fBasketballBlog

What do 'Inception' and fantasy basketball have in common? For starters, they're both cool.

First off, if you haven’t seen “Inception” yet, go and enjoy it. Yes, it’s hard to like the idea of seeing a film that’s been so sickeningly hyped and talked about for so long (paging LeBron James and the Miami Heat), but it’s well worth a viewing — or two.

While I could gladly go off on a tangent and offer my lengthy review of the film, then proceed to justify its relevance because this blog is, after all, focused on fantasy, I’ll take the higher road and instead take the foundational concept of dreams in “Inception” and use it as the basis for a fantasy basketball post. Don’t think it can be done? Read on.

Without giving anything away, the big premise of the film is dreams — diving into them (not just once, but twice, thrice and beyond), discerning them from reality, and stealing/planting ideas while in them. In fantasy basketball, there are many strategies and notions that seem to have taken root in many owners’ imaginations. Some are legit but others aren’t. Let’s take a look at some of these intuitions and tag them as either a “Dream” or a “Reality.” (continue reading…)

Childress is back in the NBA. Let's hope the hair and badass scar come back with him. (Aitor Arrizabalaga/Flickr)

A ton has happened so far this summer, which could go down as one of the most active and significant ever. For solid overviews of all that’s happened recently, check out Fantasy Basketball Daily and RotoWorld.

Here’s a quick take on some of the major moves that have taken place in the past few days (using our blog’s trademark color system):

• Al Jefferson dealt to the Utah Jazz: he’ll finally get to play with an elite point guard in Deron Williams, and could move Mehmet Okur to the bench while popping much of the juicy potential Paul Millsap had; Kevin Love now has command over the Timberwolves’ frontcourt
• Josh Childress will make his NBA comeback in Phoenix, which is where Hedo Turkoglu was traded to: this certainly puts a damper on Hakim Warrick’s value heading into the season, Turkoglu immediately becomes an appealing fantasy option again and Leandro Barbosa might be set to bounce back in Toronto (continue reading…)

Wade is staying in Miami and he'll have a very capable sidekick in Bosh. Will the duo become a trio by Thursday evening? (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Two-thirds of the dream trio that has been the recipient of so much attention this summer have finally decided on their future.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh announced today that they plan to sign with the Miami Heat.

From a fantasy standpoint, it’s not all that exciting — yet. It’s too early to jump to concrete conclusions on Wade and Bosh’s values next season, since we don’t know who else will (or will not) sign with their squad. As it stands, the Heat only have Wade, Bosh, Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley on its payroll. If they fill out that roster with a bunch of minor role players, Wade and Bosh remain fantasy studs, though their stats might take a slight baby step back.

If, however, Wade and Bosh are joined by LeBron James, all three dudes will see their values take a material hit. (continue reading…)

Stoudemire's wallet is now this big -- but his fantasy value has shrunk. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

Amar’e Stoudemire is (almost officially) a New York Knick. The coveted big man is ready to put his signature on a five-year contract that will net him nearly $100 million. This clearly has implications for his fantasy value, which surged in the latter part of last season. While his wallet might have gotten a lot fatter, his fantasy value has done the opposite.

More in-depth analysis of this and other big free agency signings will come once contracts are made official after Thursday, but for now, here’s a quick rundown of why STAT will have a down fantasy season, with the current Knicks roster:

• he won’t have a point guard who plays anywhere near the level of Steve Nash
• he’ll have to adjust to playing with another point guard
• defenses will be able to hone in on shutting him down on a thinner team than his former Suns
• the clock continues to tick until his next serious injury
• the looming threat of post-contract blues

What do you think? Is Stoudemire guaranteed to take a step back for fantasy owners this season, or is he set to finally take off in an offense that’s more centered around him? Let us know in the poll below. (continue reading…)

Curry ended a spectacular season with a bang. (Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)

[Read the full, original post at Dimemag.com]

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry finished his stellar first season in the NBA with a bang, finishing with 42 points, 4 threes, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers. He shot 52 percent (13-25) from the field and 100 percent (12-12) from the line. The kid deserves some major props for finishing the season as a top-12 fantasy stud and he’s sure to go very high in next season’s drafts.

Noteworthy Lines:
Jeff Teague – 11-19 FG (58%), 1-2 FT (50%), 1 3ptm, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 15 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; The rookie got all he could handle last night, playing all 48 minutes. This probably doesn’t have any bearing on his fantasy value next season.

Bill Walker – 8-17 FG (47%), 6-7 FT (86%), 6 3ptm, 28 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast; He did fairly well with the minutes given to him during the last two months of the season but he’ll be relatively worthless again in 2010-11. (continue reading…)