Change is finally here, O Cherished Reader. As many of you may have guessed from my repeated mentioning of vague and and elusive "big plans", 2RR has officially moved! After 5 months as a lowly Blogspot, there's a brand new 2nd Round Reach now and forevermore, and it's at:
I've joined up with the incredible Bloguin network of sites to bring you a blog that's bigger and better than ever (just check that ridiculously sweet new banner!) Make sure you update your bookmarks or feeds or readers or whatever, since we're going dark at this URL. Don't worry, you can visit it any time from the comfort of the new site.
Come by and read my very first post and leave some comments. I'm sure you'll love what you see as much as I do.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Stars Of The Stream: Steals
We've all been there. Scraping the bottom of the barrel for those last few stats, praying your stopgap doesn't hurt your tenuous lead in another category. It's the life of a fantasy streamer, and it's really never a good sign for your long-term prospects in a fantasy season. But sometimes needs dictate action, and when you're short on a cat with just a day or two to go, I know you don't need lectures on efficient team building- you need results. With this in mind, I offer a few decent options for fill-in stats in daily lineup leagues.
Mardy Collins- Yes, I named him Wednesday for his assists, but have you seen the numbers Collins is putting up in Baron Davis' stead? He's averaging 2.3 over his last 15 games and , and a ful 1.5 steals per in his last 30 appearances. That's pretty darned solid. Any way you look at him, he's likely to be a solid add for as long as he's starting in Clipperland.
Luke Ridnour- Owned in just a quarter of ESPN leagues, Ridnour deserves play in most formats, perhaps for no greater reason than his swipes. After averaging 2 steals per through December, he's kept a solid rate and is sitting at 1.4 per game on both the season and over January.
Mario Chalmers- I wouldn't have included him on this list- he's probably taken in a league featuring hardcore players like yourself- but his recent shooting woes might have seen him dropped from a few rosters. Snatch this kid up. Apart from being a streaky 3 point threat and averaging enough assists to merit ownership alone, he's also a natural born thief, averaging 1.7 per on the season. That's just shy of being top 10 in the league.
Trevor Ariza- Ariza is one of those guys who does a everything a little bit well, but nothing so well that he's guaranteed to be owned in a given league. If you can get him, his rebounds will be welcome, but the steals are where its at.
CJ Watson- What if I told you that CJ has been averaging 2.7 steals per in January? Would you even believe he's playing enough to do that? Monta Ellis is coming back, so minutes will be scarce again soon, but for now, he seems to be getting some decent burn from Nellie.
Sebastian Telfair- Bottom line: The Wolves suck, so Bassy will keep playing. His assists are always inconsistent (though he;s been hot right now), but as long as he's on the court he'll grab a ball or two.
Von Wafer- I never expected him to be productive, but while Houston is on the collective mend, Wafer's been making the most of his opportunities. He's also cleared 30 minutes six games in a row now.
Mardy Collins- Yes, I named him Wednesday for his assists, but have you seen the numbers Collins is putting up in Baron Davis' stead? He's averaging 2.3 over his last 15 games and , and a ful 1.5 steals per in his last 30 appearances. That's pretty darned solid. Any way you look at him, he's likely to be a solid add for as long as he's starting in Clipperland.
Luke Ridnour- Owned in just a quarter of ESPN leagues, Ridnour deserves play in most formats, perhaps for no greater reason than his swipes. After averaging 2 steals per through December, he's kept a solid rate and is sitting at 1.4 per game on both the season and over January.
Mario Chalmers- I wouldn't have included him on this list- he's probably taken in a league featuring hardcore players like yourself- but his recent shooting woes might have seen him dropped from a few rosters. Snatch this kid up. Apart from being a streaky 3 point threat and averaging enough assists to merit ownership alone, he's also a natural born thief, averaging 1.7 per on the season. That's just shy of being top 10 in the league.
Trevor Ariza- Ariza is one of those guys who does a everything a little bit well, but nothing so well that he's guaranteed to be owned in a given league. If you can get him, his rebounds will be welcome, but the steals are where its at.
CJ Watson- What if I told you that CJ has been averaging 2.7 steals per in January? Would you even believe he's playing enough to do that? Monta Ellis is coming back, so minutes will be scarce again soon, but for now, he seems to be getting some decent burn from Nellie.
