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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

What Is Wrong With Philly!?

Colangelo.jpg
"Colangelo" by PO1 CHAD J. MCNEELEY, USN - Defenseimagery.mil, VIRIN: 060406-N-0696M-067. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

I can think of many words that describe the Philadelphia 76ers. A lot of them have to do with losing. Just the other day I came up with a new word to describe them. Confusing. If you haven't heard, the Sixers have just waiver 4 year guard, Tony Wroten.

Tony Wroten started his career off with the Memphis Grizzlies who drafted him 25th overall in the 2012 NBA draft. He played 7.8 minutes per game in 35 games with the Grizzlies and was sent and recalled from the D-League multiple times. After averaging 2.6 points and shooting very low from the field in his first season, the Grizzlies didn't look at Wroten with much value. They decided to trade Wroten. The 76ers would get a steal out of the trade as they traded away a top 50 second round pick. The 76ers of course would keep that pick and it would turn out to be K.J. McDaniels. So what would end up happening is that the Grizzlies would give Wroten away for a pick they would never aquire.

Wroten's first year with the 76ers was a good overall year. He would play alongside rookie of the year, Michael Carter-Williams at the guard positions. Wroten would play 72 games and start in 16 of them as he proved to the team that he could be a dynamic player. Wroten would have promising numbers at the end of the season averaging 13 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.1 steals.

Wroten's third year would be a great one, although it would be cut short with injury. As he would play just 30 games and start in 15 of them, Wroten would end up partially tearing his ACL. During the 2014-15 season, Wroten would average a stunning 16.9 points, 5.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.

This year, Tony Wroten has played just 8 games with limited minutes as he just came back from the injury. He was looking like he was going to be part of the future as it seemed like this team could have used him in the backcourt since they already had 3 lottery big men in Okafor, Embiid, and Noel. But out of nowhere, the 76ers made this trade.

The 76ers traded 2 future second round picks in exchange for Ish Smith. Smith is a 5-year player who has played for 9 teams total, and if you count Philly twice it's 10. He has averaged 4.3 points in his career. While he has had a pretty good year this year averaging 9.5 points and 5.9 assists, Smith hasn't had a steady career.

When Philly got Smith, they had to waive someone. They decided to waive Wroten. This is one of the three reasons why this trade makes no sense. It's because out of all of the players, the sixers decide to waive Wroten. Out of all of the players that should be in the D-League right now, they pick Wroten, a guy who just averaged 16.9 PPG! That makes no sense.

The other thing that doesn't make any sense is that out of all the players the sixers traded for that was worth dropping Wroten for was an inconsistent 27 year old named Ish Smith. This guy is getting into his golden days right now. He is 27 years old! Tony Wroten is 22! It would be one thing if Smith was 23 or 24 or even 25, but guess what, he is 27 years old. How long will it be before the 76ers start winning games? Maybe not even til Smith is 33. Wroten would be 28 when Smith is 23. That is what doesn't make sense about this trade. The 76ers gave up 2 second round draft picks and Tony Wroten for an aging inconsistent role player.

The third reason is because the 76ers just brought in Jerry Colangelo who was supposed to be making good moves here. Instead he just makes a trade and ends it badly. This doesn't surprise me though, because I'm not a Colangelo fan. When he was with the Phoenix Suns, he made some very, very poor moves that lead to the Suns not winning a championship with what could have been a really stacked team. I think Colangelo is very overrated and hasn't done anything special so this third thing doesn't surprise me.

I don't see the 76ers winning anytime soon. I have just lost a lot of faith in them after they released Tony Wroten. If you have any sense to make out of this, please comment below so I can at least see a little bit of sense in the 76ers transactions. As for Tony Wroten, I hope that he finds a team that values his potential and will use him to his best abilities. C'mon, this looks promising...
  

