FIWK the NBA - Outperformers vs. Underperformers

It's NBA mid season recap time!  Who has destroyed expectations?  Who has destroyed fantasy seasons?  Let's investigate.  (Spoiler: I am going to say LARRY SANDERS! a lot.)

LARRY SANDERS!

FIWK the NBA: It's raining young guards

In reviewing the FIWK draft primer at the halfway point of the season, I always find it helpful to look at who has achieved expectations and who has underperformed so far. Without question, the standout performers have been mostly young guards. In fact, the overall recommendation to ‘draft young’ has been a winner. Among those listed, here are the young players outperforming draft position:

Ty Lawson (especially before injury); DeMarcus Cousins (still insane though); Mike Conley; Greg Monroe; James Harden; Marcus Thornton; DeAndre Jordan; Jeff Teague; Paul George; Kyle Lowry; Marcin Gortat; Roy Hibbert; Jarrett Jack

And in the interest of fairness, here are the duds from my list:

Tyreke Evans (started slow, playing better now); Serge Ibaka (same as Evans); JaVale McGee (not terrible, but not a big jump); Toney Douglas; JJ Barea; Ty Thomas; Landry Fields … and that’s about it. Seriously, most of the young dudes have been balling.

FIWK the NBA: Fantasy basketball time!

[note: this article was written before Christmas Day but I was unable to post until now... the strategies herein still apply however]

Drafting a fantasy NBA squad is like trying to assemble a team of Action Movie All-Stars out of the cast of Hollywood actors. Some are better suited for the all-offense role, others are legitimately good actors who aren’t great holding a gun.

If you were drafting the Action Movie All-Stars, Jason Statham would be a top pick. Awesome in Crank, Transporter, etc. Probably not going to carry you to an Oscar as a lead man, however. Bruce Willis gets you a little closer; amazing in Die Hard, has a slightly funny side, can be dramatic in Pulp Fiction for instance. Viggo Mortensen is even more of a good actor/great action guy mix. Denzel Washington: the total package. Great in action movies like Man on Fire and Book of Eli, an amazing all-around actor, he can do it all.

Music Tuesdays - Marvin Gay singing the national anthem

That's right people, I just went old school. This is Marvin Gay singing the national anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. When a singer can do this with the national anthem, you know they are something special.

This Week in Sports: LeBron's Decision was bad for sports, but LeBron playing for Miami is good for sports.

Bill Simmons wrote a column during the 2006 NBA Finals, in which he describes two possible futures for the NBA. The Mavericks could win and convince NBA teams and younger players that the collective team concept was the best way to play. Or Dwyane Wade and the Heat could win and reinforce the idea that a perimeter scorer playing a clear out one-on-one game was the best way to win. Unfortunately Wade won and guys like Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Gilbert Arenas and now Joe Johnson get max contracts.

Fans continually call out to their sports heroes to take less money to help the team sign other players good enough to help them win a championship and that is exactly what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did by agreeing to sign with the Miami Heat for less than the maximum contract available. Parents tell their kids to play as a team. We despise Kobe Bryant for taking thirty (30) shots to get his points when most observers would agree that the Lakers best chance to win is for him to create open looks for himself and the rest of his team. We prefer to see LeBron win getting a 20-10-10 instead of Monta Ellis scoring 42 in a loss.

The Miami Heat should be a team in every sense of the word. They should be able to win unselfishly and make people proud to be fans of the NBA.

This Week in Sports: Gearing up for the World Cup

My favorite World Cup article so far is by The Unlikely Fan and is called "The World Cup, Translated Into American". The author compares all 32 World Cup teams to what he perceives as their American equivalents, to give Americans a point of reference.

I enjoyed reading every comparison, even if some are a little weird (Mexico) while others seem pretty good (Holland). Although it did really hurt to see my (and Aaron's) beloved Chargers compared to unlikable (okay, hate-able) Portugal. Causing MP to coin the phrase Ronaldo Rivers. Grr.

Which of these comparisons work, and which need to be reassigned?

