Sports Blog

Fresh off of fantasy baseball and right in the middle of fantasy football, the start of the fantasy basketball season could not come at a more hectic time. Yet, here we are in week one of the NBA schedule with a few days of games already under our belts.

An NBA season is a grueling, 82 game marathon. And while most fantasy drafts have already been completed, fantasy basketball, perhaps more so than any other fantasy sport, is all about picking up free agents early in the season. During the early parts of a season head coaches are experimenting with different lineups and figuring out how to best utilize new players. As a result, you will see certain players surprise you with great production and others disappoint you with poor production.

The key to winning in fantasy basketball is determining early on which players off to a hot start are for real and which ones are imposters. Conversely, it is just as important to figure out which players off to slow starts are most likely to turn it around. This week we will take a look at players off to a hot start that should continue to make a positive impact on your fantasy team.

As always, the players recommended here are available in a majority of leagues because you do not need me to tell you that Lebron James is going to have a good fantasy season.

PG Randy Foye, Washington Wizards (Owned in 27.4 percent of ESPN leagues): Foye is technically a combo guard, but he is eligible to start in fantasy at both guard positions. A good sign for Foye is that in the Wizards’ first game of the season — a game in which Foye came off the bench — he logged more minutes (30) than starting shooting guard Mike Miller (22). Although he isn’t quite the three-point threat that Miller is, the fact that he can take over point guard duty for Gilbert Arenas makes me believe that he will continue to log more minutes than Miller this year. Plus, with Arenas’ laundry list of injuries, it is not absurd to assume that Foye will find himself as the starting point guard sometime this season.

SG Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (Owned in 64.8 percent of ESPN leagues): Yes, I am well aware of head coach Don Nelson’s propensity for switching lineups more often than he does underwear, but Stephen Curry is too good to keep off of the floor. The rookie has a deadly outside shot and is somehow already more dependable than teammates Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson, the latter of which is being actively shopped around the league.

SF Shane Battier, Houston Rockets (Owned in 54 percent of ESPN leagues): The fact that Battier is not owned in all but the shallowest of leagues is mind boggling. The Rockets are without their two biggest scoring threats (Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady), playing with a relatively inexperienced point guard (Aaron Brooks), and an offensively irrelevant center (Chuck Hayes). Someone has to put up fantasy points and they won’t all be coming from new teammate Trevor Ariza.

PF Yi Jianlian, New Jersey Nets (Owned in 5.3 percent of ESPN leagues): I’ll admit that he has been a mild disappointment thus far in his career, but let me remind you that he is only 22 years old and still learning the nuances of the NBA. He opened with a very strong game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks), and while it may be unrealistic to expect that level of production all season, I see him as a legit fantasy contributor in 12-team fantasy leagues.

C Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies (Owned in 16.3 percent of ESPN leagues): The center position is arguably the toughest to fill in fantasy basketball, and this is especially true for leagues that require you start two of them. Gasol may not be as good of a scorer as Al Horford or the dominant shot blocker that Dwight Howard is, but he his above average in both and also grabs a lot of rebounds. The Grizzlies also have a lot of players that like to jack up a lot of bad shots early in the shot clock (Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Allen Iverson, Zach Randolph), so if your fantasy league counts offensive rebounds as a category Gasol is even more valuable.

N.L. EAST
1. Philadelphia 48 - 38
2. Florida 46 - 44
3. Atlanta 43 - 45
4. NY Mets 42 - 45
5. Washington 26 - 61

Supposedly, one of the strongest divisions going into the season, the N.L. East has been a big disappointment.  Philadelphia coming off a championship season has had a potent offense but have struggled to find consistent pitching.  Look for them to make a big deal at the trade deadline, possibly Roy Holliday, to further separate themselves from the rest of the division.  The Mets have been loaded with injuries and have been forced to play with many people out of position.  Good news could be on the way, however, because Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado might be back to start the second half of the season.  That will give them a chance to compete for the division in the second half.  Florida has been solid all season but the question is: will management make a move to help them seriously compete for the division?   It doesn’t look like it going to happen.  Atlanta’s close too but I don’t see them staying there in the second half.