NBA Inside The Player Of The Week (Dec. 22-28)



Russell Westbrook isn't the most finesse or skilled player in the NBA, but he sure gives a great amount of effort and hustle. His athleticism is at a superhuman level. With that, he can produce big numbers and help his team win without a great amount of outside shots. This week, Westbrook proved to be most valuable to his team, even more valuable than Kevin Durant. That is why he is your NBA Inside The Player Of The Week.

This week, Russell Westbrook played 3 games, his team won 2 of them and he was the main reason why. This week alone he averaged 26.3 points. While he only shot 27.3% from the 3-point line, he managed to shoot exactly 50% from the field. It is worth noting that Westbrook took it upon himself to score. 41.7% of his shots, he held the ball for more than 6 seconds. Westbrook took it at the defense all by himself. Also, 60% of the time he took more than 6 dribbles on a shot attempt, meaning that he was attacking the defense as much as he could.

Westbrook did a lot more than just scoring. Rebounding was a big thing in Westbrook's game this week. Like I said before, Westbrook's hustle and effort is through the roof, and it showed as he grabbed 8 RPG this week. For a point guard, that is really great. Westbrook also passed the ball really well as he averaged 9.3 assists this week. And he was assisting his teammates really well as his teammates all shot over 50% when being assisted from Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook also really went after it on defense as well, getting 3 steals per game. In fact, in the loss to Chicago where Westbrook was struggling with shooting the ball, he not only pitched in with 7 rebounds and 8 assists, but he also contributed with 6 steals as well. The downside was the Russell turned the ball over and didn't shoot well in that game as well as putting up some bad shots at the end of a close game which lead to their loss.

As you can see, Russell Westbrook contributed with near triple-double numbers this week and made big contributions to his teams' success this week. That is why he is your NBA Inside The Player Of The Week.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Fantasy Friday: Christmas Presents


If you play fantasy basketball, you know that there are players that excel in certain areas, but there are areas you might not know they excel in. So let's take a look at what unexpected presents your fantasy players might be leaving you under your tree.

Serge Ibaka: This guy has been doing good. While he is not a premier scorer, he is well known for his rebounding and defense. What you might have missed on Ibaka, is his 3-point shooting. Ibaka has shot 40% from three point range this season and has made 18 three pointers as well.

Carmelo Anthony: He is a scorer. However, besides scoring, Melo does a lot of rebounding. He averages 7.3 RPG. Not only that but Melo also gets 1 steal per game.

Gorgui Dieng: This big man is known for his shot blocking and rebounding, but what you might not have known is that he shoots overly well from the FT line for a big man. He shoots 87.9% from the FT line and gets there at a pretty good rate.He has made 58 free throws this season. Not only that but he is averaging 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals. He is great with steals and blocks.

Kevin Durant: Durant is a great shooter and a great scorer. People probably don't know that he is great defensively though. Durant has averaged 1.3 blocks and 1 steal per game this season. He has also been rebounding good with 7.7 rebounds per game. Kevin Durant will stuff your stockings full of surprises.

Matthew Dellavedova: Delly is known for his assists and his ability to get some points. Most people don't know how good his shooting is this season though. He has shot 44.9% from the field, 45% from the 3-point line, and a whooping 91.3% from the FT line. That is a major improvement from last season.

While these guys are giving you great unexpected presents, some of the players are giving you a big hidden lump of coal that you might not notice.

Rajon Rondo: While Rondo has been Mr. Triple-double this year, he has shot 53.6% from the FT line. That is something that most people might not notice.

Brandon Knight: He has played really well this season but you might not have noticed that he is averaging 3.3 turnovers. That is a lot for a point guard who only averages 5.2 assists.

LeBron James: LeBron averages great numbers. People look at LeBron and see all of the big stats. However, people might not notice that he is only shooting 26% from 3-point range. Not only that but he is attempting 3.8 threes per game.

There are many more of these surprise stats. If you have any, leave them in the comments section below. I hope you all have a great week in fantasy and that you have a Merry Christmas. See you next week.

