(Chamberlain Conference) Silverhawks

Some of this prognosticator's favorite teams reside in this division. I'm gonna go ahead and say that this division will be way underrated and someone will go undefeated through the first five weeks. And by "someone" it could be any of four teams because they'll powerful in their own way. Jimmy's team is very traditionally built, Trieu's team is pure small ball, Eric-L's team needs to win now (and can do it), while Chris' team is just super weird, but in a wonderful way. Do you realize the Silverhawks were only on TV for one short season? How did they manage to seep into our collective consciousnesses? Oh right, they were freaking awesome. Metallic armor, random (musical) powers, retractable wings and face armor, space ships, and a fantastic look and design. But here's the question, can anybody actually name a Silverhawk character? I couldn't. Not one. I could barely even remember the intro, much less the theme song. Whatever, I'm betting a Silerhawk emerges as the top contender this season...

Sour Snails (Trieu)
After winning the lottery and getting Lebron James for life, Trieu was the happiest man in Arizona last week. Selecting first comes with a price however: you don't get to pick again for another thirty one picks. Many of us wondered what sort of teammates Lebron would be outfitted with. After the first three rounds, I was in absolute love with the Sour Snails. Three do everything forwards in LBJ, Josh Smith, and Gerald Wallace. That trio laid the foundation for a team that could be highly competitive in all categories -- except maybe FT% -- and I was excited to see what would come next. So it was a bit of surprise when the rest of Trieu's draft went suddenly very young and very niche. Starting point guard Aaron Brooks has been a revelation so far, and rookie SG Stephen Curry has a solid future, but it seemed a bit early for Curry. And then to shore up the center position, Trieu selected three point shooting big man Channing Frye.

Was Trieu going small ball with Lebron? I guess so. Especially when SF Danilo Gallinari, another three point specialist was brought on board. Backup swingman Corey Brewer has been a defensive terror this season (multiple STL/BLK a game) and backup backup swingmen Chris Douglas-Roberts and Martell Webster have had some very impressive offensive games recently -- but this team has almost no chance to win any rebounding battles. Late round pick, rookie power forward DeJuan Blair is miscast on this team as the only low post player, so look for him to be cut soon. And with Lebron and Josh Smith's low FT%, the Snails could be playing a very intriguing brand of small ball that aims to dump free throws but win blocks. The Snails have won a Cinderella championship going small so it's hard to argue with them but this is certainly an interesting way to build around the do everything game of Lebron.

fOb sTaRs (Jimmy)
Oh we like this starting five, we like it a lot. Chauncey Billups and Louis Williams in the backcourt, both providing nice scoring and assist numbers. Rashard Lewis lighting it up from beyond the arc as the small forward, with a contract year Chris Bosh providing an automatic 20-10 inside. And all that offense anchored by the defensive presence of center Emeka Okafor, who could be in for a career year. Plus, coming off the bench as the sixth man is Zach Randolph, another 20-10 guy. Nice right? In addition, Mike Bibby is the perfect third guard as he shoots, passes, and scores just like Billups and Williams. If young forward Jason Thompson can step up his game a little, average a double-double with a block, this team is pretty much set. I mean, there seems to be enough of everything on paper. Scoring, passing, rebounding, blocks, steals, three pointers, and even veteran leadership. Has the barely English literate Jimmy managed to put together a solid team? From the looks of things: Yes!

So what could be missing? Well, if any injuries happen, especially at the SG or SF position, the Fobstars could be in trouble. Larry Hughes and Travis Outlaw aren't exactly guys you want to count on in the long term. And can Jimmy pronounce "Omri Casspi" or "Peja Stojakovic," their late round picks, clearly enough to call them off the bench? GM Jimmy has been very active talking trades so look for something to happen soon to shore up the backup swingman position. Otherwise it's Chin-glish all the way!

Jedi Knights (Chris)
This team is going to win the percentage battles on the regular. I mean, Dirk Nowitzki, Jose Calderon, David Lee, and Nene, are all spectacular FG% guys. And Dirk and Jose are pretty much automatic at the line. This will be good because starting shooting guard OJ Mayo will be chucking it up a lot -- and missing a lot. And so will Hedo Turkoglu. And DJ Augustin. Ok wait, maybe this team won't win the percentages every week. Can five spectacular FG% guys (plus Ronnie Brewer) negate the damage done by four terrible ones (plus Shane Battier)? The Jedi Knights will be really interesting because they have some serious strengths but also a few glaring weaknesses.

Let's start with the strengths. The Knights will beat you on the boards. They will be strong from three point land. They will have more white starters than you -- and foreign starters too (Can you match the player with his home country?). In fact, the Knights could almost start a very respectable white-out team -- Calderon, Turkoglu, Nowitzki, Lee. Why didn't they draft Peja Stojakovic? Or maybe Sarunas Marciulionis? That would have been awesome! Chris, trade for Manu or Mike Miller, please just do it! The Knights can also pick your pocket because Ronnie Brewer is a thief and Nene has very quick hands for a big guy.

So what's missing? Mainly scoring. Dirk and OJ are wired to get buckets and will explode often -- but OJ might cede some shots to Iverson soon. Can Nene and Hedo do enough to offset Jose and David's lack of scoring? The Knights will also be weak in assists and blocks unless DJ Augustin (or some other backup point guard) can get some more playing time and someone else can help Dirk and Nene protect the rim. Late round additions Matt Barnes and Brandon Bass probably won't be in the mix much but are nice insurance in case of injuries. All in all, the Jedis are an unorthodox and intriguing team.

Fat Jubas (Eric-L)
It's difficult drafting last in a sixteen team league. A lot of franchise guys fly off the board before you're even close to picking. Eric-L has never shied away from a challenge before however. With a lot of fantasy experience and many powerhouse teams to his credit, he was going to use his double down picks to his advantage. While most of the big names were already off the board by the time his picks came around, I doubt anyone could have predicted that Eric-L would go with Steve Nash and Brook Lopez as his cornerstones. Nash has only a few years left in his prime and Lopez is a second year center. Of course, both of them have been playing spectacularly in the early going so Eric-L's faith in them looks warranted.

The Jubas' GM continued their veteran plus young guy theme throughout the rest of the draft. Forwards Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green in Rd3 and 4. Sharp shooter Ray Allen and versatile Boris Diaw in the next pairing. Then rookie Johnny Flynn and old vet Grant Hill. Followed by Anderson Varejao and another rookie, Chase Budinger. Only the last round selections of youngsters Yi Jianlian and Chuck Hayes broke that pattern. In the end, the Jubas have a starting lineup of: Nash, Allen, Green, Garnett, Lopez. Sub in Boris Diaw or Grant Hill if Kevin Garnett continues to get limited minutes and everything looks pretty balanced right? This team has to win now due to the veterans' ages and the reserves will really have to step up for this team to be successful. There's not a lot of backup assists or blocks if Nash or Garnett go down, and a bonus point if you had any idea who Chase Budinger was. I didn't, I had to Google him. And I'm still not sure who he is...