My apologies to anyone confused about me going out of alphabetical order, but I wanted to post what you all want to read (i.e. which is probably not anything to do with the Grizzlies, Bucks or Kings - lol). Following this Heat post (enjoy, Geoff!) will be the Lakers team analysis and then whatever teams you want to read about - please just leave a comment with your requests (like Wes did for the Trail Blazers). Just FYI, NBA TV is showing Laker training camp now (woot! can you say "back-to-back champions"?) and NBA preseason games are underway (the Jazz just gave the Nuggets a drubbing, but it didn't seem like George Karl was too interested in the game).
Please continue to support my blog by checking out the ads, which I believe are starting to get more tailored to basketball and fantasy sports. As long as I keep registering regular ad hits, I will keep the fantasy posts coming throughout the preseason and the year.
MIAMI HEAT
Pat Riley did just about nothing to improve the Heat team this offseason, which can't sit well with Dwayne Wade or the Miami fans. This doesn't seem like a prudent move since Wade is an unrestricted FA next year, and, as Wade goes, the Heat go. If D.Wade plays 75+ gms this season the Heat will likely earn the 5th or 6th spot in the Eastern conference again, but if he plays 55 or fewer games, they will be lottery-bound (as in the 07-08 season when they "earned" the #2 draft pick). The Heat have some promising young talent with Chalmers & Beasley (assuming they can drop their weed fetish), but are going to need to retool at the big positions in the next couple years if they want to be a championship-caliber team again.
Out with the old: Jamario Moon (who now gets to sit on the bench behind LBJ) and Mark Blount (who the Timberwolves have given permission to seek employment elsewhere)
In with the new: Quentin Richardson (so, in other words, nothing...)
The Miami Heat Dancers:
This is a fantasy b-ball blog, and I try to stay focused on the task at hand, by I felt the need to recognize the accomplishments of the Miami Heat dancers (http://www.nba.com/heat/dance/index.html), since they have far surpassed the success of the actual basketball team. This dance squad has won the NBA's best dance team award for the past 4 years, and it is not difficult to see why.
Let me focus your attention towards the perfectly sculpted dancer on the left of the bottom picture, KENYA - I keyed in on her because of her name (I am half Kenyan), but this woman is just ridiculous, nutz hot! (check out http://www.nba.com/heat/gallery/hpg0809__dancers_kenya_081027_pic18_1.html to fully appreciate what I'm talking about). While the vast majority of the Heat dancers, past and present, have been gorgeous, I think Kenya easily takes the cake. OK, sorry about that distraction (I couldn't help myself) - back to basketball!
PG
Mario Chalmers:
The 2nd year guard was a bit of a project last year, but has firmly gained Pat Riley's endorsement as the undisputed starting PG (I mean, the only current PG backup is Chris Quinn - seriously, Riley?...) this year and should see upwards of 35 mins/gm. Chalmers seems to be a bit underestimated in fantasy circles, because his IRL contribution doesn't match the significant fantasy boost he provides from 3's, assists and steals. He needs to improve upon his percentages (and he should, the more years he plays in the league), but is a respectable 2nd or 3rd PG to have on your squad.
09-10 proj. = 11 pts, 1.6 3pters, 3.2 rebs, 5.3 asts, 2.1 stls, 0.2 blks, 2.2 TOs, 43% FG, 79% FT, plays 80 gms (target with the 65th-75th pick)
SG
Dwayne Wade:
D.Wade may be even more important to the Heat than LBJ is to the Cavs. You take Wade of this team (which very well could happen this offseason) and you have one of the worst teams the league has seen in the past decade. Simply put, Wade is a fantasy (and IRL) beast, and was undoubtedly the 3rd best fantasy player in the league last year. You cannot get even close to Wade's 2+ steals and 1+ blocks from the SG spot (and he has frickin' PG-eligibility in Yahoo leagues!). It all comes down to health with him, but having worked out with Tim Grover (at ATTACK athletics the past couple offseasons), I'm fairly confident he can stay healthy enough to play 70+ games this season. It is even fathomable that, if Wade bumps his 3's and FT% a tad (which he is definitely capable of doing) he could finish 09-10 as the 2nd-rated fantasy player in the NBA (behind CP3 and ahead of LBJ).
09-10 proj. = 29 pts, 1.1 3pters, 5 rebs, 7.4 asts, 2.1 stls, 1.2 blks, 3.5 TOs, 49% FG, 77% FT, plays 75 gms (target with the 2nd-4th pick, Kevin Durant being the only 3rd player I could see someone reasonably drafting ahead of Wade)
Daequan Cook & Quentin Richardson: The Heat are overloaded with sub-par back-up SG/SFs (you can throw Dorell Wright and Yakhouba Diawara in the lot with these two as well), but I get the feeling they will all simply cancel each others' fantasy value out. Of this group, I predict Cook will have the most value, but even he won't do more than hit some 3's, so don't bother drafting any of these guys.