Merry Christmas!
From NBA Inside The Play Nation



Wednesday, December 23, 2015

NBA Inside The Player Of The Week (Dec. 15-21)



LeBron James had a great week. He came through for his Cavs team as he won all 3 games this week including games against the Thunder and the Celtics. LeBron's performance this week was great which earned him the NBA Inside The Player Of The Week award.

This week, LeBron averaged 26.7 PPG. He lead his team with a Kevin Love that hasn't been producing this past couple of weeks and a Kyrie Irving that just came back from injury. Not only did he lead the team in the scoring department, but he also made big contributions from other areas. He averaged 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.3 steals. 

While LeBron only played in 2 fourth quarters this week considering he did play a game against the 76ers, but he still managed to do well in the 2 games he played in the fourth. He averaged 7.5 points, and a whopping 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. LeBron clearly stepped it up in the fourth this week.

While LeBron's play was great, he did have areas of concern. This week he averaged 5 turnovers to his 6 assists. Not really what you want from your starting SF. He also struggled shooting from 3 this week, but you expect that from LeBron. He shot just 18.2% from 3-point range this week. Of course, LeBron's play in the other categories did make up for this. And James did keep it under control in the 4th quarters shooting just attempting 2 threes in the 4th quarters this week. He really shot inside the paint during crunch time.

As you can see, LeBron was the main reason why the Cavs won all of there games this week. That is why he is your NBA Inside The Player Of The Week.


Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Is Bradley Beal Worth Max Money?

Bradley Beal Austin Rivers.jpg
"Bradley Beal Austin Rivers" by Keith Allison - Flickr: Bradley Beal. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
Bradley Beal is one of the best young guards in this league. He is merely 22 years old and is on the cusp of receiving a huge raise. He has the talent to be a top 5 Shooting Guard in this league. His shooting ability is on par with the best of shooters. He has the athleticism to beat a guy off the dribble. He has the clutch gene that makes you guard him in the 4th quarter. He has the intangibles to potentially be an All-Star. So what holds him back from being a star?

Injuries
 He is trying to do his best this season but he can't do that if he isn't on the floor.The biggest issue with Bradley Beal is his inability to stay on the court. His body is entirely made out of glass and is very fragile. I am not saying this in any rude tone whatsoever as its not his fault either. There is nothing he  can do except try to come back healthy and prepare himself more before games. 
He has not played a full season yet in his NBA career. In his first season, he played a total of 56 before getting hammered with ankle injury after ankle injury after ankle injury. The series of injuries started when he collided with his teammate, Nene, in a game vs 76ers on March 3rd, 2013. He was basically out for the season as he only played in 5 out of the next 24 games. He missed out on some key experience during that summer as the Wizards training staff didn't clear him to play in the Team USA camp or the Summer league. 

"Bradley Beal Amar'e Stoudemire" by Keith Allison - Flickr: Bradley Beal, Amar'e Stoudemire. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons
The following season, Beal missed nine games of the season due to a stress reaction. He returned vs New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden where he came up clutch and won the game for the Wizards, being called "Blue Magic" because of his performance. He played in limited role for a couple of months before being cleared to play full time. He was able to play through the season and the playoffs in his second season. 

In October of 2014, Beal underwent an MRI that showed a fracture of a bone in his left wrist, which would require surgery. That surgery would also cause him to miss the first 9 games of the season. After making his debut, he went on to play 42 consecutive games until February 5th where he hurt his big toe and, after going through multiple tests, he had another stress reaction in his right fibula.  Beal returned after missing 8 games and played the rest of the season injury-free!

In the 2015-16 NBA season, Beal got off to a fantastic start but the same old nemesis came to say hello as he went down with multiple injuries. He has missed 9 games already this season. Let's hope he can stay healthy for the rest of the season. 

So what makes him max money worthy?
His nickname fits because he is literally the Real Deal when it comes to on-court ability. He has always been a knock down shooter as he has shot over 38% from three in all of his seasons. His contribution in other aspects on the game is also improving at a rapid pace. He also seems to have a knack for showing up for big games. He turns it to another level when necessary. 

