You're going to have to forgive us here in the early season for a bit. If we don't report on trends that are developing, we're ignoring what we're seeing. If we do tell you what we see, we're over-emphasizing games that are so young in this season that they can't even legally get into a screening of New Moon.
Basically, that's my way of imploring you to remember that we do take these things with a gigantic mountain of salt, but here's what happened. And trust me, the Spurs are going to want to brush this one off.
You kids and your Twitter. There's something about 140 characters to get your point across that just seems to make sense. The whole idea got me thinking that instead of dragging out some fantasy basketball column that you'll likely just skim over, what do you say I give you 50 fantasy basketball tips and observations in 140 characters or less. You have no vote in this matter, so you're getting them anyway.
These tips are not only designed for those of you who have yet to draft your fantasy teams, but they're also for those who are looking to improve on their post-draft squads. Hopefully this is a helpful way to get out as much information as possible while keepin' it mainstream.
The 2008 Bulls, hopefully, won't be remembered for defining mediocrity at 41-41. Instead, they'll likely be remembered for a thrilling first round series against the Boston Celtics in which were able to only do so much (it's italicized because it's a shoddy theme, y'all!) before heading home for the offseason.
And that offseason saw them very quickly lose -- even if it was expected -- their top scorer from last year. Ben Gordon's explosive, albeit one-dimensional, game will be missed a team that was already middle of the pack in terms of offensive efficiency last year. And John Salmons, a trade-deadline addition along with Brad Miller, will help counter Gordon's loss, but, guess what? He can only do so much.
As draft day nears it's important to know where to find the best value. Once you've built your foundation early on in the draft, your next step is to fill in categories and find players who complement your core guys. If your team is built around bigs with high field-goal percentages, rebound rates and shot-blocking abilities, you might want to exploit that by adding another value big man later in the draft. In head-to-head leagues your goal is to win each week, whether it be 5-3 or 6-3 or 8-0. Just win.
At the same right you don't want to leave the draft without depth at any position. Today I'm going to give you five late-round value sleepers at the power forward position who should outperform their average draft position. I used Mock Draft Central (MDC) and Yahoo! Sports (Y!) as a reference point.
That salvo in large type came in a Carlos Boozer interview on ESPN's Chicago affiliate. Last weekend, the Salt Lake Tribune cited Jazz sources claiming Boozer had a ticket for the first train outta Utah. Boozer's confirmation is icing, and we ought to get used to the thought: Boozer opted in, but the Jazz are opting out.
The thrust of Boozer's appearance on a Chicago-based show emphasizes the current conventional wisdom, that the Bulls would be the best depot for the Booz Train to pull into. It will, of course, be tricky, as Utah needs to expunge salary while earning even a minor, minor prize in the swap. The Bulls are well over the cap this season, so a third team must get involved. Who could it be?
You're not really tired of all the offseason rumors, near-deals, unnamed sources, and "whispers." (Who whispers in these conversations, anyway? Couldn't you just make the call on your way home in the car? Does anyone think Pritchard has his employees' cars bugged?) You're loving all of these deals that don't happen, the signings that never arrive, and all the inside information. And it's a good thing, too. Because there's more. Lots more. Like this!
ESPN's got the scoop on a rumored deal that either makes a ton of sense or none at all, depending on your point of view. Long story short?
Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich to Portland, and Tyrus Thomas to Utah. Ta-da! So how real is this thing? As usual, that depends on who you talk to.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Andrew Bynum earns obvious headlines in coming back from a bad knee injury suffered in January. Bynum looked decent on Thursday, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 21 minutes of work against the Nuggets. He wasn't the main factor in L.A. knocking off its closest challenger, though.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
The magnetic pull between the rim and Carmelo Anthony's fingertips could not be stronger. A night after wallopping Dallas for 43 points, 'Melo poured in 31 points against Golden State. OK, 31 points, no big deal, right? Well, those came in 30 minutes on 21 FGAs. Quick work, man. Anthony also had six rebounds and five assists, and the Nuggets lead by 30 after three quarters.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Vinny Del Negro needs to stop watching X-Files before games. How little does the Notorious V.D.N. trust his bench? He basically played a six-man rotation Tuesday against the Pistons, with seventh man Lindsey Hunter and burning man Tim Thomas each getting four minutes off the bench beyond Brad Miller's 23.
Derrick Rose missed his first game of the season with a bruised wrist. Kirk Hinrich filled in well, scoring 24 points (on 23 FGAs) and totaling eight assists. Tyrus Thomas was a beast for Chicago, with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal.
Tyrus Thomas apologized to his Chicago teammates on Thursday for skipping practice on Wednesday but refused to tell the media what prompted his absence except to say it was for "personal reasons" and not about a lack of playing time. Whatever it was, it seems to have been premeditated -- the Chicago Tribune cites sources that say "Thomas laughingly told two teammates 'see you Thursday' when he left the locker room after Tuesday's victory over Memphis, during which Thomas played just nine foul-plagued minutes."
But while those teammates may have known what was up, the front office brass was so completely caught off guard that they actually dispatched police officers to Thomas' house to check up on him when they were unable to track him down. (Sadly, given the incidents involving Eddy Curryand Antoine Walker in Chicago suburbs this summer, that's actually a smart precautionary measure to take in a situation like this.)
If any good comes of this situation it's that Thomas and interim coach Jim Boylan are apparently now seeing eye to eye -- Thomas said their telephone conversation late Wednesday "broke some barriers." That right there certainly seems to suggest that this was in fact about playing time and basketball, but at this point it doesn't really matter. Thomas is 21 years old -- when I was his age I skipped more than my fair share of college classes without anything close to resembling a valid excuse. It happened, it's over and in a round-about way, team relations may be better for it.
You're going to have to forgive us here in the early season for a bit. If we don't report on trends that are developing, we're ignoring what we're seeing. If we do tell you what we see, we're over-emphasizing games that are so young in this season that they can't even legally get into a screening of New Moon. 
FanHouse 
As draft day nears it's important to know where to find the best value. Once you've built your foundation early on in the draft, your next step is to fill in categories and find players who complement your core guys. If your team is built around bigs with high field-goal percentages, rebound rates and shot-blocking abilities, you might want to exploit that by adding another value big man later in the draft. In head-to-head leagues your goal is to win each week, whether it be 5-3 or 6-3 or 8-0. Just win. 
That salvo in large type came in a 
You're not really tired of all the offseason rumors, near-deals, unnamed sources, and "whispers." (Who whispers in these conversations, anyway? Couldn't you just make the call on your way home in the car? Does anyone think Pritchard has his employees' cars bugged?) You're loving all of these deals that don't happen, the signings that never arrive, and all the inside information. And it's a good thing, too. Because there's more. Lots more. Like this!
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
