Fantasy Fridays: Rebounders

Rebounders can give you a great amount of points, especially if your league gives you a great amount of points for boards. So why not give you the best rebounders for the 2015-16 season.

10. LaMarcus Aldridge: Last season he averaged 10.2 RPG. Now that he is with the Spurs, I expect that to go up since he doesn't have a great rebounding center like Robin Lopez. Not to mention, LaMarcus is most likely going to be more focused on rebounding and more and not as focused on scoring.

9. Rudy Gobert: The rising increase in popularity for Rudy Gobert isn't for no reason, and he has the numbers to prove it. Last season he averaged 9.5 RPG, but it obviously increased since the second half of the season. Gobert is going to be hard to get though, since he is rated so high on the rankings and I really don't recommend drafting him so high at where he is positioned.

8. Nikola Vucevic: This man is a boss on the boards, and is very underrated. Vucevic will give you boards but I don't expect his numbers to rise. In fact, I expect his numbers to decrease. The reason why is that his team is stacked with developing players that are really athletic and can rebound that basketball. I honestly don't think he will average 10.9 RPG next season.

7. Hassan Whiteside: Trust me, this guy will get a minutes increase. He won't be playing as much as LeBron of course, but he will average more minutes. That means his 10 RPG from last season, will increase. Chris Bosh isn't a rebounder, and Hassan is going to be the Heat's main man for rebounding.

6. Anthony Davis: Some people say Davis is the best fantasy player in the NBA. I say, yeah, he is. And his rebound numbers show why. However, Davis is not the best rebounder, and his rebounding numbers will not go up. The problem is, there is only so much numbers you can put up in a game, and most likely he will be more focused on offense as Asik will be focused on rebounds.

5. Kevin Love: After having a down season, I expect Kevin Love to have a major increase in his numbers, especially in his rebounds category. Love has been a top 5 rebounder and has had amazing rebounding when he was with the Wolves. I don't think his numbers will be back to his Minnesota times, but I think he will average a great amount of points.

4. DeMarcus Cousins: Why isn't he higher? Well, Willey Cauley-Stein is going to take some of his rebounding numbers, it is as simple as that. He is going to be a top rebounder, he just won't do as good.

3. Greg Monroe: You are probably saying, "Aaron, what is wrong with you?" What, you don't believe me? Greg Monroe averaged 10.2 RPG while his teammate averaged 13.5 RPG. Now that he is with the Bucks, he will see a big increase in rebounds. He could average over 14 RPG next season.

2. DeAndre Jordan: 15 RPG last season. What else do I need to say. Not much. He lead the league in rebounding last season, that is all you need to know.

1. Andre Drummond: He averaged 13.5 RPG and that will likely increase. Now that his teammate, Greg Monroe, that averaged 10.2 RPG last season, is now with the Bucks, Drummond is going to be the best rebounder in the NBA. He will be unstoppable on the board and he is an unknown player. Drummond is the best rebounder to get next season.

Clippers Take Down Nuggets in the 1st Preseason Games

The high-flying Clippers started the NBA preseason with some style. We saw some great previews of some players and it was an entertaining game to watch.

Lob City

We saw some amazing dunks, and it is clear that the Clippers are more athletic then they have ever been. Of course, DeAndre and Blake are still dunking as usual, but with new additions of high-flying, Wesley Johnson, and former dunk contest winner, Josh Smith, the Clippers put on a show last night.

Rebounds

Despite DeAndre Jordan grabbing 12 boards, the Nuggets killed the Clippers on the boards. The Nuggets controlled the board by 57-39, and it is obvious the Nuggets have got rebounding down. The Clippers are a great rebounding team. They have DeAndre Jordan who lead the league in rebounds last year, and they also have a great rebounder in Blake Griffin. And for the Nuggets to beat the Clippers in rebounding by 18 rebounds, that is pretty impressive.

Lance looks the Same

Lance Stephenson shot 2-10 from the field and 0-2 from the three point line. He really isn't looking good and he needs to improve. Doc Rivers is going to have to limit this man until he can prove that he can shoot, or else he will end up like he did in Charlotte.

