Second Team All OAC:
Brian Pollock
Maurice Haynes
Chris Switzer
Andrew Bene
Tyler Felt
Rudy Kirbus
6. Baldwin Wallace: Projected OAC Finish: 6th Projected Wins: 9 Floor: 6-12 Ceiling: 12-6 Players to Watch: Andrew Bene, Kyle Brown, Denny Santiago Analysis: Duane Sheldon returns to his alma mater to coach the new look Jackets in 08-09. They lose several catalysts (Bub, Tyler) from a 4 year run of consistent play that brought with it an OAC championship and two NCAA tournament appearances. The loss of two of the top 5 journeymen of the last four years leaves many lingering holes in the back court. One could pose the question: how do you lose two OAC journeymen, and even have the ability to field a team the next year? We will find out this year as Andrew Bene leads the charge through the conference. BW is a team that can really have a great year, or get on a bad run and struggle. They have a lot of tough guys, its just a question of getting the chemistry together under a new coach and system. Kyle Brown is a great shooter and scorer, same goes with Tumblin and Santiago. Its just a question of whether they can play well at the point guard position and whether they can defend well enough against the good teams. BW is definitely a skilled team, with a lot of talented guys that are hard to stop. Good teams have good point guard play, and thats a question for BW to answer.
5. Mount Union: Projected OAC Finish: 5th Projected Wins: 11 Floor: 8-10 Ceiling: 12-6 Players to Watch: Dave Pellrite, Chris Switzer, Sam King Analysis: Mount is a sexy pick this year. They have jumped out to a 5-0 start. They have good players that have been playing well in this league for a long time. They are pretty balanced. But never in my right mind am I gonna put a Mount Union team anywhere near the top of the OAC Conference. I dont care if they start 11-0. I would still bet on them falling apart. They hate their coach. Hes like the Byron Scott of the OAC. He has some credibility, hes coached some good guys, but in time teams just begin to resent him and stop playing hard for him. Chris Switzer is a really cool guy, and a shoe in for the All OAC Party Team, and I am positive he would have a lot of things to say about his coach. It would be funny to hear. But bottom line, I think Mount is good but just not good enough to get over that hump. There a tough matchup at the guards though. Dave Pellrite is a Rudy Kirbus type player, who is big and thick yet quick enough to go by you and score. He shoots it nice and gets to the line as well. I think they will have an up and down season with many peaks and valleys. The coach-player relationship is the thing that brings questions and makes me not believe in them.
OAC All Breakout Team:
RJ Brown
Travis Kinn
Rudy Kirbus
Ross Niekamp
Chris Zajac
Brian Pollock
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
OAC PREVIEW (PART 2 of 5)
First Team All OAC:
Nate Stahl
Ryan Wood
Brandon Rogers
Kyle Meyer
Trevor Scott
Kyle Brown
8. Heidelberg: Projected OAC Finish: 8th Projected Wins: 7 Floor: 4-14 Ceiling: 8-10 Players to Watch: Josh Calver, Jake Smalley, Travis Kinn Analysis: New head coach (the big black assistant from ONU the last couple years), new core of players (the figthing josh calvers) and coming off the best season in school history, heidelberg may be in for an up in down season in the OAC. They are off to a 3-1 start, probably due to a couple of nice cupcakes wins but maybe not. They have some toughness at the guards but none have proved it over the course of a marathon season. I am sure they are having some concerns at the 3-4-5 positions. Travis Kinn is kind of a tweener, but is strong and tough and seemed to be able to hang in there against bigger players last year. Its just a question of whether there guards are gonna be good enough to get shots for themselves against good defensive players. It was easy for them to get good shots when Shriver and Lemmon were playing. It will be much tougher for these current guys to create there owns shots and get 3s with no real post presence. I definitely think they can beat the bad teams and can beat the medium skill teams when they shoot the ball well and get lucky.
7. Musky: Projected OAC Finish: 7th Projected Wins: 8 Floor: 6-12 Ceiling:9-9 Players to Watch: Trevor Scott, Pat Byrne, Tyler Felt Analysis: Muskies are thin at all positions, but the guys they have are pretty good. This is the part of the conference that can really start to go many different ways. The 4-7 range is really gonna depend on how these teams do head to head, and how lucky/well they play on the road. Without Brandon Todd, and his robot arms, the Muskies are gonna struggle handling the ball. He made things a lot easier for the team last year, and they still finished in the lower rung of the conference. They have a healthy Trevor Scott, who was decent but still no 100% last year coming off major surgery. He is long, quick and a pretty good all around player. He shoots a high percentage and is a great free throw shooter. He has a pretty good middle game. Tyler Felt is one of the many paper champions in this conference. What an anomaly. You'll see great numbers from him (20 and 10) and then just be baffled at how bad he sucks when you play against him in real life. I'm sure he is good I just havent seen it and probably never will cause JCU will dog him again. You cant win in this conference with 7 guys. At least I dont think so. Its too long of a season, and the guys in this league are too good. They will have some nice wins, some nice first half fights, good 10 minutes of the second half, and a lot of close last minute losses. Definitely good enough to beat teams that dont come to play.