Sebastian Telfair- Bottom line: The Wolves suck, so Bassy will keep playing. His assists are always inconsistent (though he;s been hot right now), but as long as he's on the court he'll grab a ball or two.
Von Wafer- I never expected him to be productive, but while Houston is on the collective mend, Wafer's been making the most of his opportunities. He's also cleared 30 minutes six games in a row now.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Stars Of The Stream: Assists
We've all been there. Scraping the bottom of the barrel for those last few stats, praying your stopgap doesn't hurt your tenuous lead in another category. It's the life of a fantasy streamer, and it's really never a good sign for your long-term prospects in a fantasy season. But sometimes needs dictate action, and when you're short on a cat with just a day or two to go, I know you don't need lectures on efficient team building- you need results. With this in mind, I offer a few decent options for fill-in stats in daily lineup leagues.
Assists:
Beno Udrih- He's only owned in an average of 41% of ESPN leagues, so there's probably a good shot that he's available in yours right now. After a preseason of hype for the Kings' pressumed starter, the Solvenian has been terribly uneven this year. Where he has been generally useful is in his ability to distribute, tallying 5 or more assists seemingly every other game. On the surface, he's trending the wrong way (fewer dimes in each of the successive months of the season), but at any given 5 game period, he'll managed better than "okay" assists (6 per in 3 of his last 5 games, for example.)
Kyle Lowry- I'd argue that Lowry should have a place in most deep leagues, but Lowry is probably going to be sitting on the wire in too many leagues based on his poor recent showings against the Jazz and Pistons. Never mind that the Grizz as a whole have looked terrible of late, Lowry has emerged as the closest thing to a legit PG on Memphis' roster. When he's playing well, he also contributes in treys and steals.
Louis Williams- He goes through stretches in and out of favor in the Sixers lineup, but a general rule of thumb with Lou has been "If he's not scoring, he's dishing." Before going for 15 and 25 in his last two games, respectively, he averaged 4.8 assists over his previous 10 games (including a run of three consecutive 6 assist games.)
Rasho Nesterovic- He flirted with fantasy respectability earlier this season before dissappearing, and I'm not offering the most ringing of endorsements here, but when you've got a C slot open and need a couple of extra dimes, Rasho might well be looking you square in the eye from free agency. He's capable on any given night of playing minutes in the high teens, and when he does, he's one of the most efficient sources of assists from a non-guard slot.
Steve Blake/Sergio Rodriguez- It surprises me how low their ownership numbers have been (less than 1% for Rodriguez and just 10% for Blake.) When he's been healthy, Blake has been a legit pickup in basically any format for steals and treys, but when he gets the run S-Rod has been able to chalk up more than his fair share. Basically, whomever is distributing for the Blazers on a given night is a good bet for fill-in stats.
Mardy Collins- I know. I know. It's... Mardy Collins. But he's all the Clippers have and he's averaged better than 8 (EIGHT!) assists per game as a starter. I said it wouldn't be pretty.
Anthony Carter- Impossibly, somehow, Carter took his demotion after the Chauncey Billups trade in stride, and has worked his way back into serious rotation minutes at the 2 for the Nuggets. He's a better-than-average rebounder for a point, and should get you 4.5 assists on any night he clears 20 minutes. Carter might be one of the safer bets on this list.
Assists:
Beno Udrih- He's only owned in an average of 41% of ESPN leagues, so there's probably a good shot that he's available in yours right now. After a preseason of hype for the Kings' pressumed starter, the Solvenian has been terribly uneven this year. Where he has been generally useful is in his ability to distribute, tallying 5 or more assists seemingly every other game. On the surface, he's trending the wrong way (fewer dimes in each of the successive months of the season), but at any given 5 game period, he'll managed better than "okay" assists (6 per in 3 of his last 5 games, for example.)
Kyle Lowry- I'd argue that Lowry should have a place in most deep leagues, but Lowry is probably going to be sitting on the wire in too many leagues based on his poor recent showings against the Jazz and Pistons. Never mind that the Grizz as a whole have looked terrible of late, Lowry has emerged as the closest thing to a legit PG on Memphis' roster. When he's playing well, he also contributes in treys and steals.