Who is Joffrey Lauvergne?

Well, if you haven't heard about this man, it's because he has really done much, until last night. This man is the leading scorer in the NBA right now. So congratulations to Joffrey! Last night he scored 16 points and along with that he had 11 rebounds. He is looking great. Other players on the Nuggets also made their mark. Emmanuel Mudiay had 14 points and had a great shooting night after starting off a little rough. Will Barton had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 10 points and 7 assists. However, one guy that was really disappointing was Kenneth Faried who had 0 points and 4 turnovers. Also Mudiay had 8 turnovers, which is really concerning for the starting point guard. Other than that, the Nuggets are looking really impressive.

Clippers are Thankfully Looking Better Than Their New Logo

The Clippers new logo isn't an upgrade, I will tell you that. I didn't see what was wrong with their old one. It looked great. Thankfully, the Clippers themselves looked better. Chris Paul had a great night finding people for dunks all night as he had 9 assists to go along with his 12 points. Blake Griffin had a pretty good night and played some good defense as he ended the night with 1 steal, 1 block, and 11 points. New addition Josh Smith looked great and will be a key to the Clippers success this season. He finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds. The Clippers are obviously improved with a lot more bench depth. I expect them to do even better than last year.

Fantasy Fridays: Defensive Players

A good fantasy team needs offense. No doubt, but a great fantasy team needs great offensive players that can provide great defense at the same time. That is why we are going to count down the top ten offensive player that play great defense, so you can have a great balance of offense and defense this fantasy season.

10. Stephen Curry: While you are probably like, "this man is a defensive play", take a look at the stats. Stephen Curry lead the league in steals total last year, so if you had him, you were most likely winning the steals column. Stephen Curry won't give you much blocks, but he certainly will give you multiple steals and a lot of offense to back that up.

9. John Wall: This man is a high flying point guard who can block your shot better than any other point guard. Not to mention his intense speed will track down every bad pass. This man averaged 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks and that will certainly improve going into next season. Expect John Wall to be playing lock down defense and producing a lot on the offensive end.

8. Rudy Gobert: He is a wonderful defensive player. Last season he averaged 2.3 blocks and 0.8 steals. The main problem with Gobert is he doesn't have much offense to back him up. If you pick him up, note that he won't be too productive on the offensive end.

7. Nerlens Noel: 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals his rookie season. The only problem is, can he still produce those numbers with Jahill Okafor there. I honestly think his offensive numbers will be little and his defensive numbers will be hard for him to top. But I could be wrong.

6. Serge Ibaka: 3rd in the league in steals. This man can put up points and guard multiple positions. Not to mention he only averages 2.1 fouls per game. Serge Ibaka is an underrated defender and has some offense to back him up.

5. DeAndre Jordan: Yeah, grab this man. While he doesn't have a lot of offense, he has a whole lot of other things (free throws not one of them). This man can rebound, but his defense is stupendous. He averaged 2.2 blocks per game and 1 steal per game last season. If this doesn't impress, I honestly don't know what will.

4. Hassan Whiteside: Wait! I know what will impress if DeAndre failed to. Hassan Whiteside. 2 years ago you said, "who the heck is Hakeem Wildseem?" No, Hassan Whiteside. Yeah, nobody knew him really until the Heat played the Bulls and he showed us his Hassan Wildside as he had a triple-double with 12 blocks, on a nationally televised game that night. Geez, talk about a major attention disorder. Okay, yeah, he was 2nd in blocks last year, but when you switch the table from per game to per 36 minutes, who is first? (well actually Sim Bhullar, who averages 13.4 blocks per 36 minutes and 13.4 rebounds and 13.4 points per 36 minutes) But the point is, Whiteside is 4th with 3.9 blocks. And Whiteside will probably get a minutes increase, so expect numbers like that.