OAC COY: Damon Goodwin
Nate Stahl
Ryan Wood
Brandon Rogers
Kyle Meyer
Trevor Scott
Kyle Brown
8. Heidelberg: Projected OAC Finish: 8th Projected Wins: 7 Floor: 4-14 Ceiling: 8-10 Players to Watch: Josh Calver, Jake Smalley, Travis Kinn Analysis: New head coach (the big black assistant from ONU the last couple years), new core of players (the figthing josh calvers) and coming off the best season in school history, heidelberg may be in for an up in down season in the OAC. They are off to a 3-1 start, probably due to a couple of nice cupcakes wins but maybe not. They have some toughness at the guards but none have proved it over the course of a marathon season. I am sure they are having some concerns at the 3-4-5 positions. Travis Kinn is kind of a tweener, but is strong and tough and seemed to be able to hang in there against bigger players last year. Its just a question of whether there guards are gonna be good enough to get shots for themselves against good defensive players. It was easy for them to get good shots when Shriver and Lemmon were playing. It will be much tougher for these current guys to create there owns shots and get 3s with no real post presence. I definitely think they can beat the bad teams and can beat the medium skill teams when they shoot the ball well and get lucky.
7. Musky: Projected OAC Finish: 7th Projected Wins: 8 Floor: 6-12 Ceiling:9-9 Players to Watch: Trevor Scott, Pat Byrne, Tyler Felt Analysis: Muskies are thin at all positions, but the guys they have are pretty good. This is the part of the conference that can really start to go many different ways. The 4-7 range is really gonna depend on how these teams do head to head, and how lucky/well they play on the road. Without Brandon Todd, and his robot arms, the Muskies are gonna struggle handling the ball. He made things a lot easier for the team last year, and they still finished in the lower rung of the conference. They have a healthy Trevor Scott, who was decent but still no 100% last year coming off major surgery. He is long, quick and a pretty good all around player. He shoots a high percentage and is a great free throw shooter. He has a pretty good middle game. Tyler Felt is one of the many paper champions in this conference. What an anomaly. You'll see great numbers from him (20 and 10) and then just be baffled at how bad he sucks when you play against him in real life. I'm sure he is good I just havent seen it and probably never will cause JCU will dog him again. You cant win in this conference with 7 guys. At least I dont think so. Its too long of a season, and the guys in this league are too good. They will have some nice wins, some nice first half fights, good 10 minutes of the second half, and a lot of close last minute losses. Definitely good enough to beat teams that dont come to play.
OAC COY: Damon Goodwin
Monday, December 1, 2008
OAC PREVIEW (PART 1 of 5)
After a little time off, JC is back. Over the next couple days, I am gonna break down the OAC conference. A conference where every game is decided by several crucial second half minutes. A league where no lead is safe. A league where names like Oosiley, Grogan, Todd, and Lemmon echo for all eternity. This has been a conference dominated by a John Carroll program who not only is the nastiest team in the league year in and year out, but is also perenially the best drinking team as well and takes full advantage of the hot bed of young coed jersey chasers/pantydroppers that flood the streets of South Belvoir. I am gonna provide some analysis on the teams and rank them from 10-1, and offer some predictions. I havent paid a ton of attention to whats going on in the league, but my time as a journeymen is plenty of expertise. I know every team in this league like no one else. If you wanna great snapshot of how the league is gonna play out this year, I encourage you to take a spin through my writing in the next several days. FROM 10 TO 1....
10. MARIETTA Projected OAC Finish: 10th Projected Wins: 4 Floor: 0-18 Ceiling: 7-12 Player(s) to Watch: Isaiah Creasap Analysis: Marietta sucks guys. I think we are all pretty aware of that. They just have never gotten enough good guys in there who are tough and get the fact that they are playing in one of the most unique conferences in America. They play shitty defense, like laughable score at will defense if you take 20 seconds to get a good shot. Offensively you can dog the shit outta them and they panic and turn the ball over or shoot a bad shot in which you can get out and score in transition. This is a night off in the conference similar to when the elite teams in the NBA go to OKCity or Memphis. Isaiah Creasap is a good shooter. He is gonna have 3 30 point games this year, maybe more. But I dont think he could be a good player on the top 4 teams in the conference. He would be a great great weapon to a good team, but I dont think he would be tough enough to hack it day in and day out. Just dont really see much from Marietta. I hope I am somewhat wrong though cause it sucks being shitty year in and year out. Maybe they have a Mimes this year. A program changer.
