jan. 21-23), Week 8-9 (Feb. 18-20)
New Orleans Hornets (one): Week 9 (Feb. 20-22)
New York Knicks (one): Week 6 (Feb. 2-4)
Oklahoma City Thunder (one): Week 2 (Jan. 6-8)
Orlando Magic (one): Week 4 (Jan. 16-18)
Philadelphia 76ers (two): Week 3 (Jan. 9-11), Week 17 (April 16-18)
Phoenix Suns (two): Week 8 (Feb. 13-15), Week 12 (March 14-16)
Portland Trail Blazers (two): Week 5 (Jan. 23-25), Week 8 (Feb. 14-16)
Sacramento Kings (one): Week 2 (Jan. 3-5)
San Antonio Spurs (two): Week 13 (March 23-25), Week 17 (April 16-18)
Toronto Raptors (one): Week 3 (Jan. 9-11)
Utah Jazz (one): Week 7-8 (Feb. 12-14)
Washington Wizards (two): Week 13-14 (March 24-26), Week 15 (April 4-6)

See the original post at DimeMag.com

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

Dozing (these guys aren’t going to sneak up on you, but you might be underestimating their values):

• Tony Allen (SG/SF, Grizzlies): Target in rounds 8-10
• C.J. Miles (SG/SF, Jazz): Target in rounds 7-8
• Austin Daye (SF/PF, Pistons): Target in rounds 8-9
• Paul George (SG/SF, Pacers): Target in rounds 10-12
• Toney Douglas (PG/SG, Knicks): Target in rounds 8-9
• Carlos Delfino (SG/SF, Bucks): Target in rounds 7-8
• DeMar DeRozan (SG/SF, Raptors): Target in rounds 7-8
• DeJuan Blair (PF/C, Spurs): Target in rounds 9-11

Comatose (for whatever reasons, these guys are often forgotten – but not by you, right?):

• Jodie Meeks (SG, 76ers): Target in rounds 8-10
• Ryan Anderson (PF/C, Magic): Target in rounds 9-10
• James Johnson (SF/PF, Raptors): Target in rounds 11+
• Omri Casspi (SG/SF, Cavaliers): Target in rounds 11+
• Ed Davis (PF/C, Raptors): Target in rounds 11+
• Jonas Jerebko (SF/PF, Pistons): Target in rounds 12+
• Gerald Henderson (SG, Bobcats): Target in rounds 11+
• Jerryd Bayless (PG/SG, Raptors): Target in rounds 12+

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

Career averages: 39.6% FG, 57% FT, 2.1 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.0 Ast, 0.1 Stl, 0.6 Blk, 0.9 TO

Now the question is: What does this mean for fantasy basketball this season? (Boy, does it feel good to be able to write “this season” without a cynical smirk plastered on my face and a bitter tear in my eye.) We’ll delve deeper into the fallout through the coming weeks, but here’s a quick rundown of some of the important things to keep in mind for now:

• NBA players playing overseas: While the owners and players were cutting a deal, some NBA players decided to take their talents overseas. Though many of these players have opt-out clauses to release them back to the states in case the lockout ended, a few don’t have these opt-out clauses in their contracts. Wilson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith (notice a pattern there?) are among the players without opt-out clauses in their overseas contracts. This doesn’t completely squash their chances of returning to the NBA at some point this season, but it means fantasy owners should think less of their potential values in 2011-12. It also means that these players’ absences open up the door for others to benefit. The good folks at ESPN have a roundup of NBA players who are playing overseas, with notes about opt-out clauses.

• Free agency: Free agency will begin on Dec. 9, which means it’s probably a good idea to hold your fantasy drafts after that date. This also means some teams have rosters that will have a lot more uncertainty than others. The Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards each have at least five free agents (restricted and unrestricted) on their rosters. David West, Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler, Nene, Chuck Hayes, Kris Humphries, Marcus Thornton, Samuel Dalembert, Andrei Kirilenko, Nick Young, Arron Afflalo and Marc Gasol are among the fantasy-relevant free agents to keep an eye on once Dec. 9 comes around. ESPN has a list of NBA free agents.

• Less time to jell: Related to the point above, the late start to the season and the shortened preseason mean less time for rookies and free agents on the move to jell with their new teams. It also means less time for new coaches to build rapport and trust with their players. This clearly has implications for fantasy basketball: Most rookies and free agents landing on new squads should be trusted less for fantasy basketball purposes, and new coaches may rely on their teams’ tried-and-true stalwarts rather than giving too much experimental court time to their more unproven players. The latter means that sleepers should be considered with more skepticism and knocked down a bit on your draft charts. Established players and productive players on rosters that won’t change much should be valued at a premium.