Predicted Finish: Philadelphia, NY Mets, Florida, Atlanta, Washington

N.L. CENTRAL
1. St. Louis 49 - 42
2. Milwaukee 45 - 43
3. Chicago 43 - 43
4. Houston 44 - 44
5. Cincinnati 42 - 45
6. Pittsburgh 38 - 50

St. Louis has been the class of the division, with Albert Pujols, for the first half.  Its been sort of a surprise that they have been this good.  They are going to have to keep playing good baseball if they want to stay in first because four other teams are within striking distance to start the second half.  Milwaukee and the disappointing Cubs have the best shot at catching them for the division and could make a big deal to put them ahead in the race.  I think it will be a fun race to watch with the second place team possibly winning the Wild Card.  Houston and Cincinnati are close but a bad start to the second half could make them both sellers at the trade deadline.

Predicted Finish: Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh

N.L. WEST
1. LA Dodgers 56 - 32
2. San Francisco 49 - 39
3. Colorado 47 - 41
4. Arizona 38 - 51
5. San Diego 36 - 52

The Dodgers have been the best team in baseball, with or without Manny Ramirez, for the first half.  Good news is that they will have Manny for the whole second half.  Their pitching has been surprisingly solid so far, as it was looked upon as a weakness to start the season.  If they keep playing the way they are, the second place team in the division can only hope for the Wild Card.  Speaking of the Wild Card, San Francisco and Colorado are first in second in that race at the break.  San Francisco’s pitching has been unbelievable and they are a bat away from becoming a very dangerous team for the playoffs.  Colorado has a solid all around team that is capable of going on long wining streaks.  It will be a fun race till the end.

Predicted Finish: LA Dodgers, San Francisco(Wild Card), Colorado, Arizona, San Diego

Image Source: AP Photo

Sporting Goods   NFL Gear   MLB Gear

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Patriots upset with Brady, has two more surgeries to fight infection - Deadspin
• DUI Video: Video of Rafer Alston’s arrest - SportsbyBrooks
• Classifieds - Ed Hochuli - The Sports Hernia
  
• Worthless Cards - Joe Sports Fan
• ESPN’s LA headquarters to open - Awful Announcing
• Hit of the Year: Milan Lucic hits Mike Van Ryn through glass - Larry Brown Sports

YouTube - Watch 

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “And now, the human tripod”
• Crushing Video: Ike Hilliard Gets Sandwiched by Seahawks
• The Office Linebacker Terry Tate Tackles Politics
• Boxing Video: Kelly Pavlik is a Sore Loser
• Loves Me, Loves Me Not: Pearson Shoots Pellets at Co-Eds
  

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Paul Pierce says he’s the “best player in the world - Larry Brown Sports
• Ron Artest is still claims to be “ghetto” - Deadspin
• Top 7: WWF/WWE Tag Teams - Joe Sports Fan
• Manny Ramirez traded to Dodgers, Jason Bay to Beantown - Fox Sports
  
• Play fill the Aaron Rogers fill in the blank game - The Sports Hernia
• Get your Yankees news- Yankees Chick
• Brett Favre just might take Packers bribe - Milwaukee Journal
• Kate Hudson dumps Lance Armstrong for Eric Lindros? - Sports by Brooks

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “I wonder if she can tell I’m staring”
• Orel Hershiser Brings the Pain to Announcing
• Kwame Brown’s Dead Weight Heads to Detroit
• Houston Rockets Trade Forward/Wrestler Ron Artest

Photo Source.

Teams in the NBA’s Western Conference let out a collective moan earlier this week when small forward Ron Artest was traded to the Houston Rockets.

Artest was already in the Western Conference last season – although on the playoff irrelevant Sacramento Kings – but by pairing him with All-Stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the mighty west just got a lot more difficult.

The move wasn’t exactly a shocker. Artest had publicly admitted he regretted not opting out of the last year of his contract after watching marquee free agents like Elton Brand and Baron Davis decide their own fate. Rumor mills have been turning all summer, especially at the idea of a trade that would have sent Artest to the Lakers for Lamar Odom.

Kings GM Geoff Petrie settled on Houston though, receiving back up Bobby Jackson, first-round pick Donte Greene and next year’s first-round pick in return. Not quite the coup the Lakers pulled off in getting Pau Gasol, but a nice trade for the annual first-round-exit Rockets.

The question now is whether or not T-Mac and company can finally abandon their perennial above average status and finally join the Lakers, Spurs and recent juggernaut Hornets in the battle atop the west. The answer is … well there isn’t exactly one.