Louis Williams- He goes through stretches in and out of favor in the Sixers lineup, but a general rule of thumb with Lou has been "If he's not scoring, he's dishing." Before going for 15 and 25 in his last two games, respectively, he averaged 4.8 assists over his previous 10 games (including a run of three consecutive 6 assist games.)
Rasho Nesterovic- He flirted with fantasy respectability earlier this season before dissappearing, and I'm not offering the most ringing of endorsements here, but when you've got a C slot open and need a couple of extra dimes, Rasho might well be looking you square in the eye from free agency. He's capable on any given night of playing minutes in the high teens, and when he does, he's one of the most efficient sources of assists from a non-guard slot.
Steve Blake/Sergio Rodriguez- It surprises me how low their ownership numbers have been (less than 1% for Rodriguez and just 10% for Blake.) When he's been healthy, Blake has been a legit pickup in basically any format for steals and treys, but when he gets the run S-Rod has been able to chalk up more than his fair share. Basically, whomever is distributing for the Blazers on a given night is a good bet for fill-in stats.
Mardy Collins- I know. I know. It's... Mardy Collins. But he's all the Clippers have and he's averaged better than 8 (EIGHT!) assists per game as a starter. I said it wouldn't be pretty.
Anthony Carter- Impossibly, somehow, Carter took his demotion after the Chauncey Billups trade in stride, and has worked his way back into serious rotation minutes at the 2 for the Nuggets. He's a better-than-average rebounder for a point, and should get you 4.5 assists on any night he clears 20 minutes. Carter might be one of the safer bets on this list.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Featuring
Honest to goodness, I'm coming back. The fates have conspired to put me on the road with work for two solid weeks, leading me to spend ridiculous amounts of time driving to and surviving in such fabulous locales as Topeka, KS and Denver, CO (where I'm currently fighting to save feature drafts against from world's slowest internet connection.)2RR will return shortly with pieces on this season's most consistently-winning draft strategies, a discussion of the 08-09 rookie class and what they mean for your keeper league, Allen Iverson's decay in Detroit and the racial image of the Association, and. many many more thoughts on hoops real and make-believe, plus some very speciall features associated with the big plans comin' for 2RR.
Thanks for your patience. Watch this space.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Fantasy Top 10: Power Forwards, Month 2
(Edit: There is no #6 this month because, well, I am sick as a dog, rushed this list to get it posted before an 11 hour drive, and am now far too exhausted to readjust my rankings. Deal with it. 2RR returns shortly.)
The Fantasy Top 10 returns for your aggravation. With another month on the books, some early season surprises have dropped off, while others look like they're just getting started. As usual, playing situation and outlook matters as much as on-the-court production, and- as usual- feel free to debate my picks in the comments.
Today: the top 10 Power Forwards in fantasy.
1) Dirk Nowitzki- I couldn't deny his play of late. Although not MVP-like numbers, his combination of 1 block and 1 trey per game (along with 9+ rebounds a game last month) and continued efficient scoring at high volume make Dirk the best of a relatively tightly-packed top 3 this month.
2) Kevin Garnett- I'll acknowledge that it does my heart good to see the Celtics careening out of control lately, but at least for fantasy purposes KG was a beast in December. 17 points and 9 rebounds is alright, but 3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game on 60% and 80% from the floor and stripe respectively make his line for December absolutely pop.
3) Amare Stoudemire- Don't be fooled by his #3 ranking, Amare is still putting up solid numbers with plenty of time to pay off as a top 4 pick. Then again, his production still seems to be trending against the likelihood of that happening. Anyway, he's been consistent enough to remain a top 5-10 guy on the player raters. Jury's still out on STAT's "bust" status.
4) Pau Gasol- He went from a solid-but-unspectacular start to flat-out awesome last month, averaging 18 points on 57% shooting to go with 9 boards, 1.4 blocks and 4 assists a night in December. Pau will have his ups and downs, but he's sure looked like a top 25 player and the most consistent Laker lately.