3. Draymond Green: This is a Hassan Whiteside like player. Nobody knew him, and then, BAM! He is a superstar playing for a championship team. What is so great about Green? Well, he averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game last season. No big deal.Well, guess what Green, that is one big deal. And now fantasy players are going to be all over you for your offense and defense as well as your 8.2 RPG even though you are a 6'7" PF.

2. Kawhi Leonard: It's time to become an all-star for Kawhi Leonard. His offense is great, but we all know that his best strength is defense. What else can I say. This man lead the league in steals and also did a great job in the blocks department. Kawhi is a defensive guy.

1. Anthony Davis: Of course it's Davis. He lead the league in blocks averaging 2.9 per game and also averaged 1.5 steals. Not to mention the man averaged 24.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG (seems a little low in the rebounds for Anthony Davis though) to back up his defensive numbers. What else do you need!

Fantasy Fridays: Centers

It is the last of the positions that we have covered that you need for a great overall fantasy team. They are the main rebounders, blockers, and low post scorers. In order for your team to be successful, you need centers. So why not get the best of the centers? Here are the top ten.

10. Dwight Howard: Yes, it is Superman himself. Averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.3 Blocks per game, and 1.2 APG, Dwight Howard had a pretty good season stats wise. But last season, we learned that Superman wasn't as invincible as we thought. Despite averaging pretty good numbers last season, Dwight Howard played only 41 games. That's half the season. Yeah, pretty bad, am I right? So if you do grab Dwight, buyer beware, he could be out for half the season.

9. Al Horford: The Hawks had a great season partially because of him. And he is one heck of a fantasy player. I really think anybody who gets him will profit. While he averaged 15.2 PPG, 1.3 Blocks, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals, his assisting numbers were what caught my eye. Last season he averaged 3.2 APG! You will definitely find numbers that you won't get from any other centers with Al Horford.

8. Brook Lopez: He demonstrated last year that he has the ability to stay healthy as he played in 72 games. And last year, he had some great numbers as he averaged, 17.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 Blocks, and 0.6 steals. While you do have the risk for him to be injured, Brook Lopez can be really productive, especially now that Deron Williams is gone. Are you willing to take the risk is what you have to ask yourself.

7. Al Jefferson: Big Al had an okay season last year, but it was a big disappointment from the season he had before. In the 2013-14 season, Al averaged 21.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 Blocks. I mean, that is wonderful numbers there Al. But last season, everything dropped except for his blocks. His points went down to 16.6 PPG, and his rebounds went down to 8.4 RPG. Al might just have a rebound season however. He very well could. If he does, it will be rewarding.

6. Nikola Vucevic: This man had a breakout season, last season as he averaged 19.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2 APG, and shot 52% from the field. He is not the best defensively but he will get you rebounds and score. He is going to most likely a sleeper so watch him closely and get him if he is a steal.

5. Marc Gasol: As great of a player Marc is, he is not the best when it comes to fantasy. However, Marc is still at the beginning of his career, and can improve offensively, he is a great defender. Last season he averaged 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals. One thing that many people miss when they look at Marc's stats is his assisting number. Last season, he averaged 3.8 APG, along with 17.4 PPG, and 7.8 RPG. He is a good fantasy player, don't sleep on him.

4.  Hassan Whiteside: One of the best fantasy pickups that has ever happened from the waivers, happened last season. That was when Hassan had 12 blocks, 14 Points, and 13 Rebounds on Nation television. And Hassan will most likely see a big increase in playing time and I do expect him to become an all-star this next season. I do expect a lot of blocks, rebounds, and points from Hassan this season.

3. Greg Monroe: I honestly think that Greg Monroe will have his best season yet. After having a double-double season last year, Greg Monroe is at the best point of his life, and I expect him to average about 20 PPG, and 12 RPG. Not to mention, he might not be a great blocker, but Monroe can definitely steal the ball as he averaged 1.1 steals last year. Greg Monroe will be a great player to have on your fantasy team.

