FUNBA - 10 more things

Hey B-Ballers,

There were some items I overlooked, undercooked, or left off my latest update, so here they are;


10. I had said that Dan's team had 4 superheroes and a pile of dreck. That's not quite true, they do have a 5th player doing very well lately - Tyreke Evans. In the last couple of weeks the Pelicans (LOVE that team name) have decided to make Evans the teams 6th man (which means he is the 1st guy off the bench) playing him in a variety of roles (PG, SG and SF) depending on need. Evans has always been a multi-tool player and the uptick in floor burn could bode well for his stats moving forward.

9. I had also said that Evan Turner was playing a big role for the Goodfellas as a depth scorer. Which was true - until he got hurt a week or so ago.

8. I suggested that LeBron James and Kevin Love were duelling for NBA MVP. I should add that Chris F*cking Paul has more fantasy points than either of them at the moment. I'm cool with that, because, just wait, Paul's knees won't last the season.

7. If you aren't listening to the podcasts with Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe at Grantland.com, you absolutely should. They are the easiest way to get the full Bob Mackenzie style lowdown on what is going on in the NBA. Also, Simmons is both brilliant and hilarious (he used to be a joke writer for Jimmy Kimmel - among other things).

6. Ricky Rubio might be the most exciting playmaker since Steve Nash in his prime, but he is also historically bad at shooting the basketball. Like, worst in recorded history bad. Literally. He's battled injuries two years running, and his position and skillset don't demand he score often, but it is disconcerting that a guy so amazingly talented can't sink a basket to save his life.

5. Andrew Bynum has been suspended by the Cavaliers for 'conduct detrimental to the team' - which just about closes the book on the giant douche-bag's relevancy. That said, 7 footers essentially get lifetime jobs in the NBA no matter how bad their attitude or how much cartilage they are missing from their knees. Some GM looking to save his job with a Hail Mary will take another shot with Bynum. Afterall, Greg Oden somehow still has a job in Miami.

4.  One guy I completely gapped out in mentioning for the Goodfellas is rookie Michael Carter-Williams. The out-of-nowhere PG missed a chunk of time with injury, but whenever he has played he's been absolutely lights out - possible future FP.

3. The collapse of the Brooklyn Nets is only rivalled by the disaster unfolding with the Knicks. The Nets Russian billionaire owner is paying an insane amount of luxury tax this year (on the order of $80M in extra tax) for guys like Pierce, Garnett and Deron Williams, and the team has responded by utterly crapping the bed. Which reminds me, does anyone need a SG? I have Joe Johnson from the Nets available. Cheap.

2. How screwed up are the Knicks? They offered a player with the last name 'Smith' a tryout contract in the pre-season that pays the guy to come in and try to make the team. The thing is that this guy 'Smith' isn't an NBA calibre player, he was only offered the pay day/tryout because he is JR Smith's younger brother. The reasoning appears to be that they are trying to create a 'family' atmosphere. I guess you do things like that if the 'family' is the 'Sopranos' and you get your cousin a job at the docks he doesn't need to show up for. Just further proof that James Dolan has way, way, way more money than brains.

1. It's the 'Know Your Nikola' Update!

In my draft analysis I mentioned there are two big Cs named Nikola; Pekovic in Minnesota, and Vucevic in Orlando. So how are the indistinguishable foreign big-men doing vs each other? I'm glad you asked!

First here is Pekovic:

17.5ppg, 9.1reb, 1assist, .5stls, .4blks = 29.9fantasy points per game

Now Vucevic:

13.7ppg, 11.4reb, 2assists, 1.1stls, 1.2blks = 32.4fantasy points per game

So....Pekovic is the bettter scorer, but Vucevic gets more rebs, assists, steals, and 3x as many blocks. Still, pretty close.

Here are there overall totals for the year;

Pekovic = 774
Vukevic = 682

And we have a clear winner! As it stands, the best Nikola is..Pekovic!!!!

This has been your 'Know Your Nikola' Update.

FUNBA update

Here's a look at our current FUNBA standings;

1. Goodfellas, 8-0

2. Flatlanders, 6-2

3-5. Chumfeeders, Pirates, and Ball-Bearings, 4-4

6. Murderball, 3-5

7. Sharpshooters, 2-6

8. Skywalkers, 1-7


So, once again, Darrell is blitzing the league with a perfect record, and once again, the Skywalkers are garbage, largely the result of another season ending injury to FP Derrick Rose. Sigh.

Here's a breakdown (in reverse order) of what is going on;

Skywalkers:

Most nights LeBron is the best player in the world, and on those nights he isn't the title belongs to Kevin Love. Unfortunately, you have to look pretty hard to find anyone else providing decent/consistent production for the team outside of them. Tony Parker has been good, but Iguodala has been hurt, and Andre Drummond oscillates between fearsome and invisible depending on the game. Really, really missing an elite 3rd option. Also, there are some scheduling effects that have worked against the team, as it seems that the Skywalkers have been on the short end of 'man games' in just about every match (teams have scored over 8000pts against the Skywalkers, whereas the Ball-Bearings have only had 7000 scored on them - eventually this discrepancy will resolve itself - right?).

