Spurs of the Moment

So, some of the Fanball Writers decided to form a Fantasy Basketball League. The league settings are as follows:
16 Teams, Head-to-Head, 2 Divisions
Roster Positions: PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, Util, Util, BN, BN, BN
Scoring Catagories: Field Goal Percentage (FG%), Free Throw Percentage (FT%), 3-point Shots Made (3PTM), Points Scored (PTS), Total Rebounds (REB), Assists (AST), Steals (ST), Blocked Shots (BLK)
My Team: Prestige Worldwide (Yeah, like the movie “Step Brothers”)

Here is my breakdown of the draft:

Round 1. (Pick 3) Dwyane Wade
I was hoping that Josh from Miami Heat Beat would pick Wade with the #1 overall pick, and I knew Jamaal from TWolvesBall would pick Chris Paul if he was there, so I was hopeful I could land LeBron at #3. But alas, no such luck for me as Paul flew off the board immediately once the draft began. Wade is not too shabby in round 1, though, and now I can focus on getting a big man, right?

Round 2. (Pick 30) Paul Pierce
So much for getting a big man in Round 2. I was hoping Duncan would make it back to me, but at pick 30, that was a longshot. I thought about picking up Boozer here, but with Pierce out there, I am going to take my chances that Boozer is still around in 5 picks. I’m going to need threes too, and Wade doesn’t shoot enough. Since I am angling to take Parker later, this is definitely a necessary pick to make.

Round 3. (Pick 35) Carlos Boozer
Voila! Good bet here that he’d still be available. Now I am thinking of getting another PG. I like Tony Parker and really wanted to get him here, but I can’t pass up a guy with C eligiblity right now. Plus, Parker is ranked way low (lucky for me) so I have a decent shot at him next round.

Round 4. (Pick 62) Tony Parker
Once again, I get exactly who I wanted. Now I have Parker and Wade as my top guards, Boozer will be my main Center, and Pierce at Small Forward. I need another rebounder.

Round 5. (Pick 67) Blake Griffin
I was going to draft Emeka Okafor, but he got poached at pick 66. Ouch! Now I am thinking of taking a risk. I have a good top 4 already, and if I want to get froggy I better do it on this pick since I will be waiting awhile and this seems about the time that people are gonna start picking sleepers. In a standard 12 team league this wouldn’t be the case until maybe round 6 or 7, but this league is 16 teams, so the well is drying up in earlier rounds.

Round 6. (Pick 94) Shaquille O’Neal
All of the quality Centers are getting picked off. I know this is FT% suicide, but I think I can live with it. I need another Center bad or I’m gonna be starting Marresse Speights before it’s all said and done.

Round 7. (Pick 99) Allen Iverson
Another risky pick. He fell off hard last year, and now he plays for a wack team (Soooorrrry Tennessee), and may not even start. Not to mention he has a hammy issue already. But you know what? I think AI has something to prove and will return to relevance this year. This is either a genius pick or a wasted pick, but hey, no guts no glory.

Round 8. (Pick 126) Corey Maggette
Francisco Garcia got drafted a few picks earlier… ahh when Autodrafts attack. I’m ok with it tho since it was one step closer to Maggette. He was injured a lot last year, so he is way under the radar right now. Plus, Stephen Jackson wants out of town really bad, which could mean more opportunities for Maggette.

Round 9. (Pick 131) James Harden
On the strength of his pre-season game against the Spurs, I am taking a shot here, but… wait, I could have had Tyreke Evans – crap. Harden better be good.

Round 10. (Pick 158) Drew Gooden
I think the Eric Dampier saga is coming to an end. Drew Gooden is a much more solid scorer and he can get at least as many rebounds as Butterfingers aka Dampier. I think he’ll be the starter at Center for most of the season, if not all. The only red flag is his history of injuries (I’m not counting the soul patch on the back of his neck – does he still sport that?). Still, with so few Centers left, this might be a steal.

Round 11. (Pick 163) Anthony Parker
I just need to get more three-pointers. It was either Parker or Anthony Morrow, but I definitely feel like I need an “Anthony” here and I don’t trust the Warriors enough to draft Morrow first. Maybe I’ll get him next … oops nevermind, he went next pick. I hope I didn’t screw that up.

Round 12. (Pick 190) DeJuan Blair
Yao Ming just got picked. What year is this again?
Anyway, I snatched up Blair. Fan pick. Plus I think he’ll put up some good numbers to shore up my rebounds, steals, blocks, and points. He’s a good all-around box score filler.

Round 13. (Pick 195) Derek Fisher
This late in the draft, you can’t go wrong with the best point guard on the Defending Champion Lakers.

I don’t how long this team will stay like this, but I feel pretty good about it right now and don’t see anyone off hand that I think I would drop right away for the flavor of the week waiver wire pickup. We’ll see how it goes I guess.