9. OTTERBEIN: Projected OAC Finish: 9th Projected Wins: 6 Floor: 2-16 Ceiling: 8-10 Players to Watch: Adam Wells (kidding, hes a fag who had a nice 6 year career) Corey Ratai, Ryan Kennedy??? Analysis: The Ross Banaszack era is over folks. He has moved on to bigger and better things namely Ross Jr. His absence creates a decent hole, seeing that he had possession of the ball for 90% of Otterbeins offensive possessions. Never bet against Dick Reynolds, a somewhat competent coach with a time tested system. But come on, I think this is a team that the good teams will throttle both home and away if they play well. I wonder if Ryan Kennedy is back. He was fresh on the scene for his sophomore year strapped with a couple of barb wire sleeves on his intimidating arms, and had a few nice scoring games early. Then he fell off the grid and no one has heard from him since. He was rumored to be playing on a club team in Turkey, being paid 200K in addition to free room and board. All in all unless they have a few decent new post players, and a couple of shooters who play well all year, this is a team thats gonna get beat. They are gonna play with teams for a half hard because they have a stickler coach, but good teams will pull away for easy wins.
10. MARIETTA Projected OAC Finish: 10th Projected Wins: 4 Floor: 0-18 Ceiling: 7-12 Player(s) to Watch: Isaiah Creasap Analysis: Marietta sucks guys. I think we are all pretty aware of that. They just have never gotten enough good guys in there who are tough and get the fact that they are playing in one of the most unique conferences in America. They play shitty defense, like laughable score at will defense if you take 20 seconds to get a good shot. Offensively you can dog the shit outta them and they panic and turn the ball over or shoot a bad shot in which you can get out and score in transition. This is a night off in the conference similar to when the elite teams in the NBA go to OKCity or Memphis. Isaiah Creasap is a good shooter. He is gonna have 3 30 point games this year, maybe more. But I dont think he could be a good player on the top 4 teams in the conference. He would be a great great weapon to a good team, but I dont think he would be tough enough to hack it day in and day out. Just dont really see much from Marietta. I hope I am somewhat wrong though cause it sucks being shitty year in and year out. Maybe they have a Mimes this year. A program changer.
9. OTTERBEIN: Projected OAC Finish: 9th Projected Wins: 6 Floor: 2-16 Ceiling: 8-10 Players to Watch: Adam Wells (kidding, hes a fag who had a nice 6 year career) Corey Ratai, Ryan Kennedy??? Analysis: The Ross Banaszack era is over folks. He has moved on to bigger and better things namely Ross Jr. His absence creates a decent hole, seeing that he had possession of the ball for 90% of Otterbeins offensive possessions. Never bet against Dick Reynolds, a somewhat competent coach with a time tested system. But come on, I think this is a team that the good teams will throttle both home and away if they play well. I wonder if Ryan Kennedy is back. He was fresh on the scene for his sophomore year strapped with a couple of barb wire sleeves on his intimidating arms, and had a few nice scoring games early. Then he fell off the grid and no one has heard from him since. He was rumored to be playing on a club team in Turkey, being paid 200K in addition to free room and board. All in all unless they have a few decent new post players, and a couple of shooters who play well all year, this is a team thats gonna get beat. They are gonna play with teams for a half hard because they have a stickler coach, but good teams will pull away for easy wins.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
MUST SEE TV
I sent a text to my buddy Josh at the 17:49 mark of the first half of last night's Davidson at Oklahoma game. It read: "The only guy I'm watching this year is Curry." He texted me back and said that he is the man, but there are a lotta good players and teams out there. NO THANKS. Stephen Curry is must see TV. Have you ever seen anybody like this guy? On a shitty night, against a sexy pick team, in their house, he goes for 44. HE DIDNT EVEN PLAY WELL. And if the refs hadn't fucked that game up by making him sit the last 8 minutes of the first half, they would have beat Oklahoma.