The 2015 playoffs alone proved his value as an elite Shooting Guard in the league. He was definitely a top 10 player in the playoffs because of his leadership of the team while John Wall was out. He had very solid numbers, too, as he averaged 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, along with 1.6 steals.

Conclusion
He has not proven enough to earn a max contract (especially when the cap rises) but that doesn't rule out the fact that he can still earn a max contract. The 2015-16 season is not yet over and there is still a lot of basketball to play. The Wizards held back on giving Beal a max extension last summer simply because they are a contender in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.

The perfect scenario for Beal is if he gets traded to a solid playoff team. That would ease off the pressure a little bit and also give him a chance to regroup and come back stronger than ever. That would be the best case scenario but the worst case scenario seems to be in he gets traded in a deal for DeMarcus Cousins. He would be entering a situation of chaos where he would be the focal point of the team because Rondo sure isn't droppin' 20 a night. That pressure could ruin his career.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Kings VS Raptors: Toronto Needs Valanciunas Back



The Kings and the Raptors went head to head on December 20th. The Kings came out of Toronto with the win and it is clear that the Raptors are struggling. Why are they struggling though? The main reason is because both Valanciunas and Carroll are out of the starting line-up due to injuries. Let's jump into the game.

The Kings Dominated On Offense
This Sacramento Kings team couldn't miss the other night. Maybe this had something to do with Carroll out, but the Kings still shot 52.6% from the field as well as shooting 42.9% from 3-point range. Of course, this isn't that surprising since the Kings are 5th in field goal percentage and also 5th in 3-point percentage. It also isn't surprising that the Raptors only shot 37.2% from the field and 27.6% from the 3-point line knowing that they are 21st in field goal percentage and 17th in 3-point percentage.

Kyle Lowry Had a Short Night
Lowry really struggled in this game, and he never got to go on a hot streak considering the fact that he was ejected in the 4th quarter. When he argued with a call, the ref gave him a tech. Lowry continued to argue and was thrown out of the game with another tech. The Raptors were only down by 7 at that point.

Bismack Is No Jonas
While Biyombo had 13 rebounds in the game, rebounding is about the only thing that he did. He shot 0-7 from the field and had 2 points off of free throws. He didn't have an assist or a steal. He only had 1 block defensively. They need Jonas. Bismack just doesn't have the offensive caliber that Jonas has on the floor. The Kings had 52 points in the paint and Jonas would have cut that down. Biyombo can rebound and that is about it.

The Kings Of Tempo
There were tons of fast break points for this Kings team and the Raptors couldn't stop it. The thing is, when you have DeMarcus Cousins getting 5 fastbreak points in a game, then your guy are not getting back. Everybody on the Kings were getting out and running in transition and the Raptor were not getting back.

Rajon Rondo Is a Beast
He was the reason why they won this game. He had 19 points along with 13 assists. This kid had 12 points in the paint. 12. He was getting to the rim and finishing on Lowry. He was getting his teammates involved and getting high percentage shots in the paint and Lowry couldn't guard him. Rondo is showing that he deserves to be a starting point guard. Without him, I don't think that the Kings win this game.

Other Points
  • DeMar DeRozan lead the way for the Raptors with 28 points. He also added 7 rebounds.
  • All 5 of the Kings starters had over 10 points. The team really moved the ball well as they had 26 assists.
  • Omri Caspi had a double-double, 15 point and 11 rebounds. He has proved to be a great asset for the team. Expect him to keep up his production.
  • The Raptors were short-handed and only played 3 guys off the bench, even after Lowry was ejected. Hopefully they can get Carroll and Jonas back soon, because they don't have much of a bench without them.
As you can see, the Raptors are suffering in some areas without Carroll and Jonas. Hopefully they can get them back soon. Hope you guys liked the post. See you next time on NBA Inside The Play Nation. 