5) Al Jefferson- A 10 point drop in his FT% combined with a full attempt more per night last month probably hurt his owners in a way they probably wouldn't have predicted. He's still putting up the best "true" big man stats in the league (though the next guy's close) with over 2 blocks a game, but those percentages seem a bit more shaky than they once did...
7) Tim Duncan- The Spurs renaissance continues as Timmy is his good old 20-10, 50%-70% self again. He's also put up 2 blocks, .7 steals and 3.45 assists in his last 15 games.
8) David West- No coincidence that the Hornets look better when D-West is on his game, and he returned to his All-Star form last month. In addittion to averaging 1.2 blocks (whew!) and a full rebound more per game than his pre-December average (he's at 7.9 per game now), he's been automatic from the free throw line. It'd be nice to see a PF average 90% FT on the season, wouldn't it?
9) Antawn Jamison- Okay, Jamison fans, you get your boy (but mostly because K-Mart has dropped off a bit.) Standard 20 and 9 on 45% FG. Not quite a steal or half a block, but he made a trey per game. As usual. Ho-hum.
10) Chris Bosh- A 10 point drop in FG% for December is probably part of why the Raps have been plummeting intot he abyss lately. I'm sorry, CB4, but if you aren't going to be a percentages powerhouse, you don't get to coast on your roto reputation here.
Honorable Mentions: Paul Millsap, Emeka Okafor, LaMarcus Aldridge
The Fantasy Top 10 returns for your aggravation. With another month on the books, some early season surprises have dropped off, while others look like they're just getting started. As usual, playing situation and outlook matters as much as on-the-court production, and- as usual- feel free to debate my picks in the comments.
Today: the top 10 Power Forwards in fantasy.
1) Dirk Nowitzki- I couldn't deny his play of late. Although not MVP-like numbers, his combination of 1 block and 1 trey per game (along with 9+ rebounds a game last month) and continued efficient scoring at high volume make Dirk the best of a relatively tightly-packed top 3 this month.
2) Kevin Garnett- I'll acknowledge that it does my heart good to see the Celtics careening out of control lately, but at least for fantasy purposes KG was a beast in December. 17 points and 9 rebounds is alright, but 3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game on 60% and 80% from the floor and stripe respectively make his line for December absolutely pop.
3) Amare Stoudemire- Don't be fooled by his #3 ranking, Amare is still putting up solid numbers with plenty of time to pay off as a top 4 pick. Then again, his production still seems to be trending against the likelihood of that happening. Anyway, he's been consistent enough to remain a top 5-10 guy on the player raters. Jury's still out on STAT's "bust" status.
4) Pau Gasol- He went from a solid-but-unspectacular start to flat-out awesome last month, averaging 18 points on 57% shooting to go with 9 boards, 1.4 blocks and 4 assists a night in December. Pau will have his ups and downs, but he's sure looked like a top 25 player and the most consistent Laker lately.
5) Al Jefferson- A 10 point drop in his FT% combined with a full attempt more per night last month probably hurt his owners in a way they probably wouldn't have predicted. He's still putting up the best "true" big man stats in the league (though the next guy's close) with over 2 blocks a game, but those percentages seem a bit more shaky than they once did...
7) Tim Duncan- The Spurs renaissance continues as Timmy is his good old 20-10, 50%-70% self again. He's also put up 2 blocks, .7 steals and 3.45 assists in his last 15 games.
8) David West- No coincidence that the Hornets look better when D-West is on his game, and he returned to his All-Star form last month. In addittion to averaging 1.2 blocks (whew!) and a full rebound more per game than his pre-December average (he's at 7.9 per game now), he's been automatic from the free throw line. It'd be nice to see a PF average 90% FT on the season, wouldn't it?
9) Antawn Jamison- Okay, Jamison fans, you get your boy (but mostly because K-Mart has dropped off a bit.) Standard 20 and 9 on 45% FG. Not quite a steal or half a block, but he made a trey per game. As usual. Ho-hum.
10) Chris Bosh- A 10 point drop in FG% for December is probably part of why the Raps have been plummeting intot he abyss lately. I'm sorry, CB4, but if you aren't going to be a percentages powerhouse, you don't get to coast on your roto reputation here.
Honorable Mentions: Paul Millsap, Emeka Okafor, LaMarcus Aldridge
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