This year, Curry has the ball in his hands all game. He's gotta handle it and instigate the offense. He never gets a break anymore, and when he gets rid of the ball now, teams try to make it impossible for him to get it back. And he always seems to just walk around, yawn, orders dinner and comes off a screen for a WIDE open look. He moves without the ball so naturally that he makes it look so easy. And they dont even do that much for him. I watched pretty closely last night, and they didnt have a ton of sets and moves to get him open. He initiated the offense, ran to the block, hung out for 13 seconds, and came off a half hearted single screen and that was usually enough. Davidson runs a lot of motion, but Curry doesnt do a ton. At times, he moved without the ball a lot. But its mostly a lot of action from the other 4 players that leads to Curry getting loose. But he's just so good when he has the ball. He can create space to get his 3, he can get space to shoot a fadeaway in the key, he can hit the floater. And he can really create opportunities to get the line where he's automatic. Im pretty sold on Bob McKillop. He seems like hes a pretty smooth operator. His teams are always so fundamentally solid. But I mean above all things, hes just got the sweetest stroke in the world right now. I mean there is no doubt when that thing comes off his hand. Fran Fraschilla said he has never seen anyone in his life swish so many 3's in a practice session. Guy barely hits the net. And Stephen Curry has some stones. Hes a big game player. Hes always there in the last 5 minutes. I fear that they are gonna start to triple face guard him with three guys. That might be the only way to stop this cat. But I think you can pencil him in for 5 40 point games and 2 half-100 games. In addition to Stephen Curry, my other guy is BC's Tyrese Rice. Guy is un-guardable. Peg him in for 4 40 point games. NASTY.
JC III
Friday, October 31, 2008
Fantasy Draft
I had a huge fantasy draft last night. 12 teams. Big money. Good times. Im not really a big fantasy guy. I have never really gotten into it. The over/under on how long I stay interested in my team is 14 days. But after last night, I might not have to fool around with my lineup the whole year cause I had a great draft. I got everyone I wanted to some extent. There is only really one or two guys that I missed on cause I thought I could get them late. Anyway, I am willing to take you inside my war room for a minute and give you some insight into why I picked who I did. I lucked out and started to the draft in the 3 hole.
1. CP3--LeBron and Kobe went 1-2 so it was on me in the 3 hole. I was set to take D Wade after his 28 8 8 debut the previous night. Then I was gonna go Amare. With about 30 seconds later I settled on CP3. I couldnt let him get by me. I think hes the hungriest guy in the league by far. The Hornets are getting serious run from all the experts. They have a lot on the line. A lot of people like them in the finals. Assists are at a premium in these fantasy leagues. I figure hes gonna go 19, 11, 6 minimum. Hes gonna have some huge scoring games too. And they are gonna be grinding to finish number 1 in the west so there gonna play every game hard. So CP3 goes to me.
2. Melo--It wrapped around back to me and I went scoring and rebounding. Carmelo is gonna have a big year. Scores and rebounds and gets some assists. Great FT%. Makes some 3s. AI is slowing down a little. The Nuggets are right on the cut line to make the playoffs in the west so every game is gonna matter. He is a little nicked up right now. I am not sure whats wrong with him. Im sure hell be in the lineup next week. But Melo scores the ball probably easier than anyone on the planet. Hoping he has a nice year.
3. Al Jefferson--Had a big fantasy year last year for the Wolves. Just a consumate 18 and 11 guy who is hopefully gonna go 22 and 12 this year. Gets you some blocks. Shoots a high percentage. Gonna be a good numbers/bad team (GNBT) but this is fantasy. Its a numbers thing not an integrity of a player thing. And this guy gives you some stats. K Love is gonna be a solid pro, but I dont think hes gonna take touches away from Al Jeff until next year. Almost went Chris Bosh here, but settled on Al Jeff.
4. Corey Maggette--Went off the board here a little. In hindsight, coulda got him A LOT later cause people were asleep on him. But I had to make sure I got him. I know he just got paid, but its gonna be hard for him not to average less than 25 a game in Nelly's system. He gets you some boards and his assists are gonna up a little cause theyll be flying up and down. Hes gonna get you some steals too. Moped Ellis is gonna be out til January at the earliest and Captain Jack isnt a volume shooter. Maggette gets to the line like crazy and shoots a great percentage. A little bit of a reach at round 4 but I couldnt take the chance of him getting auto-picked. I wasnt sure about the skill level of my peers. But this was a pick I had circled. I was getting Maggette no matter what.
5. Jamal Crawford--SLEEPER ALERT. I coveted this guy because I think he's gonna have a MONSTER YEAR. He went 29, 4, 4 in their debut win against the Heat the other night. Gets a lot of steals. Hes gonna thrive with D'Antoni. Crawford is nuts. He can easily score 50 points in a game any given night. I think hes gonna have at least 5 40 point games. He gives me 3s at a high clip too. He sneakily made 170 3s last year. That might go up this year cause hes gonna be shooting more. The Knicks are gonna be improved, but they are also gonna be getting killed some nights and hell get buckets in mop up time. He was another guy that I had to have and probably drafted too early cause no one drafting had a clue. But I know who I wanted so I grabbed him here.
6. John Salmons--This guy has been getting a lot of buzz by the experts. Hes a sneaky fantasy guy. Went 24, 8, 5 in the first game. No one ever gets to see the Kings. But hes a 17, 7, 5 guy who gets a lot of steals. Hes pretty consistent too. I had him high on my big board. I think hes gonna have a pretty good year. Probably could have gone big but this was a good value here. The Kings are another team that can never win but can almost win a lotta games. So they will be playing their main guys big minutes. Salmons is another guy that I am taking a gamble on to have GTBT.