Friday, December 18, 2015

Fantasy Friday (Dec. 18)

Well, we are back to our weekly players in this post. We got some players that haven't definitely changed their fantasy value. So let's take a look at them shall we?

Over-Performers Of The Week
  • Kobe Bryant: He has been great this past week. In 4 games he has averaged 20.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 4.8 APG, and only 1.5 turnovers while shooting 50.8% from the field and 37% from downtown.
  • Raymond Felton: This has been an amazing week for him as he has averaged 14.3 points, 6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1 steal.
  • Will Barton: Barton has been doing more than scoring of late. In his last four games he has averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3 APG, and 2.3 steals. Amazing right?
Under-Performers Of The Week
  • Kevin Love: While he has been efficient with his other numbers, he has only averaged 13 PPG this week.
  • Jared Sullinger: This week he has only averaged 8.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. The big thing is that shooting horribly; under 20% from beyond the arc, 40% from the FT line, and just 36.8% from the field.
Pick-Ups Of The Week
  • Matthew Dellavedova: Averaging 8 points and 6 assists could do you good in your league. He is only 9% owned in Yahoo and 12.4% in ESPN.
  • D'Angelo Russell: This week he has averaged 14.3 points, 6 assists, and 2.3 steals. He has been playing great. The only problem is he is owned by over 3/4 of the fantasy leagues in both yahoo and ESPN.
  • Raymond Felton: He had a triple-double this week and has been averaging great numbers. He is owned by just 30% in Yahoo and 31.8% in ESPN.
Hope you all liked the post and we hope you have a great fantasy week. Until next Friday.  

 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The Golden Run

Stephen Curry (16640524995).jpg
"Stephen Curry (16640524995)" by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Stephen Curry. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
It is over now. Ended by the Milwaukee Bucks. And while you may not have liked it, you have to admit that it was fun to think that they could have gone 34 games in a row to beat the Lakers record. However, the Warriors feat is still amazing considering that they blew out the past best start to the season which was the 15-0 as the Warriors made it to 24-0. Now, in this post, I'm going to look at how the Warriors made this run, and how to beat the Warriors.

How The Warriors Went 24-0
What did it take to win 24 games in a row? It took a combination of multiple factors. The fact is, Stephen Curry can't win 24 games in a row on his own. As great of a shooter he is, he just can't win by himself, and we saw that in the game against the Bucks. The first factor that I want to look at is offense. Let's take a look.

The Warriors lead in a lot of categories offensively, take a look at all of them
  • 1st in PPG:                           115.3
  • 1st in 3-point %:                   42.5%
  • 1st in 3 pointers made:         13.1
  • 1st in FG%                           48.7%
  • 1st in FGs made:                  42.3
  • 1st in Offensive Rating:       112.9
  • 1st in APG:                           28.6
  • 1st in Transition Points         577
  • 1st in Off-ball screen points  312
So as you can see; they are very efficient offensively. They do this as you can see by shooting the ball really well from 3. They also just outscore you. There offense is really spread and is great in PnR. 176 of Stephen Curry's points have come from pick and roll.That is 7 points for Stephen Curry on PnR. In fact, Curry's 2 man game with Draymond is one of the best in the league. 30 of the passes that Curry receives are from Draymond. The next person is Bogut with 8.

What else you really need to look at is moving without the ball. Stephen Curry isn't a player that just plays isolation. He can also play off ball. Stephen Curry actually leads the league in points off of off-ball screens with 120. Guess who is second. That's right, Klay Thompson. He has 109 on the season. The Warriors offense is so great that everybody is coming off off-ball screens getting wide open shots. That is what you want in an offense; guys coming off screens getting the high percentage shot. That is another reason reason why Stephen Curry is so hard to guard. Not only is he deadly when he gets past half-court, not only can he take you off the dribble as well, but he also can score on you without the ball. 