• Brief preseason: There are only 16 days between Dec. 9 (the start of training camps and free agency) and the Christmas Day start to the NBA season. This doesn’t leave much time for anything, let alone preseason games. Fantasy owners shouldn’t expect to get much insight into sleepers and the like during the miniscule number of preseason games to be penciled in. Of course, this probably isn’t the worst thing in the world, since it will prevent Anthony Randolph-esque bubbles from being pumped up.

One of these regrettable contracts will have a visit from Amnesty Clause. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

• Amnesty clause: The labor deal includes an amnesty clause, which will allow each NBA team to rid itself of one player and wipe his salary from their cap. This means players with regrettable contracts will likely be cut from their current teams. Expect Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, Brandon Roy and Rashard Lewis to be among the bigger names affected by Santa’s not-so-giving cousin. Keep an eye on these players and where they might land after being cut loose. ESPN and Grantland have helpful lists of the players most likely to be let go by their teams thanks to the amnesty clause.

• Less rest between games: Sixty-six games squeezed into a shorter season means there will be some busier-than-usual weeks for NBA teams. This could be interpreted as a negative for older players (though playing fewer games might balance that out), who will have less rest between games. It also means that players who get banged up during the course of the season and play through nicks and bruises may need a few more days than usual to get fully healthy again.

• Getting back into the swing of things: The limited time players will have to work themselves back into game shape and get comfortable with new teammates will lead to a rough start to the season for most, if not all, NBA teams. Expect inconsistent and frustrating performances, but fight the temptation to make too many drastic roster moves in the early going. Patience will be the name of the game. We’re all going to be familiarizing ourselves with a fresh NBA landscape very soon, in accelerated fashion, after a lengthy layoff. It may not be transpiring the way we planned for or wanted, but it’s finally happening — and if I remember correctly, the NBA is where some cool stuff takes place.

More links:

• The list of all the 2011-12 NBA team previews written on this site. Each preview points out free agents and players locked into overseas contracts.
• The specifics of the NBA’s proposed labor deal, as told by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
• A roundup of information on the new NBA agreement, courtesy of Royce Young of CBSSports.com.

These guys...

The NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement to end the lockout and start the season on Christmas Day.

Here are the key dates under the tentative agreement:

Dec. 9: Training camp opens
Dec. 9: Free agency begins
Dec. 25: NBA regular season begins

Read up on this joyous development here:

CBSSports.com

ESPN

Yahoo

Special delivery.

In case you haven’t noticed, yesterday we finished our previews/analyses of each NBA team for what I’m tentatively referring to “2011-12.” I suppose celebrating this accomplishment is akin to hitting a technical free throw and low-fiving imaginary teammates.

Though I’ll spare you the confetti and balloons, I do want to offer this: a simple list of all 30 fantasy basketball team previews. You can also access it atop the website, no matter what page you’re on.

Here’s what’s included in every team preview:

• depth chart (free agents and players locked into overseas contracts are noted)
• list of relevant fantasy players with projected per-game stats
• sleeper
• player most likely to surprise
• player most likely to disappoint
• category specialists
• things to consider
• the team’s statistical ranks in 2010-11
• fantasy-friendliness grade
• fun bonus video

Now I’ll be working on updating those rankings.

Youngsters might not remember, but back in Minnesota, KG was one B.A.M.F. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Reddit is a wonderful thing. Reddit’s r/NBA subreddit just makes it even wonderfuller.

User Browsing_From_Work recently posted a spreadsheet including all NBA player stats from 2004-2011, scraped from NBA.com. Go have fun with it. (The best way to play with the data is to go to “File” –> “Download as” –> “Excel,” then sort and fiddle to your heart’s content.)

Using that data, here are the 10 most efficient individual player seasons from 2004-2011:

1. LeBron James, 2009-10 (CLE): 32.42
2. Kevin Garnett, 2004-05 (MIN): 31.96
3. LeBron James, 2008-09 (CLE): 30.88
4. Chris Paul, 2008-09 (NOH): 30.46
5. LeBron James, 2007-08 (CLE): 30.33
6. LeBron James, 2005-06 (CLE): 29.42
7. Dwyane Wade, 2008-09 (MIA): 29.29
8. Kevin Garnett, 2006-07 (MIN): 29.17
9. Shawn Marion, 2005-06 (PHX): 28.85

Here are the 10 most efficient players in 2010-11:

1. LeBron James (MIA): 28.58
2. Kevin Love (MIN): 28.37
3. Dwight Howard (ORL): 28.31
4. Blake Griffin (LAC): 25.63
5. Pau Gasol (LAL): 25.40
6. Kevin Durant (OKC): 24.95
7. Dwyane Wade (MIA): 24.78
8. Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK): 24.59
9. Zach Randolph (MEM): 24.43
10. Dirk Nowitzki (DAL): 23.49

Do you notice any big names missing from these lists? What other interesting tidbits do you find in this data?