7. Andrew Bogut--I went big here, with a guy that a lot of fantasy dorks like. Bogut gives you a double double, but more importantly is gonna give you some blocks and shoot a high percentage. Another guy who just got paid, and is a pussy who gets hurt a lot. But hopefully he stays healthy and has a productive year. So far I think Scott Skiles hasnt totally burnt them out yet. They seem to be playing hard for him. The Bucks are a lot better than they were last year despite losing Mo Money. R Jeff is still pretty good. Michael Redd is solid, and Villanueva is coming on like a freight train. But off the subject for a minute: How is Luke Ridnour still in the NBA? What championship are you winning with Luke Ridnour starting for your team? I have a list of guys that I just cant figure out how they stick in the league. Its amazing. Whats the case for Ridnour other than hes a safe bet not to get in trouble and make the organization look bad, hes cheap at only about $2 mil a year, and he can run an offense in a somewhat productive matter. Other than that he gets abused on D, cant really shoot anymore, and cant make anything happen for anybody. But back to Bogut, I addressed my need at big and got a decent fantasy guy. Almost went Andrew Bynum here.
I JUST WANTED TO STOP MY ANALYSIS OF THE FANTASY DRAFT TO SHARE SOME DISHEARTENING NEWS. I JUST LOOKED IT UP. LUKE RIDNOUR IS ON THE BOOKS FOR $7 MILLION THIS YEAR AND $7 MILLION NEXT YEAR. ONLY IN THE FUCKING NBA! UNBELIEVABLE.
8. Troy Murphy--Drank the Murphy Kool Aid after a big first game for the Pacers. Went 14, 15,5,2 with a couple 3s. He plays hard every night. Makes more 3s than you think. Rebounds the ball hard. Good guy to have.
9. Z BO--Stole Zach Randolph here, who has had a good pre-season and had an easy 20, 10 in the first game. Seems to be the big that is gonna get the touches for the Knicks. Hes relentless, tough, shoots FTs pretty well and cleans the glass. This was a definite steal here. It made up for the Troy Murphy pick a round ago. Him and Crawford could have huge years and keep the Knicks relevant.
10. Thaddeus Young--Picked him way too high here. Sentimental pick here based on the fact that he came onto the scene in a big way last year helping the Phillies go on a run and make the playoffs. But you know what youre gonna get with him--12 and 8 with a couple blocks and steals mixed in. Brand could help him cause Thad can go get some of his bricks and dunk um back in. But EB will most likely hurt him cause he demands the ball and holds it on the box for so long. But sidenote here--the 76ers are a joke. I mean are you kidding me? Anybody who thinks they are a contender in the east is an idiot. My man Jalen Rose made a big blunder putting them at #3 in his east rankings. Marc Stein has been drinkin the Sixers kool aid but I expect him to start to backpeddle a little bit cause hes pretty smart. But they are in a no way a threat to the Cavs or Celtics or Stons. That Elton Brand deal is BAD. He was good 3 years ago Ed Stefanski. Sure hes a good fantasy cause he gets 12 rebounds a game, but he cant hack it against good guys. He beats up on bad guys. I just hate that contract.
11. Marc Gasol--Drank the kool aid here after a productive double double the first game. Hes gonna be productive. Hes gonna have a lot of double doubles. He shoots FTs well. Theyre gonna be horrible so hell log a lot of minutes and put up decent numbers.
12. Mario Chalmers--Kind of a steal here no pun intended. He had a big first game albeit against the Knicks. Hopefully he gives me some 3s and steals.
13. Jason Thompson--Not the John Carroll Jason Thompson. The Rider Jason Thompson. On the night he got drafted 25 spots too early at #12, Coach Joe Mihalich, one of the most prominent minds in the college game today sent his son Matthew a funny text--"Pretty high pick for a pussy." Nevertheless, he had a nice 18,11 in his NBA debut. Hes gonna have to work hard to get into my rotation.
14. CDR--I picked him simply cause he has the best nickname going in my opinion. Simple. Sounds great. Fun to say. No other reason. Steals maybe. And plenty of two handed dunks off the wrong foot.
15. Aaron Brooks--This guy is pretty good off the Rockets bench. Hoping that Skip to my Lou gets in trouble which he has a custom of doing, and Brooks gets major minutes. Last night he had 14,5,5 in 20 minutes. Good 3 point shooter. Plays aggressive when he gets minutes.