The other big thing offensively, is the Warriors transition game. The Warriors lead the league in transition points. That is lead by Stephen Curry as he leads the league with Transition points. He also is second in the league in Effective FG% for player that takes more than 1 transition shots per game. Patty Mills is first. When your team runs the floor that well, you are going to get easy points.>
Defensively, the Warriors are great. They have the 5th best defensive rating in the league. They make every team earn every shot. They give up no easy shots. In fact, they give up the 3rd least amount of spot up jumpers with just 16.3 PPG against them off of spot-ups. That is why teams have to find other ways to score against this team because the Warriors won't give you that open jumper.
 
So how do you stop a team that plays offense near perfection, a defense that gives you nothing easy, an MVP player who can shoot from literally anywhere from the floor, and a lineup that somehow can't be beat? That is a great question. Let's take a look at the best way to take down the Warriors.




How To Beat The Warriors

The Warriors play fantastic offense. To really get it out of rhythm, you are going to have to take some chances with Stephen Curry. If can double him on cuts, deny the ball as hard as you can, and just double him as much as you can. The best thing to do is to let the ball get to the post. If you are playing the Warriors, you have to let the post get touches. The Warriors are not a post orientated team. They only shoot 39.2% from the post. That is 24th in the league. Never double in the post because Bogut and Draymond are great passers at the post. You really need to lets them get down there and play straight up defense.

If Stephen Curry starts to get going with 3 threes in a row, you have to foul Iguodala if he is on the floor. You need to take Curry out of his rhythm.

Offensively, your team needs to have guys that can post up. The Warriors allow a lot of post-up points. It is a big lapse in their defense. They allow the 4th most points from the post in the league. You need to have players who are willing to take it in the post because they don't defend the post that well.

Another big thing is just forcing turnovers. If you really press up on the Warriors, you will force lots of turnovers because of their up-beat tempo. You really have to take it to them in transition though. Warriors have one of the worst transition defense's in the league as they have given up 433 points in transition this season. The Warriors are 7th in the league in turnovers, so you just need to use lots of pressure.

Another thing to do is to get your guards in to isolation and pick and roll to start the game. Warriors have given up tons of points in isolation and aren't really that great in isolation on the defensive end. If you have a dynamic point or shooting guard, you need to take it at the Warriors. Also make sure that when Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are out of the game that you make a basket on almost every possession. The Warriors are know to have their offense and defense fall apart a little while these 2 players are out of the game, and with Harrison Barnes out right now, it's even worse.




So how did the Bucks and the Celtics almost beat them? Well, if you watched the video above, you would have seen that it had to do with Steph being out of the game. That isn't all though. What did they do when Curry was in the game?

Well, Greg Monroe really pounded down low in the post, a key to beating the Warriors as he had 28 points. The other thing was that they contested tons of shots. Also, a thing worst noting is they pressured Klay so much. They didn't give him an inch and really took him out of the game. Same thing with Draymond. They limited him to 5 assists and forced 6 turnovers out of him. 


They really took it to them in transition as well as they outscored the Warriors in the transition department. They also let the Warriors have there points in the paint. The Warriors had 56. What the Warriors did was let them get inside and finish, but the Milwaukee Buck outscored them from the inside, which if what you want to do if you are the Bucks and you don't shoot many 3-pointers.


They let Iguodala get the ball. They didn't let Steph get as many touches as he has been but they sure let Iggy get a lot of touches. Iggy of course just can't convert like Curry especially with a great defender like Giannis guarding him. Curry still had a great night, but the Buck did a great job letting the posts get their points and playing the wings where they couldn't score. Curry is going to score, there is nothing you can do about that. But you have to let the posts put up shots and you have to take away the wings, and that is what the Bucks did.

The Warriors are a great team and are going to be hard to stop. Doing all of this won't stop them from winning, but it will give you a much better chance in winning against them. The Warriors are going to win a lot of games this season, but they aren't going to have a cake walk if teams play them right.



Tuesday, December 15, 2015

The Perfect Starting 5 For The Next 10 Years!

