In case you missed my draft diary for the Writers League, check it out here.  It’s been three weeks since the season started and I gotta tell you, my team is struggling. We were able to pull out a much needed TIE last week. That’s right, I was settling for “not losing”. I don’t get it, my teams are great in my other leagues, but I am getting pummeled in this one. I’m going to try and figure out why and chronicle it right here. 

A look through my roster from first pick to last pick sheds a little light on where things have gone awry, but they start off well enough with my first three picks. The day after the draft I was immediately offered a trade of Chris Paul for Dwyane Wade which I reluctantly declined. Call me crazy, but Chris Paul is injured now so call me lucky too. I just hate swapping first round picks unless I end up picking someone I really don’t like. The problem is that I had already drafted the rest of my team based on the first pick, and I didn’t want to give up Wade’s blocks. As of today, Wade is averaging 28.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. My next 2 picks were Paul Pierce and Carlos Boozer, and so far I have no complaints. Right now Pierce is averaging 18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 three-pointers per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 81 percent from the foul line. Meanwhile, Boozer is averaging 17.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the line. My only gripe with Boozer is the lack of blocks at only 0.5 per game. All in all, Wade, Pierce and Boozer are all taking care of business and I couldn’t be happier. 

Now here’s where I am running into trouble.
My 4th pick, Tony Parker, missed two – well basically three games already, so that didn’t do me any favors. The good news is that he is back and looking like the ankle is a non-issue. He is currently averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 rebounds. He hasn’t hit a single three-pointer and is averaging only 0.5 steals, but his averages may be slightly skewed since he left the Portland game after only 11 minutes. 

Then of course, there is my 5th rounder, Blake Griffin. Dude comes up with a bum knee before the season even starts. I think I panicked into this pick which kills me when I could have picked someone else and angled for someone like Brandon Jennings later (This dude went in the 10th round and is averaging 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 48% FG, 78% FT, 21-of-39 threes, and one 55-point game. So, yeah I’m a little pissed). I would LOVE to have this pick back, especially since no one will trade with me unless I am willing to take back Raef LaFrentz, or a half-eaten Dorito, or a used kleenex or something equally worthless. (No one actually offered LaFrentz, I just kind of gaged that that’s what I would need to settle on based on all of my rejected trade proposals.) I am hoping that he returns by Christmas and goes for a double-double every night. I don’t know if I actually believe that though, I mean he’ll still be a Clipper, and he probably won’t start unless someone else gets hurt. 

My 6th pick was Shaq. I knew what I was getting here, and of course, he’s already hurt with a strained shoulder. I am not terribly worried about this one, but it’s still not helping me this week. I joked about having to start Marreese Speights if I didn’t pick him in the 6th round when centers were becoming scarce and almost felt like a complete idiot with the way Speights was playing, but now that he’s out for the next few months I can comfortably sleep at night. For the season, Shaq is averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks. He’s shooting 47 percent from the free throw line. This really isn’t what I was looking for, but hopefully he returns soon and gives me a double-double more often than not. 

My 7th pick was the one I was really hoping would turn out to be a steal. Instead, Iverson has turned out to be a huge waste of everything that can be wasted. I always liked AI, but this constant whining about not getting to start has taken its toll on me. Seriously? Dude missed the entire pre-season and the first two games of the regular season and gets all hot and bothered because he isn’t automatically integrated into the starting lineup. Are you freaking kidding me?! Playing for the Grizzlies behind Mike Conley, was there ever any real doubt that AI would eventually be playing roughly 30 minutes per game? Does it even matter if you start in that situation? Oh wait, this is the same AI who could never actually co-exist with another star player until Dikembe Mutombo came along and helped AI get to the Finals. The only reason that worked was because Mutombo didn’t require the ball to be an effective player. He needed to grab every rebound possible and swat every shot that came his way, two things AI never cared about anyway. I don’t doubt that AI can average 20+ points per game still, but I doubt that there are many teams who need a player who insists that he call all the shots, literally and figuratively. He played all of three games before punking out and quitting the team. Memphis waived him and now there is talk that the Knicks might go after him. Even if that happens, which is doubtful, I don’t know how relevant he will be anymore.
Last week I dropped AI for Terrance Williams of the NJ Nets. I won’t lie, I am still watching to see if he lands with a team that he will put up big numbers for, but I don’t know if they will be much bigger than what I am getting from Williams now, which is 9.6 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game. His free throw shooting is a crappy 57 percent and he shoots 33 percent from the field. Hmmm, maybe I should keep tabs on AI. 

Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system let’s move on. It actually starts to pick up here, believe it or not.

My round 8 pick was Corey Maggette, a pick I am loving even more now that Stephen Jackson is long gone. Raja Bell opted for season-ending surgery so now worries about new personnel. Maggette hasn’t started a single game yet, but he’s averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and almost one steal per game in only 23 minutes per game. He’s shooting 51 percent  from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line. Even if he never starts, he is putting up some great numbers as a sub. 

In Round 9 I picked another rookie who isn’t quite panning out – James Harden. But there is a silver lining to this one since I was offered a trade on opening night of Stephen Curry for Harden and promptly took it when I saw the box scores. I’m not disappointed at all, especially considering that Jackson was traded and Monta Ellis may be on the way out as well. Right now, Curry is averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 50 percent from the floor. His free throw shooting leaves something to be desired at 55 percent, but I expect all of his numbers to improve as the season wears on. On the flip side, James Harden is averaging 5.8 points, 2.6  rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and has less hope of cracking the starting lineup with the way Thabo Sefolosha has been playing.

 With my Round 10 pick, things start to go awry again. I picked Drew Gooden and I still don’t know for sure what to think about this. He pulled a rib cage muscle or something and sat out a few games while Erick Dampier was going off for a couple of those games including a 14-point, 20-rebound monster game against the Rockets. Then Damp cooled off and got sick and Gooden put up back-to-back double-doubles. Gooden is averaging 16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in his two starts since Dampier went out, but the problem is that I dropped him long ago for – you guess it – Erick Dampier. I can’t win for losing with Mavericks centers. In all fairness, I dropped him after three games for Dampier who was averaging 9.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while Gooden was averaging only two points and three rebounds in two games before getting hurt. I hate anyone who plays center for the Mavericks. I ended up dropping Dampier for Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns. Dudley isn’t too bad right now, averaging 9.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

 Pick 11 was Anthony Parker. I struggled with whether I should pick Parker or Morrow, and while I am happy with Parker, the grass is starting to look greener over by Morrow. Parker is shooting 40 percent from the field and 88 percent from the foul line compared to Morrow’s 52 percent from the field and 85 percent from the foul line. Parker is averaging nine points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, and Morrow is averaging 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. Both are currently starting, but have to look over their shoulders – Parker has to watch for Delonte West, and Morrow has to watch out for Don Nelson’s I-am-an-evil-genius-mad-scientist-let’s-screw-up-the-lineup-and-see-what-happens issues to flare up again. It’s almost a draw to be honest, but I drafted Parker for the threes and he is helping me out, and the peripherals (assists, rebounds, steals) are a little better overall than Morrow’s with the exception of FG%. So basically, I’m not worried about this pick unless Morrow starts averagin 15-20 points a night, in which case I will hate my life and go drown myself in a few pints of Ben & Jerry’s.

 DeJuan Blair was my #12 pick and while he isn’t putting up huge numbers, I am having trouble with letting him go. Partially because the waiver wire = slim pickins, and also because he has some pretty good rebounding numbers. I’m gonna hold onto him a while longer and see what happens. He is averaging 6.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. His free throw shooting is the real sore spot for me. He doesn’t shoot many free throws, but 50 percent still stinks. 

My last pick was Derek Fisher, and this pick has turned into my revolving-door roster spot. At first I dropped Fish for J.J. Redick who was starting in place of the injured Vince Carter, but I dropped him when Vince came back and picked up Dahntay Jones. He may lose playing time when Troy Murphy returns, but I’m gonna roll with him for now. He is averaging 16.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, one block, and 0.9 steals per game so far. He’s also shooting 46 percent from the field and 79 percent on free throws, so all things considered, he isn’t a bad pickup.

 I’m most likely to drop Dudley, Anthony Parker or Blair, but I have to be picking up someone with so much upside it’s ridiculous – or one of these guys has to be hurt. I’ll revisit this in a few weeks, and hopefully with a few more wins under my belt.