GUYS I WANTED THAT I MISSED ON--Devin Harris (went right before I picked), Derrick Rose (gonna have some crazy games 8 steals maybe), Charles Villanueva (coming on nicely, gonna have nice numbers) Wilson Chandler (Mike D'Antoni loves him, thinks hes the next Matrix Marion), Jason Terry (3s), Nick Collison (pencil in 10 and 13 every night with a block), Mehmet Okur(great percentages, great shooter, jazz are good), Matt Barnes (gonna get a lot of Grant Hills minutes, gets steals and 3s) AND MOST OF ALL--David Lee (born to play for Mike D'Antoni, one of my favorite players in the league).
jc3
1. CP3--LeBron and Kobe went 1-2 so it was on me in the 3 hole. I was set to take D Wade after his 28 8 8 debut the previous night. Then I was gonna go Amare. With about 30 seconds later I settled on CP3. I couldnt let him get by me. I think hes the hungriest guy in the league by far. The Hornets are getting serious run from all the experts. They have a lot on the line. A lot of people like them in the finals. Assists are at a premium in these fantasy leagues. I figure hes gonna go 19, 11, 6 minimum. Hes gonna have some huge scoring games too. And they are gonna be grinding to finish number 1 in the west so there gonna play every game hard. So CP3 goes to me.
2. Melo--It wrapped around back to me and I went scoring and rebounding. Carmelo is gonna have a big year. Scores and rebounds and gets some assists. Great FT%. Makes some 3s. AI is slowing down a little. The Nuggets are right on the cut line to make the playoffs in the west so every game is gonna matter. He is a little nicked up right now. I am not sure whats wrong with him. Im sure hell be in the lineup next week. But Melo scores the ball probably easier than anyone on the planet. Hoping he has a nice year.
3. Al Jefferson--Had a big fantasy year last year for the Wolves. Just a consumate 18 and 11 guy who is hopefully gonna go 22 and 12 this year. Gets you some blocks. Shoots a high percentage. Gonna be a good numbers/bad team (GNBT) but this is fantasy. Its a numbers thing not an integrity of a player thing. And this guy gives you some stats. K Love is gonna be a solid pro, but I dont think hes gonna take touches away from Al Jeff until next year. Almost went Chris Bosh here, but settled on Al Jeff.
4. Corey Maggette--Went off the board here a little. In hindsight, coulda got him A LOT later cause people were asleep on him. But I had to make sure I got him. I know he just got paid, but its gonna be hard for him not to average less than 25 a game in Nelly's system. He gets you some boards and his assists are gonna up a little cause theyll be flying up and down. Hes gonna get you some steals too. Moped Ellis is gonna be out til January at the earliest and Captain Jack isnt a volume shooter. Maggette gets to the line like crazy and shoots a great percentage. A little bit of a reach at round 4 but I couldnt take the chance of him getting auto-picked. I wasnt sure about the skill level of my peers. But this was a pick I had circled. I was getting Maggette no matter what.
5. Jamal Crawford--SLEEPER ALERT. I coveted this guy because I think he's gonna have a MONSTER YEAR. He went 29, 4, 4 in their debut win against the Heat the other night. Gets a lot of steals. Hes gonna thrive with D'Antoni. Crawford is nuts. He can easily score 50 points in a game any given night. I think hes gonna have at least 5 40 point games. He gives me 3s at a high clip too. He sneakily made 170 3s last year. That might go up this year cause hes gonna be shooting more. The Knicks are gonna be improved, but they are also gonna be getting killed some nights and hell get buckets in mop up time. He was another guy that I had to have and probably drafted too early cause no one drafting had a clue. But I know who I wanted so I grabbed him here.
6. John Salmons--This guy has been getting a lot of buzz by the experts. Hes a sneaky fantasy guy. Went 24, 8, 5 in the first game. No one ever gets to see the Kings. But hes a 17, 7, 5 guy who gets a lot of steals. Hes pretty consistent too. I had him high on my big board. I think hes gonna have a pretty good year. Probably could have gone big but this was a good value here. The Kings are another team that can never win but can almost win a lotta games. So they will be playing their main guys big minutes. Salmons is another guy that I am taking a gamble on to have GTBT.
7. Andrew Bogut--I went big here, with a guy that a lot of fantasy dorks like. Bogut gives you a double double, but more importantly is gonna give you some blocks and shoot a high percentage. Another guy who just got paid, and is a pussy who gets hurt a lot. But hopefully he stays healthy and has a productive year. So far I think Scott Skiles hasnt totally burnt them out yet. They seem to be playing hard for him. The Bucks are a lot better than they were last year despite losing Mo Money. R Jeff is still pretty good. Michael Redd is solid, and Villanueva is coming on like a freight train. But off the subject for a minute: How is Luke Ridnour still in the NBA? What championship are you winning with Luke Ridnour starting for your team? I have a list of guys that I just cant figure out how they stick in the league. Its amazing. Whats the case for Ridnour other than hes a safe bet not to get in trouble and make the organization look bad, hes cheap at only about $2 mil a year, and he can run an offense in a somewhat productive matter. Other than that he gets abused on D, cant really shoot anymore, and cant make anything happen for anybody. But back to Bogut, I addressed my need at big and got a decent fantasy guy. Almost went Andrew Bynum here.