Toyota Center prior to the 2013 NBA All Star Game.JPG
"Toyota Center prior to the 2013 NBA All Star Game" by Victor Araiza - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons.

Oh boy, here is a post nobody will ever agree on! What is the future of the NBA? This generates a great deal of conversation, doesn't it? The young guys seem to be promising and are ready to prove that, but that promising future isn't always guaranteed. That's why I wanted to make a starting 5 of the future of the NBA. Seems easy right?

The Obvious Ones:

Point Guard: Stephen Curry - He has an outstanding game that can't be rivaled by anybody. His game is like some fine wine and will age well. He doesn't rely on athleticism as heavily as his competition. Even at age 37, I feel as if Curry can score 15 per game for you. He is 27 and just entering his prime.

Shooting Guard: Andrew Wiggins - He is really a SG in a SF's body. He has terrific athletic ability that just won't let you down. His potential is scary. He has the size and speed to be able to guard multiple positions if he decided to hit the weight room. He is only 20 years old and has a lot to offer in the long term.

Small Forward: Kawhi Leonard- This shouldn't be too hard to agree on. Imagine if Curry was disqualified of the MVP race, who is your leading MVP candidate? I know Kawhi is right up there! We have all heard about his defense but his offense is on a whole another level this season.

Power Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo - The hype with this guy is unreal. It is too much to even take in for me! I am just in awe when watching him as he is just amazing to say the least. He doesn't have the numbers, he doesn't seem to be that great but just look at him, you know he has great potential by looking at him! He also just turned 21 so there is going to be no shortage of his best abilities in the future!

Center: Anthony Davis - Do I even need to explain?

Leaving it like that is the chicken's way out. I ain't no chick'n so I will provide an alternate version of MY future starting 5 all based on personal opinion. Keep in mind this is for the next 10 years. This is a really young team and, well, there isn't much else to say!

Point Guard: D'Angelo Russell - This guy is a crazy off  the charts type of player that just hasn't found the perfect role in LA yet. He has had some recent success in scoring the ball but that isn't even the most impressive thing about this guy! His passing and ball handling ability hasn't even come to light so far! He was drafted number two because the Lakers saw him as the next floor general! 

Shooting Guard: Bradley Beal - Now here is a pick I know I'm going to regret making. He is the perfect fit for this team as all this team really needs in a good sized wing shooter. That's exactly what Beal serves to be. One down fall for Beal, though, is his health. He has missed a combined 54 games in the last 3 seasons.

Small Forward: Jabari Parker - Do you remember when there was a three way tie for the number 1 player in the 2014 draft? It was Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid. Andrew Wiggins obviously seems to be the best out of those three but Jabari isn't far behind. He had a season ending injury last year but he seems to be back to normal now!

Power Forward: Kristaps Porzingis - This pick is only for the flashiness of it. I know Towns is the better prospect out of the two. I know that I am caught up in all of this hype but it is what it is. He has great tools to be a defensive monster in the paint. He can shoot(streaky at best for now) and he can (possibly) play out of the post. He needs to add some extra muscle to be able to bang down low , though.

Center: Anthony Davis - Again, do I need to justify?


Players that barely missed the cut:
John Wall
Julius Randle
Klay Thompson
DeMarcus Cousins
James Harden
Paul George
Andre Drummond
Blake Griffin
Jahlil Okafor
Karl-Anthony Towns
Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant
Emmanuel Mudiay

What do you think? Am I crazy or do you agree?

NBA Inside The Player Of The Week (Dec. 8-14)


KD is not nice. He is just a mean person. Especially this week. He came out and completely dominated to help his team win every game this week. Let's take a look at KD's game this week, shall we?

This week, Durant averaged 27.3 PPG. For Durant, they aren't overly impressive. What was amazing about this is that Durant averaged only 15 shots per game. He shot so well from the field. He shot 60% from the field, 47.4 % from the 3-point line, and 96.3% from FT. Not only that, but Durant just completely took the team on his shoulders as 54% of his shots were Durant unassisted. That is a lot of isolation. That hasn't been the case for the season, however. In fact, this season, Durant has actually had more assisted shots than unassisted.