The Sharpshooters:

In contrast to the Skywalkers, the Sharpshooters do have three guys going full bore; Harden, Josh Smith, and...Dirk Nowitzki! Rudy Gay and Dwyane Wade have been nice depth players, making for a decent top 5. After that....crickets. The key is really Wade. If he can re-elevate back to elite numbers the Sharpshooters would win more games.

Murderball:

Three excellent FPs: Carmelo Anthony, Monta Ellis and Blake Griffin. Sadly, the bet on Kobe Bryant being an actual player with knees that aren't shredded like confetti didn't last.  The issues lie with the rest of his roster, which goes from 'ok' (Lance Stephenson), to replacement level waiver wire guys (Crawford). As it stands, the team is underperforming, and has a real risk of plummeting in the standings if Melo's Knicks continue the white-hot meltdown they are in (which I predicted for last year, but got this year).

Ball-Bearings:

Dwight Howard, MONSTROUS BEAST. Isaiah Thomas, Jrue Holiday and Tim Duncan - above average to very good, with Mike Conley holding his own. Sadly, Derron Williams is struggling yet again to find his game. Two years in a row the PG has failed to live up to his talents.

Somali-Pirates:

Unlike the other teams reviewed so far, the Pirates don't have a group of 2-3 mega-stars carrying the mail. Instead, the team is above average almost across the board. Paul George is the best of the crew, but he is closely followed by Gordon Hayward (?!?),  David Lee, Ty Lawson, Nic Batum, Klay Thompson, Greg Monroe and Serge Ibaka. If there is any team that can afford to do a 2 or 3 for 1 deal, it's the Pirates.

Chumfeeders:

The opposite of the Pirates, the Chumfeeders are built around 4 awesome talents, and a bunch of dreck. At the top, arguably the greatest 3 point shooter of all time (and he is just getting started), Steph Curry, with fellow PGs speed-demon Russell Westbrook, Brandon Jennings and Kyrie Irving right behind him. Dan may be playing 'small-ball' vs the rest of the league, but so far it's working (more or less). On the downside, Paul Pierce has been absolutely AWFUL so far, and should be benched forever more.

Flatlanders:

Chris F*cking Paul. Destroyer of Worlds. But that isn't all, the Flatlanders also have good depth in Cousins, Lillard and Teague, and guys like Milsap, Pau Gasol,  Lowry and Parsons are all contributing. Paul should be getting MVP consideration, but the rest of the roster is very, very good. (except for Aaron Aflalo, he's junk).

Goodfellas

Has the best top end in the league; Durant, Aldridge, and Wall are ripping it up, and all have over 1000fantasy points so far. Secondary scoring in the form of Al Horford, Kemba Walker, and even the misunderstood Evan Turner has helped keep them at the top. Unlike the Flatlanders or Pirates, the depth drops off after the top 5 pretty hard, but that top 5 is soooooo good, they may not need it.

Cheers,
Cameron

Week 12 Stats - Happy Solstice

Week 11 Stats

FUNH: Week 12 Line-ups

As we hit the fact that some teams are slowing down and others are creeping up stronger than ever!

Contenders and Pretenders - or is it YET still to early to make that conclusion during a 27 week season...

Hence the theme of the pictures for this week's line-ups!

Please post your Week 12 rosters here!

Week 11 Stats (Post WD1) as of Thursday Nights Games

Week 10 Stats - as of Sunday's Games

Post-WD1 FUNHL Week 11 Line-ups

Now that WD1 is over, DID you get the guys you needed?  Too late to Think Again...

Good Luck as we hit the 2/3 of the season until the Olympic break!

Please post line-ups here!

Week 10 - Thursday Night Stats (Note, WD Draft Order Based On Week 9 Stats)

Week 10 Stats - Tuesday Night Edition

Week 9 Stats - (WD1 Draft Order Edition)

Hi all, again work has been particularly crazy so my appologies for the delays.  I know that at least one GM wanted me to double check their line-up but it would appear that the spreadsheet seems to be the same as the line-up as entered on the Blog.  That said, if anyone notices an issue with their stats please let me know ASAP so I can make the corrections before this weekend's WD.

FUNHL Week 10 with prov.drops

Well, As we are ALL after the Glory of the Predator Cup, WD1 is this Sunday, Dec 8th at noon MST.

Please post your Week 10 rosters here with your provisional drops if possible.

Finalized Drops are due by Sat. Dec 7th by noon MST or they shall be auto-bob'd.

Week 9 Final stats determine the WD1 order of picks.

Again, pls submit your Wk 10 line-ups here...

Good Luck.