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.