fBasketballBlog

CP3 doing his thing. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Chris Paul posted 26 points, 14 assists, two steals and two three-pointers last night. He shot 75 percent (12-16) from the field and had two turnovers. His hamstring injury was a bummer earlier this month, but CP3 is back to business as usual. His averages are second best to LeBron James this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Joakim Noah: 5-6 FG (83%), 4-4 FT (100%), 14 Pts, 13 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 TO; that’s five consecutive double-doubles for Noah, who’s also dishing out 4.6 assists per game in that stretch

Ryan Anderson: 6-13 FG (46%), 2-4 FT (50%), 14 Pts, 20 Reb, 1 TO; he’s maintaining first-round value so far this season

Michael Beasley: 10-14 FG (71%), 12-12 FT (100%), 2 threes, 34 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; sell high — he’s not the type of guy you take home for the rest of the season, if you catch my drift (continue reading…)

Curry's owners can hold their chins high this morning. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry finished with 32 points, six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and six three-pointers last night. He shot 63 percent (12-19) from the field, 67 percent (2-3) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover in 38 minutes of play. Curry has racked up 74 minutes of run in his last two games, which is a good sign that his ankle is fine for the time being. Barring any further setbacks, he’ll handsomely reward owners who bought low or exercised patience on him.

Lines for Discussion:
Anthony Morrow: 5-11 FG (46%), 4-4 FT (100%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; his owners should shop him now

Anderson Varejao: 4-8 FG (50%), 2-4 FT (50%), 10 Pts, 16 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; Varejao is averaging 9.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks this season, making him a top 75 fantasy basketball player

Joakim Noah: 5-9 FG (56%), 10 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1  Blk, 1 TO; his production has stabilized lately, and since Jan. 13, Noah has averaged 9.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game (continue reading…)

All this fantasy value without a single three-pointer made. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James was big again last night, finishing 33 points, eight rebounds, 13 assists and two steals. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the floor, 82 percent (9-11) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. The man has yet to make a three-pointer and has only attempted one this season, but that has done nothing to drag down his fantasy value. King James remains far and away the best fantasy basketball player in the land.

Lines for Discussion:
Ryan Anderson: 7-16 FG (44%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 threes, 23 Pts, 15 Reb; he’s averaging 19.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line — top five numbers

DeMar DeRozan: 9-18 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 5 threes, 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 TO; the three-point shooting is key to his otherwise yawn-worthy fantasy value

Boris Diaw: 12-15 FG (80%), 3 threes, 27 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; he remains a must-start player (continue reading…)

The smirk of a man who knows he hasn't yet reached his ceiling. (Flickr/adifansnet)

Depth chart:
PG: Derrick Rose, C.J. Watson, Jannero Pargo, John Lucas
SG: Keith Bogans, Ronnie Brewer
SF: Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, Jimmy Butler, Rasual Butler*^
PF: Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Brian Scalabrine*
C: Joakim Noah, Omer Asik, Kurt Thomas*

* unrestricted free agent
^ locked into overseas contract with no opt-out clause (continue reading…)

This might make sense if you read this post.

Around this time last year this blog was kicking it with mock drafts and updates about the realm of fantasy basketball. This summer is different, for obvious reasons.

With the lockout in full swing and the fount of NBA news slowed to a muddy trickle by inane updates about which players are “considering” playing overseas, I’ve had more time to keep abreast of non-NBA news. One story that recently caught my eye was about Abercrombie & Fitch paying Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino not to wear its merchandise.

Before I proceed, I’ll admit that I’ve never been drunk enough mustered up enough courage to sit down and watch a single minute of a single episode of “Jersey Shore.” This means my low regard for Mr. Sorrentino is fueled by snippets I’ve seen on TV or read on the Internet, and by his awful delivery.

That said, this news story compelled me to ask myself a question: Which players would I (figuratively) pay to not be on my fantasy basketball team?

Thus, a blog post was born.

Assuming an act of God forced me to miss my next fantasy basketball draft, here are 10 players I’d “pay” to leave my team if the dreaded auto-draft pooped them onto my roster. Following each player’s blurb is a series of “Situations” reflecting how badly I’d want these players off my team. (continue reading…)