SF
Michael Beasley:
This poor guy's life is really screwed up, and it's a shame, because he has so much raw basketball talent that he would have (I guess he still could...) had a shot at becoming a perennial All-Star. He is one more "weed strike" away from a 5-game NBA suspension and I would not at all be surprised if he relapsed back into his offseason depression (he clearly has serious psychiatric issues) at some point this season (especially if he loses out on the starting job). There is an intense training camp competition going on right now between Beasley and Jones for the starting SF spot, with Jones bringing much needed 3pt shooting to the starting line-up, and Beasley bringing a better all-around game. But I think that, even if he loses out on the starting job, Beasley will be the more valuable of the two (playing ~30 mins/gm), and should significantly improve upon his performance from last season.
09-10 proj. = 16.7 pts, 0.6 3pters, 6.7 rebs, 1.4 asts, 0.7 stls, 0.7 blks, 1.9 TOs, 48% FG, 80% FT, plays 80 gms (target with the 95th-115th pick)
James Jones:
Jones hits 3's and plays decent D, which is exactly what the Heat could use from their starting SF. As a result, there is an outside chance that he could steal the starting job from Beasley. However, his fantasy game is seriously limited, and I wouldn't use anything earlier than a last round pick on him. If we revisit the 05-06 season (with Phoenix), we find that James put up 9.3 pts with 1.5 3's, 0.5 stls and 0.7 blks in 23.6 minutes, which he could easily approach this year with the Heat (if he starts). Even if that production is not quite draft-worthy, I imagine Jones will be on several managers' rosters intermittently throughout the fantasy season.
09-10 proj. = 8.8 pts, 1.7 3pters, 3.4 rebs, 0.8 asts, 0.5 stls, 0.7 blks, 0.5 TOs, 39% FG, 87% FT, plays 72 gms (target with the 140th-160th pick)
PF
Udonis Haslem:
Ole reliable is a very consistent, very vanilla PF in both fantasy b-ball and IRL. He rebounds and scores with solid percentages, and... that's it! Don't expect Haslem to help you anywhere else. However, since Beasley will see more time at SF than PF, Haslem's starting job and minutes are safe for now. Guys like Haslem (and Varejao and Landry) are the prime reason that you do not need to worry too much about falling behind on rebounds early in fantasy drafts.
09-10 proj. = 10.3 pts, 0 3pters, 8.2 rebs, 1.1 asts, 0.6 stls, 0.3 blks, 1.1 TOs, 50% FG, 76% FT, plays 75 gms (target with the 145th-160th pick)
C
Jermaine O'Neal:
Sadly, JO is now just a shadow of his former self, and one of the most overpaid players in the league (raking in an absurd $23 million this season). He is a regular EXTREME injury risk and has let many a fantasy team down over the past 5 seasons. All of those negatives being said, he can still get you 2 blks/gm and a few points, which makes him worth taking a late flyer on (and you can usually find him still available late in a draft). Just don't count on him being around when you need him (e.g. during the fantasy playoffs).
09-10 proj. = 13.2 pts, 0 3pters, 5.8 rebs, 2 asts, 0.4 stls, 2 blks, 1.9 TOs, 47% FG, 75% FT, plays 68 gms (target with the 110th-130th pick)
All in all, it's hard to get very excited about the Miami Heat, given that Riley has been as active as a stuporous sloth this offseason. Wade will likely single-handedly carry the Heat to the playoffs again this year, but there is absolutely no way they are making it past the first round. If they can re-sign Wade next year and replace O'Neal and Haslem with some worthwhile young bigs, they have some promise (due to the young weed brothers), but if I was a fan, I wouldn't put too much faith in Riley (sorry, Geoff).
Next up is the defending NBA champions, my Los Angeles Lakers! I will try to be as objective and unbiased as possible, but I give you the disclaimer now that I have a huge man-crush on Kobe Bryant & company. After that, I will cover whatever team you peeps vote for - please just leave a comment (1 vote so far for the Trail Blazers). And, as always, please support this blog by checking out the ads, so I can keep bringing you the 411. Peace out, ballers!
- by Kobe is King
Did you offer any insight on this team? Got a little distracted and didn't get too far...haha! ;)
ReplyDeleteI honestly think this team needs to go after Boozer in the early to mid-season and get Wade some help. They better make at least one move before the offseason to pick up a high profile player or Wade will surely start looking elsewhere. It would certainly help if Chalmers builds on his solid rookie season and Beasley turns things around in year 2.