This Week in Sports: I don't want either of these teams to win

The only thing I can guarantee regarding the NBA Finals is that two weeks from now at least 90% of sports fans are going to have to put up with an insufferable fan base extolling their team as one of the greatest franchises ever. It's not that I dislike either team, although I would have preferred a Suns-Magic or Suns-Cavs Finals, it's how much I don't want to have to put up with the fans of either of these teams. It's the fact that I don't want every media outlet shoving these teams down my throat.

No matter who wins, I'm screwed either way. Between the Sports Guy and Royce, I have to listen to die-hard fans wax poetically about their team winning/losing. I can only pray that there isn't a referee scandal or big mistake that causes one to complain incessantly. Now, don't get me wrong. Both guys can make me laugh and I will read every word they write, regardless of the outcome...but I can already tell that I am going to feel the way my non-Chargers-fan friends feel when I am explaining how great LaDainian Tomlinson was.

Weekend Comedy 2/21

Worldwide Wes - Who?

Worldwide Wes is considered by many to be the most powerful man in basketball. Wait, who? My thoughts exactly. Allow me to elaborate: while reading the 2nd part of Royce's favorite column of the year (the Sports Guy's Annual Trade Value column), Simmons tells us a story about Worldwide Wes, a man who "...carries more weight within the league than basically anybody." The story is interesting, and the quote that comes out of the story is a classic, yet I found myself asking "why haven't I even heard of this guy?

So, I did a little bit of searching, and came across this insightful GQ piece. Now, after reading, my only question is this: "Is this guy so sleazy that he comes off as a good guy, or is he genuinely a good guy?"

PS. The picture accompanying this article is from the (in)famous "Malice at the Palace" (which, I might add, Cedric the Entertainer speaks to in this entertaining bit).

NBA Salary Woes: The Maynor Trade

Yesterday the NBA's Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder completed a trade that sent guard Eric Maynor and forward Matt Harpring from the Jazz to the Thunder in return for the rights to a German forward who will never play in the NBA. The only reason the Thunder included anything at all is because NBA rules say teams have to trade something tangible. The real benefit that the Jazz received from the Thunder? As John Hollinger's article explains, the Jazz will save more than $10 million dollars by dumping two dead-weight contracts on the Thunder, who are far below the luxury tax threshold.

NBA Preview by Bill Simmons

With his NBA Preview, two part column, Bill Simmons has set the stage for the coming NBA season. ESPN has also posted its NBA Power Rankings for the year, listing the Lakers #1 as is customary for the defending champ. Season tipoff is tomorrow, so it's time for us on FIWK to talk some NBA also.

Gilbert Arenas, the new Ron Artest

I always knew Gilbert Arenas was eccentric. But his most recent comments about his injury and the Wizards' treatment of him makes me think he's just downright crazy. The defining quote is "sometimes you have to protect players from themselves" - he regrets his decision to play and wishes the Wizards hadn't let him do it. He has one foot into Bill Simmons' Tyson Zone in my mind, just like Ron Artest riding a team bus in his underwear just before a playoff game.

Michael Jordan in the Hall of Fame

From ESPN's countdown of Jordan's top 23 plays, my single favorite Jordan moment ever:

PEDs in the NBA

One day after I railed against Simmons' steroids article - the zillionth on ESPN - I am now going to prove myself a complete hypocrite. I want to discuss an NBA steroids article about Rashard Lewis which covered some very interesting points

Rashard Lewis suspension

Rashard Lewis tested positive for a banned substance and had elevated testosterone levels.

Fun question: is there a skinnier athlete than Rashard Lewis who would be on steroids?

Mark Madsen, domain name speculator?

From the LA Times comes this weird story about Mark Madsen's second job as a domain name speculator

Okafor-Chandler Trade

The Charlotte Bobcats traded Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets, does this improve both teams?

Michael Jordan - rare highlights

Best economic structure in sports?

Guaranteed salaries ruin the NBA. The lack of a salary cap ruins baseball. The average NFL career lasts three years and earns less then $1,000,000 in a career. What is the optimal solution?