Fit for Fit

Our first trade of the season and it’s a blockbuster! Just kidding, it’s only a minor roster move but usually once the first trade happens a slew of moves follow. Let’s dig into this deal as it’s the kind of move we like to see, with both teams getting better at a fair price for both. Defending champs Sour Snails move Evan Fournier to Soup Dumplings for Gorgui Dieng.

At 8-0, Snails have been running roughshod over SlamNation again so far but was still looking for a big man complement to DeMarcus Cousins. Joakim Noah, Andrew Bogut, and Kelly Olynyk have all gotten some run, but Trieu felt moving for Dieng (10.5 PTS, 7.4 REB, 1.1 BLK and 56.1 FG% over the past month) would be an upgrade. Snails is ranked third in FG% and REB already, but only ninth in BLK. We hear that Trieu took a hard look at Bismarck Biyombo (11.5 REB, 2.1 BLK over his past month) but went with Dieng instead. Will a strong team get even better? We’ll see!

• ID#59: Sour Snails receive Gorgui Dieng from Jedi Knights in exchange for Evan Fournier

As for Soup Dumplings, who are a surprising 0.500 semi-expansion team, they had big men to spare with Dwight Howard, Derrick Favors, Kristaps Porzingis, Kenneth Faried, Dieng, Luis Scola, and Biyombo on board. Soup needed a swingman to take over from the disappointing Danny Green and Fournier has emerged this young season as a solid option with 14.3 PTS, 2.0 3PT, and 1.3 STL on the year.

This is the sort of little deal that all SlamNation owners should be aiming for, and we hope to see a few more in upcoming weeks. Thanks for starting us off Trieu and Brandon!

Mid-Season Look: Transformers

We took a look at Voltron, now for the Chamberlain Conference's Transformer division! [2016 Previews: Playoff Teams | Non-Playoff Teams]

Another Bad Creation (5-3)
Hey hey, Kevin Durant is back! And with him returns ABC’s winning ways. And guess who’s leading this team in games played? Old man (and draft steal) Dwayne Wade, who hasn’t missed a game yet and is the second leading scorer for this squad!  We said pre-season that this is the most firepower Durant has ever had and it’s been true, as this team has LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, JJ Redick, and Alec Burks all hovering around 15+ PTS per game, plus rookie Jahlil Okafor has been as advertised with 17.6 PTS. While Oliver’s team is weak in AST and STL due to a dearth of point guards — Raymond Felton anyone? — they are strong in PTS, REB, FG%, and TO, with balance everywhere else. ABC is back!

Silent Crows (4-3-1)
Our champs from two seasons ago started off the season 1-3-1 and struggled to find their footing. Their traditional strengths of offense and long range shooting had basically deserted them and their defense was a sieve as well. Three straight wins — against admittedly weak opponents — have righted the ship and for now they’re back on the right side of 0.500. Between Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, and the immortal Dirk Nowitzki, this team can get hot pretty quickl but the question is how much the supporting cast of Derrick Rose, Enes Kanter, and (basically M.I.A.) Markieff Morris can add to the season. At least Avery Bradley has been balling out to the tune of 15.4 PTS, 2.4 3PT, and and 1.6 STL on 44.8 FG%. Do the Crows fly high or sink again when the schedule stiffens?

LA Buffy (3-5)
This is Tim Duncan’s last stand right? As a fantasy player anyway? Duncan’s reduced minutes this season have given him 8.9 PTS, 7.9 REB, 1.5 BLK on the season, and those are still very good, but not like last year. It could be time for GM Roger to move Duncan away and complete the transition. But who will pick up the reins? The best player on this team so far has been Isaiah Thomas (20.9 PTS, 6.8 AST, 2.1 3PT, 1.4 STL) but he’s not exactly a franchise cornerstone. The trade that brought in Thomas and Danilo Gallinari has paid off very nicely — despite the two of them contributing to Buffy’s last place FG% ranking — but is Buffy staring at a true rebuild after losing four games in a row? Where to Roger, where to?