2. DeAndre Jordan: He lead the league in rebounds (15) and field goal percentage (71%). Not to mention he averaged 1 steal per game and 2.3 blocks. He only scores 12.1 PPG but scoring should be the reason why you got him. DeAndre Jordan is a player unlike any other. Get him if you can.

1. DeMarcus Cousins: He averaged 24.1 PPG last season along with 12.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 Steals, and 1.7 blocks. He may average 4.3 turnovers and 4.1 fouls, but how can you argue with these stats. You really can't. He may have some downsides, but he is a beast on both offense and defense and is a great rebounder. Take DeMarc.

Well, there you have it, all five position worth of the top 10 fantasy players at their positions. If you want the other positions, click here. Well, hope you do well with your fantasy team. Until next week... Aaron Jaros. 

Rockets VS Clippers (game 5)

Final Score: Rockets win 124-103



Clippers lead series 3-2

The Rockets did a lot of things right. The Clippers had a tough time with this team. This Rockets team showed everybody what they are capable of. Let's breakdown what the Rockets did right in this game and what they need to do to tie the series.

The Rockets had a great game. One noticeable thing they did was that they started Josh Smith. Josh Smith did have an okay game, but his defensive rating was the worst on the court. They honestly need to insert Jones into the starting line-up. James Harden had a wonderful game and he looked like he always had in the regular season. He started off the series where he was just missing. Everyone was like "James! Where were you!"

 

It's okay James, your back. That's all that matters. He had a triple-double last night. 26 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds. He could step up his shooting a little as he only shot 1-8 from the 3 point line. Dwight Howard also had a great game. He had 20 points and 15 rebounds. He was also great on the defensive end as well. Jason Terry had a wonderful game with 11 points, 7 assists, and 0 turnovers! He also was great on the offensive end with a rating of 141.1. Corey Brewer played great with 15 points off the bench. The best individual performance I think was by Trevor Ariza. He had 22 points, shot 4-6 from downtown, had 3 steals, and had a defensive rating of 89.5. He was the MVP of the game. At least, that's what I thought.

The Clippers have some work to do. They desperately need some offense from the bench. There bench was 10-31 from the field and 3-14 from the 3-point line. Spencer Hawes had a great game off the bench but he was the only bench player that really produced. They can't rely off of 55 points from Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. That won't win them games. Also, they need to rebound better. They lost the rebound advantage 58-39. That can't happen. Everyone needs to be trying to get the rebound. When DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin combine for all but 12 of your rebounds, the other teammates aren't trying enough. They really need to protect the paint better. I would be more concerned with the paint than the 3-point shooting of the Rockets right now. You can't let them have a chance to comeback. Can the Rockets do it? We'll have to wait and see.

Rockets VS Clippers (game 1)

Final Score: Clippers win 117-101



Clippers lead 1-0

Rockets looked like they had it. Then the Clippers woke up. The Rockets lost it. Then the Clippers won. Let's take a look at what the Rockets did wrong.

Dwight Howard did his job. He dominated over DeAndre Jordan. This was the worst game in terms of turnovers this year though. James Harden had 9 turnovers in the game. That can't happen. Josh Smith should not be putting up 5 threes. Corey Brewer can't put up 5 threes and miss all of them either. They both shot horrible from the floor. That needs to change. If you look at the Points off turnovers for the Clippers, it was bad. The Clippers had 34 points off of the Rockets turnovers. That needs to stop. One great thing was that the Clippers only had 40 points in the paint. They did give them 13-31 threes though. Obviously, there are a lot of problems for this Rockets team to fix.

Austin Rivers played great as he replaced Chris Paul. He had a good 17 points. Like the Rockets, the Clippers had way too many turnovers. Also, Glen Davis needs to pick it up on the defensive end. He had a defensive rating of 144.7. That's rough. One positive thing to look at was that they had more personal fouls drawn than the Rockets. Blake Griffin had a triple-double but he did have 5 turnovers. However, this Clippers team looks like they're in good shape. I think that if they keep it up, they will be looking into the conference finals.