I JUST WANTED TO STOP MY ANALYSIS OF THE FANTASY DRAFT TO SHARE SOME DISHEARTENING NEWS. I JUST LOOKED IT UP. LUKE RIDNOUR IS ON THE BOOKS FOR $7 MILLION THIS YEAR AND $7 MILLION NEXT YEAR. ONLY IN THE FUCKING NBA! UNBELIEVABLE.
8. Troy Murphy--Drank the Murphy Kool Aid after a big first game for the Pacers. Went 14, 15,5,2 with a couple 3s. He plays hard every night. Makes more 3s than you think. Rebounds the ball hard. Good guy to have.
9. Z BO--Stole Zach Randolph here, who has had a good pre-season and had an easy 20, 10 in the first game. Seems to be the big that is gonna get the touches for the Knicks. Hes relentless, tough, shoots FTs pretty well and cleans the glass. This was a definite steal here. It made up for the Troy Murphy pick a round ago. Him and Crawford could have huge years and keep the Knicks relevant.
10. Thaddeus Young--Picked him way too high here. Sentimental pick here based on the fact that he came onto the scene in a big way last year helping the Phillies go on a run and make the playoffs. But you know what youre gonna get with him--12 and 8 with a couple blocks and steals mixed in. Brand could help him cause Thad can go get some of his bricks and dunk um back in. But EB will most likely hurt him cause he demands the ball and holds it on the box for so long. But sidenote here--the 76ers are a joke. I mean are you kidding me? Anybody who thinks they are a contender in the east is an idiot. My man Jalen Rose made a big blunder putting them at #3 in his east rankings. Marc Stein has been drinkin the Sixers kool aid but I expect him to start to backpeddle a little bit cause hes pretty smart. But they are in a no way a threat to the Cavs or Celtics or Stons. That Elton Brand deal is BAD. He was good 3 years ago Ed Stefanski. Sure hes a good fantasy cause he gets 12 rebounds a game, but he cant hack it against good guys. He beats up on bad guys. I just hate that contract.
11. Marc Gasol--Drank the kool aid here after a productive double double the first game. Hes gonna be productive. Hes gonna have a lot of double doubles. He shoots FTs well. Theyre gonna be horrible so hell log a lot of minutes and put up decent numbers.
12. Mario Chalmers--Kind of a steal here no pun intended. He had a big first game albeit against the Knicks. Hopefully he gives me some 3s and steals.
13. Jason Thompson--Not the John Carroll Jason Thompson. The Rider Jason Thompson. On the night he got drafted 25 spots too early at #12, Coach Joe Mihalich, one of the most prominent minds in the college game today sent his son Matthew a funny text--"Pretty high pick for a pussy." Nevertheless, he had a nice 18,11 in his NBA debut. Hes gonna have to work hard to get into my rotation.
14. CDR--I picked him simply cause he has the best nickname going in my opinion. Simple. Sounds great. Fun to say. No other reason. Steals maybe. And plenty of two handed dunks off the wrong foot.
15. Aaron Brooks--This guy is pretty good off the Rockets bench. Hoping that Skip to my Lou gets in trouble which he has a custom of doing, and Brooks gets major minutes. Last night he had 14,5,5 in 20 minutes. Good 3 point shooter. Plays aggressive when he gets minutes.
GUYS I WANTED THAT I MISSED ON--Devin Harris (went right before I picked), Derrick Rose (gonna have some crazy games 8 steals maybe), Charles Villanueva (coming on nicely, gonna have nice numbers) Wilson Chandler (Mike D'Antoni loves him, thinks hes the next Matrix Marion), Jason Terry (3s), Nick Collison (pencil in 10 and 13 every night with a block), Mehmet Okur(great percentages, great shooter, jazz are good), Matt Barnes (gonna get a lot of Grant Hills minutes, gets steals and 3s) AND MOST OF ALL--David Lee (born to play for Mike D'Antoni, one of my favorite players in the league).