Squirtle Squad (2-6)
Whoa, what’s going on here? Squirtles lost only seven games all last season and they’re basically there now. They haven’t won a game since WK3 and put up a 0-8-1 laugher against Pogiboys in WK4. We could blame Ty Lawson’s swift decline but it’s not just his fault. And unless Chandler Parsons was the answer, him rounding into shape won’t lift this team's fortunes. The huge break out from Giannis Antetokounmpo still hasn’t quite arrived (15.8 PTS, 6.7 REB, 2.0 STL/BLK, 51.2 FG%) and the main bright spot from this team has been Jarrett Jack and his surprising 13.3 PTS and 7.1 AST. Adding to the hurt, it looks like the young draft class of Bobby Portis, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Shabazz Muhammad won’t add up to much. Hey, at least Zach LaVine and Bojan Bogdanovic flash signs of life! It’s all about looking for the silver linings on a two win team right?

Mid-Season Look: Voltron

Short updates on how the season is going as we near almost midseason. Let’s start with Voltron over in the Russell Conference. [2016 Previews: Playoff Teams | Non-Playoff Teams]

High Riser (6-0-2)
Undefeated and bombing, passing, and blocking their way to victory in a weird mix of strengths and weaknesses, High Riser is well on their way to another Finals appearance. Although they shoot bad percentages and turn the ball over a lot, their high speed style has beat all comers so far. (Plus they are ranked first in roster moves, as expected.) Led by Damian Lillard, John Wall, Brandon Knight, and Hassan Whiteside, this team is tough to deal with. Knight has been balling out this year to the tune of 19.7 PTS, 5.0 AST, 4.0 REB, 2.3 3PT, and 1.5 STL. Plus, the quiet emergence of Julius Randle as a nightly double-double threat has rewarded Thien for his patience. High Riser is entering a tough month in the schedule so we’ll find out how they fare against top competition, but we're thinking they'll continue their winning ways.

Soup Dumplings (4-4)
Our newest owner is treading water quiet nicely, pairing two losses with two wins right afterwards so far. And they’ve lost all their games against 0.500 or better teams, while putting up tough fights across the board. Needless to say, Rookie of the Universe Kristaps Porzingis has been a revelation but let’s not overlook what Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Gorgui Dieng have been able to do. KCP is averaging 14.2 PTS, 1.4 3PT, and 1.7 STL while Dieng has been at 10.7 PTS, 7.6 REB, with 2.4 BLK/STL over the past month on 58.8 FG%. Now if only dispersal draft keeper Danny Green would step it up… As expected, Dumplings can’t shoot free throws or three pointers, don’t pass the ball effectively, and basically can’t score, but they are ranked #2 in REB, BLK, and TO. Nice start for a fantasy rookie Brandon!

MoRRie’s Pogiboys (3-4-1)
Wait, is Pogiboys regressing already after last year’s 14-5 breakthrough? How are they losing so much with Anthony Davis on this roster? While their season hasn’t been bad, playing sub-0.500 ball two months in wasn’t part of the plan for Alvin. The top six of Davis, Mike Conley, Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, Brook Lopez, and Draymond Green hasn’t really had injuries either. I mean, if anything, this team should be taking it up a notch as Green has been averaging 14.3 PTS, 8.8 REB, 7.1 AST, 2.7 BLK/STL, with 1.4 3PT to boot, making him and Davis an outrageous all-around fantasy pair. Should GM Alvin be looking to make some changes or just wait it out? Can you rebuild after the rebuild?

So Buckets (1-7)
Well, the wheels have come completely off for this former division leader. After a WK1 win version a now still winless NJ All-Stars team, Josh’s squad hasn’t come close to winning another matchup, with only three categories won in any week since. They’re ranked middle of the pack in most things, aside from being third in BLK and first in TO. And then there’s their weaknesses: not being able to shoot 3PT or get STL. Not having Rudy Gobert for a month has hurt, as well as the missing Kyrie Irving, who is just making his return. But this team is looking old up top, with Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, and Marvin Williams logging big minutes. The good news? Um, DeMar DeRozan has been ripping it up to the tune of 22.6 PTS, 4.4 REB, 4.0 AST, 1.0 STL? Or maybe it’s time to hope, again, for Joel Embiid’s return...