McGrady has never been able to claw his way out of the first round, and both he and Ming have a reputation of being soft. Artest will bring with him a tenacious attitude that should shore up any questions of the Rockets toughness.

Artest is also known as a defensive stopper, which coincidentally, is the one thing that the Rockets can say they are already pretty good at. They ranked second in the NBA last year on defense and also have Shane Battier on their roster – who isn’t exactly a slouch on the perimeter.

The biggest perceived challenge is Artest’s large personality and sometimes volatile emotions. We all remember the brawl at the Palace, but Artest has played for Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman before and put up some of his best numbers in his career under Adelman’s guidance.

Regardless of how it turns out, you can’t fault the Rockets for trying. They weren’t going to win a title with the roster they had last year, and while I still don’t put them above the Lakers, Spurs, and Hornets, at least they’re taking a risk and shaking things up.

Now, for the Rockets sake, let’s hope Artest doesn’t decide to shake things up again.

This week in news and sports blogs around the Net:

• DeAngelo Hall traded to the Raiders. Signs $70 million deal - Sports Illustrated
• Top 7 - Fringe Cartoon Villians -Joe Sports Fan
• Forget the NCAA Tournament. NBA.com has the NBA dance team bracket - NBA.com
• David Beckham to become an MLS owner - The Sports Biz
• Kaz Matsui’s butt hurts - The Sports Hernia
• The Miami Heat are at least doing something right this season - SVP Style
• College World Series MVP Jorge Reyes arrested for unlawful use of firearm - Sports by Brooks

And in Smarter Sports we talked about:

• “And now, the flying crane”
• Who Needs Moses to Part the Sea When You Have Shaq
• Billy Donovan Bans Florida Gators from Practice Facility
  
• Houston Rockets Winning Streak Ends at 22 Games
• NCAA Tournament Begins Today!
  

All things good must come to an end.

The Houston Rockets’ winning streak finally came to a halt last night against the Boston Celtics, as the Rockets were crushed 94-74.

I know a lot of people were rooting for this to keep going, and perhaps extend it closer to the Los Angeles Lakers’ record of 33 games, but in reality, we knew it was gonna end soon. The West is too competitive and the Rockets already squeaked by some close ones.

But maybe in hindsight this was good for the Rockets. They’ll most likely make the playoffs and this loss can get them to focus on the postseason ahead and not just a record.

Maybe during the playoffs, they could start another winning streak on their way to a title?

If you’re gonna dream, might as well dream big.

     Houston Rockets    Boston Celtics    Basketball Equipment

Photo Source.

Everyone thought that once Yao Ming was lost for the season, the Houston Rockets‘ chances for a postseason run were lost as well.

To our surprise, the Rockets have kept on winning (they are currently riding a 19-game winning streak) and it’s in part to the 7-footer, Dikembe Mutombo, they’ve had on their bench.

Having an extra big man with as much experience as Mutombo is always an upside. He may have lost a step or two and not give the offensive output of Yao, but the guy can still block shots. When you have a tall, lanky guy in the paint obstructing shots, it can only help.
Apparently he’s popular among his teammates too and they love poking fun at him.

Here is a clip of them giving their best Mutombo impressions.

One more thing. Is it me, or does Mr. Eko from LOST look like a younger version of Dikembe? I think it was the bad chicken I had at lunch.

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Houston Rockets Fan Gear    Basketball Equipment    LOST DVDs

Source: Deadspin

Last night marked the first day of the NBA season I couldn’t be more stoked!

Kobe Bryant dropped 45 and the Lakers still lost to Houston. Nothing has changed.

Carlos Boozer puts together his trademark double-double with 32 points and 15 rebounds in a rematch of last year’s playoff series win against the Warriors.

And the Spurs started off defending their title with a win over a Oden-less Portland team.

Here’s to a fine season.

Photo Source.

Guess we won’t have to worry about whether or not Jeff Van Gundy is going to come back for another season with the Houston Rockets.

The team fired him Friday, less than two weeks after the team was ousted in the first round of the playoffs.

Rumors were floating around about whether or not he was going to return or retire since they were eliminated.

Well, guess the decision was made for him.

See ya Jeff!

Photo courtesy of ESPN.