jc3
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Week 7 Picks
Browns +7
Giants +3
Frisco -5.5
Texans -9
Ravens -7
Saints +3
Chiefs +14
Dolphins PK
Bucs +1
Falcons +9.5
Pats -9
Panthers -5
Skins -8
Titans -4
Season Record: 33-26
Giants +3
Frisco -5.5
Texans -9
Ravens -7
Saints +3
Chiefs +14
Dolphins PK
Bucs +1
Falcons +9.5
Pats -9
Panthers -5
Skins -8
Titans -4
Season Record: 33-26
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A Hilarious Letter to the Editor
"I dont agree with the number one oac club of all time. Obviously you picked your alma mater on a clearly biased impulse selection. BW's 05 06 most def. belongs in that spot. One, we ran the through the league like mount does consistently in the fall, winning both regular season and tournament championships advancing to the NCAA tournament where we defeated a solid Carnegie Melon team. None of this cakes, pies and pastries Westminster, and Lake Erie inferior teams. We could of combined our managers of the time and they would have beat them. (Sticks D. and Greg Fitzsimmons) Then we had to go to Wittenberg where we had no business being there with a 24-4 record. We were clearly out matched with two dues 6 9 splashing threes having no business being at the division three level. They go on to lose a national championship by a miracle three. Terrible selection JC"
This was a letter I received late last night from an obviously drunk, retarded BW honk. He tried to make somewhat of a case for the yellow jackets 05-06 but was obviously hamstrung by intoxication and bad rationale. However, I felt like I should sort through this paragraph of hyperbole and false notions in order to appease several of my loyal readers.
First of all, lets talk about the statement "tough Carnegie Mellon" team. If there was ever a more fitting oxymoron, I would like to see it. I guess "clutch Ohio Northern team" would work or "cool Capital team." But to throw the likes of Bethany and Westminister and Lake Erie, solid organizations under the bus is just unacceptable and silly. ANY team you play in the NCAA tourney is gonna pose somewhat of a threat to your team. And those 3 teams were no different. Carnegie Mellon would have had a tough time with Bethany and vice versa.
And if I recall correctly, I think ONU had you guys on the ropes in the OAC tourney, and there was a combination of them playing with both hands on their throats and the refs having money on the game and giving you guys a couple calls down the stretch (the OAC ref bias toward BW and the complete hatred for JCU is another article altogether.) Anyway, that is worth noting in my response.
And the bottom line still remains that both teams went into Wittenberg in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Both teams probably had the same record. We might have had one more loss than BW. Two games were played at a high level. One team beat Wittenberg. One team lost to Wittenberg. John Carroll beat Wittenberg in overtime. So, SCOREBOARD BW fans. The bottom line is scoreboard. We beat probably the same team as you guys lost to, only a year younger. And they were studs, no question about that. We were just a little tougher. Maybe we worked out a little harder in the summer that year. We definitely drank at a much higher level than that BW team. That's for sure.
And we are not even having this conversation if the most shocking basketball moment in history happened a week later. If that doesnt happen. We win the next night and go to the final four D3 which would have been very fun. Anything could have happened. That's just the kinda club we had.
As always, I welcome constructive criticism about my blog and look forward to further discussions about OAC legends, journeymen and ball clubs. Out.
JC III
This was a letter I received late last night from an obviously drunk, retarded BW honk. He tried to make somewhat of a case for the yellow jackets 05-06 but was obviously hamstrung by intoxication and bad rationale. However, I felt like I should sort through this paragraph of hyperbole and false notions in order to appease several of my loyal readers.
First of all, lets talk about the statement "tough Carnegie Mellon" team. If there was ever a more fitting oxymoron, I would like to see it. I guess "clutch Ohio Northern team" would work or "cool Capital team." But to throw the likes of Bethany and Westminister and Lake Erie, solid organizations under the bus is just unacceptable and silly. ANY team you play in the NCAA tourney is gonna pose somewhat of a threat to your team. And those 3 teams were no different. Carnegie Mellon would have had a tough time with Bethany and vice versa.
And if I recall correctly, I think ONU had you guys on the ropes in the OAC tourney, and there was a combination of them playing with both hands on their throats and the refs having money on the game and giving you guys a couple calls down the stretch (the OAC ref bias toward BW and the complete hatred for JCU is another article altogether.) Anyway, that is worth noting in my response.
And the bottom line still remains that both teams went into Wittenberg in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Both teams probably had the same record. We might have had one more loss than BW. Two games were played at a high level. One team beat Wittenberg. One team lost to Wittenberg. John Carroll beat Wittenberg in overtime. So, SCOREBOARD BW fans. The bottom line is scoreboard. We beat probably the same team as you guys lost to, only a year younger. And they were studs, no question about that. We were just a little tougher. Maybe we worked out a little harder in the summer that year. We definitely drank at a much higher level than that BW team. That's for sure.
And we are not even having this conversation if the most shocking basketball moment in history happened a week later. If that doesnt happen. We win the next night and go to the final four D3 which would have been very fun. Anything could have happened. That's just the kinda club we had.
As always, I welcome constructive criticism about my blog and look forward to further discussions about OAC legends, journeymen and ball clubs. Out.
JC III
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