Lots of players have one talent and that is scoring. Not Durant. He is a player that can do more than score. Durant was just crashing the boards this week, grabbing 8.8 rebounds per game. He has 2 double-doubles this week.

The other reason why Durant won this weekly award is because he was very unselfish. He averaged 6.3 assists this week. When you can get everyone else involved in the offense and still average 27 points at the SF position, that is impressive. And Durant did it in an efficient way, only averaging 3.5 turnovers. In fact, OKC committed the second least amount of turnovers in the entire league over the last 4 games.

Durant has also played great on defense. The Thunder had a defensive rating of 98.1 this week. The Thunder actually had the 2nd best net rating this week. Durant this week averaged 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks. The Thunder themselves only allowed 16.5 assists per game from their opponent this week. That is the best in the league. They also only allowed 92.5 PPG from their opponent this week. That is great defense from an offensive Thunder team, and Durant is at the heart of it.

Durant played really great this week as he was lights out on shooting the basketball. He had shown that he was great without the ball as he was with it. That is why Durant is you NBA Inside The Player Of The Week. Congradulations Kevin Durant on winning the NBA Inside The Player Of The Week Award. He was clearly had a great impact for his team and helped them win all 4 of their games this week.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Fantasy Friday (Dec. 11)

This week instead of having our players of the week, we will look the people that you must trade for and the players you must trade off.

Trade For:
  • Jonas Valanciunas: This guy has very low trade value right now and once he comes back, he will do really well. Valanciunas will be a buy low kind of guy. He will give you a lot of rebounds and play wonderful defense not to mention that he will also give you a great shooting percentage.
  • John Wall: I think that if you can get John Wall right now, that would be great. Some owners will look at his shooting and PPG and automatically think that he isn't doing good at all. In reality, yeah, he isn't doing great but he is give you multiple assists, steals, and blocks. John Wall is a great low value kind of guy.
  • Kevin Love: Kevin Love really doesn't look the best of late and is really being overlooked. People don't look at Love and think all-star, even though he is averaging all-star numbers. You can get this guy at low value.
  • Blake Griffin: This guy is one of the best to have on your fantasy team. I would try to trade off James Harden for him, or even a guy like LeBron James would be a great trade-off. Why do I say this? Because I believe that Griffin is the second best guy to have in fantasy this year. He is averaging 25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and nearly 1 block and steal per game while only averaging about 2 turnovers per game. Not to mention he is shooting 33% from beyond the arc, 73% from the FT line, and 52% from the field.
  • Isaiah Thomas: This guy is a top PG in the league. He is averaging great numbers very quietly. This is a guy that you can get lower trade value for and your team will be very prosperous having this guy on your team.
Trade Away: 
  • Markieff Morris: This guy isn't doing good at all right now, you either need to trade him or stash him for when he is traded. I say that now is the best time to trade him before it gets too bad for teams to even have him.
  • Robert Covington: Covington has been playing really great of late but do not expect him to keep it up with Noel, Okafor, and Wroten coming back. His trade value is through the roof right now so you need to trade him fast.
  • James Harden: If you are in a categories league, you are going to have a hard time winning with him. His turnovers and bad shooting is just too much and you could probably find someone who has a more positive value when trading.
  • Chris Paul: He has had low numbers and has been injured quite a bit for the Clippers. People might look at Paul and might just make the trade. You have to make sure you get good value out of Paul though.
  • Kristaps Porzingis: His trade value is going to be really high considering all of the hype about him. You can get a really solid fantasy player and you might be able to get a guy like John Wall out of him. You never know with Porzingis.
Well, anyways, I hope you guys like this week's post. We will have the regular weekly players next week. Thanks for reading and see you next week here on NBA Inside The Play Nation!