Clippers VS Spurs (game 5)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Spurs lead series 3-2

This was a crucial game. And the Spurs look like they are in great shape for next game. They can put this series away next game. We are all wondering who will win this series. It is probably one of the most interesting series in the playoffs so far. Let's breakdown the Spurs play to start off.

The Spurs had a great bounce back win after the loss they took at home. They had great ball movement and everyone was involved. One guy I really want to look at is Borris Diaw. He had the best plus/minus advantage on his team with +13. What was he doing so great. Just playing great basketball, setting screen, grabbing boards, and just making good defensive plays. Anything that could help his team. His defensive rating (the lower the better) was great at 86.6. You think that good, his offensive rating (the higher the better) was at an astonishing 120.1. That is great. If fact the whole bench had an offensive rating above 120. I was amazed on how well their offensive rating was for the Spurs bench. One thing the Spurs should probably change for next game is the guy guarding Barnes should be in more of a help position. He needs to be able to double team. I really think they should try that out. Another thing is don't have Manu be the main ball handler for the bench. He is more of a shooting guard and had 4 turnovers in just 18:28 minutes.

The Clippers have some work to do. Redick took to many chances and played lazy defense. I would look for him to step it up. This is the playoffs! You need to play your best. Redick fouled out of that game really because of the way he played. Their bench could use a lot more from Jamal Crawford. The Clippers only have 3 people coming off the bench and Jamal Crawford just needs to be regular Jamal Crawford. Again, Blake Griffin just needs to cut down his turnovers. My main problem really was the bench though. Everyone on the bench had a horrible defensive rating all over 125. That cannot happen from your bench. They really need Matt Barnes with the bench and DeAndre Jordan too. Their bench has a great offensive rating. They just need to bring up the offensive rating. Have Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Glen Davis, and DeAndre Jordan all out on the court. That would be a great way to start the second quarter.

This is going to be great so tune into TNT 9:30 PM EST to see game 6. This could be the last game of the series and you don't want to miss it.

Clippers VS Spurs (game 2)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Series Tied 1-1

An Overtime win for the Spurs is a win. Duncan had a great game and so did Leonard. They just played a great game. They got some stops and won it. Why? Patty Mills was part of it. He had a great game with 18 points. He always seems to come out around playoff time. They played Spurs basketball. Tony Parker needs to step it up though. He only had 1 point in the game and 5 assists. He needs to step it up if this team is to keep winning.

The Clippers on the other hand could use Jordan to make more Free Throws. He only shot 35% from free throw and shot 6-17 from the line. Next they need to be able to finish the game. They missed two crucial possessions to put the game away, but instead it went into overtime where they lost. The last thing, they need more from the bench. The Spurs have a large bench while the Clippers bench has Jamal Crawford. Besides Crawford, the bench for the Clippers scored 6 points. That is not enough and I fear that the Clippers will run out of gas and loose this series.

With the series tied, who will take the advantage in San Antonio?

Clippers VS Spurs (game 1)

Final Score: Clippers win 107-92



Clippers lead series 1-0

This was a game where the Spurs got a look at what the Clippers are capable of. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were dominant over this Spurs team. Let's take a look at the Clippers first

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul had a combined total of 58 points. These two players alone had over half their team's points. They have to keep looking to them. You know that Greg Popovich will be looking to contain both of these players so Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are going to have to find some more ways to score in a best of 7 series. There is really nothing you can do with DeAndre Jordan's free throws. He shot 5-12 from the free throw line which is below 50%. My suggestion is to get DeAndre more touches in the post and get him to score. This will get him going and it will make the Spurs more hesitant to foul. Other than that, they just need to keep going with their offense and defense.

The obvious for the Spurs is that they need to stop Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. You can't let two players score over 50% of their scoring. They also need more scoring. The most points of a player was 18 by Leonard. The next player had only 11 who was Duncan. There was a lot of one v one in that game with the Spurs offense. They just didn't look like the Spurs. Last is that Diaw and Green need to make shots. Those players combined shot 4-23 from the field and 1-12 from the 3 point line. They need to produce well if this team is going to see them winning in this series.