Spurs of the Moment

I’m in too many fantasy football leagues this year. It’s not just the inordinate amount of time I spend scouring the waiver wires in each league, or the fact that I have become insanely conflicted when I watch any given football game, but I realized last week that I was nowhere close to finishing my fantasy basketball rankings. So I carved out some time between pondering the wisdom of hanging onto Vince Young in a deep keeper league and debating whether to start Hakeem Nicks or Carolina’s Steve Smith, and I finally finished my Top 200 Rankings for the 2009-2010 Fantasy Basketball Season. Ten Spurs players made my list, but I like to think it’s because they’re that good and not because I’m a little biased. I’m listing them in order with their overall rank, last year’s stats and my own analysis of their fantasy value. Here is my breakdown of the 10 who made it:

#9 Tim Duncan
2008-2009 Stats

Duncan is the only player who cracked the top 10. He was able to play in 75 games last season in spite of his achy knees, so I’m not terribly worried about him missing a ton of games. He’ll have some help up front this year with Bonner, McDyess, Ratliff and Blair to spell him. Also, since the Spurs have players like Parker, Ginobili and Jefferson who can rack up points, Duncan won’t have to stay on the floor in order for the Spurs to have any offense. Aside from his free-throw shooting, he doesn’t really come with any side-effects. He averages a double-double and nearly two blocks per game, not to mention he is one of the most consistent players out there, and that is why he is ranked so high. If he’s available in the 2nd round of your fantasy draft, don’t let him pass.

#30 Tony Parker
2008-2009 Stats

Tony has an amazingly high FG% for a guard, and is hovering near the 80% mark from the charity stripe. He was the Spurs’ leading scorer last year and is an underrated passer with nearly seven dimes a game, 13th in the NBA last season. Only LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade averaged more points and assists than Parker last season. The only real problem I have with him is that he doesn’t make very many three-pointers. He should be picked as early as the 2nd round.

#77 Richard Jefferson
2008-2009 Stats

RJ’s biggest problem last season was that he kept shooting such a low FG%. I expect that to improve this year since he will not be forced to carry the offense as much as he was in Milwaukee. The only problem with that is that his overall scoring will most likely take a hit. He probably won’t surpass 100 three-pointers this year, but he should still be a good source of threes throughout the season. It would be nice to get more rebounds, assists or steals from him, but don’t hold your breath. He’s worth a 6th round pick, but with so much depth at his position, you may want to hold off and see if you can get him in the 7th or even 8th round.

#88 Manu Ginobili
2008-2009 Stats

He comes off the bench, he’s always hurt, he flops, he has a general knack for annoying basketball fans in general… there is a lot to dislike about Ginobili. There’s also a lot to like about him. He shoots well from the field, from downtown, and from the free-throw line. He’s a proven scorer and the second best passer on the team. He led the team in steals per game last season totaling 64 in just 44 games. By contrast Tony Parker had 67 steals in 72 games. If he can stay healthy he is definitely worth picking as early as the 6th, maybe even 5th round, but as it stands I wouldn’t get him earlier than the 7th. There’s reason to be optimistic since he never missed more than 17 games in any previous season, but with RJ in town and Finley still the starter at shooting guard, there’s also reason to be cautious.

#137 Antonio McDyess
2008-2009 Stats

McDyess was one of the brighter spots for Detroit last year nearly averaging a double-double. His free-throw shooting leaves something to be desired at just barely 70%, but he doesn’t hurt you in any other way. I’m not sure how many minutes he’ll get in SA – probably not the 30 per game he got last season – so his numbers could drop a little bit. Still, I think he’s worth a pick late in the draft as early as the 11th round.

#144 Matt Bonner
2008-2009 Stats

Bonner’s main value lies in his ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets around 100 threes again this year, but the problem is that he doesn’t really do much else that you look for in a power forward or center, you know – rebound, block shots, look menacing. I wouldn’t pick him up to flesh out those spots, but if you need to improve your three point shooting then Bonner is a good late round pick. The reason he is ranked higher than Mason or Finley is simply because of the position he plays. Getting a guard off the wire who can shore up your three-point shooting is a piece of cake, but finding valuable centers late in the draft is more tricky. Still, I would’t draft him any earlier than round 12.

#153 Roger Mason
2008-2009 Stats

Now why is Mason ranked higher than Finley? Finley does start, afterall. Well let me tell you why. Mason made more three-pointers, averaged more points and assists, and shoots signigicantly better from the free-throw line. I don’t know if he can do what he did last year now that Parker and Ginobili are healthy and Jefferson is here now, but he still gets the edge on Finley. Quite frankly, I don’t know how much Finley has left in the tank either, while Mason is young and has more upside at this point.

#156 Michael Finley
2008-2009 Stats

I still like Finley, and he is still a starter, so it’s hard to not give him some respect even at this stage of his career. He averaged 29 minutes per game last season, but can we expect that again this year? Personally, I don’t think so. His minutes will go down and so will his shot attempts, so picking him up might be too risky. He’s worth a late round flier in deeper leagues this year, but you may be better off picking up one of your sleeper picks or the next guy on this list.

#177 DeJuan Blair
2008-2009 Stats * University of Pittsburgh

I am only ranking him so low because it’s hard to predict how many minutes he will get behind Duncan, Bonner and McDyess. Then again, he’s still on the list because he can be very effective with limited minutes. He could be the steal of the draft this year and is capable of averaging something like 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist, steal and block per game while coming off the bench. He might not go in many drafts this year, but could be a hot add off the wire in the first week or two of the season. If you’re in a keeper league, I would highly recommend him as a late round pick.

#198 George Hill
2008-2009 Stats

If you’re in a really deep league and/or want some Tony Parker insurance, then George Hill would be a good pickup. Honestly, I don’t see a need to draft him in standard leagues, but if nothing else he’s worth putting on your watch list.