2011 Championship: Bed of Roses

The biggest upset of the century has occurred! A wild card team has toppled the mighty Sour Snails, and mostly in uncontested fashion. The Amoebas handily took PTS, REB, STL, and FG%, and secured 3PT and BLK by enough to insure a victory by mid day Sunday. The parade route was already getting lined up and all of Michigan was gearing up for a celebration. Rumors had it that Owner/GM/Coach Eric-A fainted for a few moments as he realized that the victory was imminent. And it's been revealed by sources close to Eric that he's never won a fantasy championship in thirteen years of play, since 1998, so this is even more special of an accomplishment!

As for the dethroned defending champs, the Sour Snails were fighting injuries all post-season and their wagon fell entirely apart by the end. With basically all of their top guys injured or straight out missing games -- Kevin Love, Stephen Jackson, Danilo Gallinari, Stephen Curry, and eventually Josh Smith -- Trieu put up a valiant fight but really didn't have the horses for this matchup. This was like Lakers - Pistons in the 1980's when a few key injuries determined the winner. Although maybe a full roster wouldn't have helped the Snails against the power of an one celled organism.

Looking a little closer at the performance, we have to give the MVP to point guard Derrick Rose, who was simply outstanding all season long, and especially these last few weeks. He put up 25.0 PTS, 5.0 AST, 1.5 3PT, and stellar percentages for championship week. His young backcourt mate, Eric Gordon, chipped in ten steals even as his shooting was a bit off. The other key to winning the crucial steals battle was big men Andray Blatche and Paul Millsap combining for fourteen steals this week. Fourteen! Looking over the stat sheet, this was a huge team effort as everyone player contributed a steal, seven recorded at least a block, and four players were in double digit assists.

The Amoebas were 3-15 in 2010 and were being compared to door mats coming into the season. There was room for lots of growth but nobody expected the season they eventually had. After stumbling out of the gate with three straight losses, Eric-A's team managed a five game winning streak mid-season to show signs of righting the ship. However, another three game losing streak had them mainly treading water and they slipped into the playoffs with only nine wins (against ten losses). The Amoebas were first or close to first in PTS, 3PT, and STL, but were below average in most of the other areas. They were also dead last in TO for the season. Proving that activity isn't always the key to success, GM Eric-A used only six roster moves all season long.

However, they had a solid eight man rotation all season long, with Rose, Ellis, Millsap, Cousins, Gordon, Michael Beasley, Andray Blatche, and Channing Frye doing most of the in-season damage. Ty Lawson and George Hill came in off the bench for a key games (as did Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Morrow) and made the most of their minutes. Rose averaged 25.1 PTS, 7.8 AST, 4.1 REB, 1.6 3PT, and 1.1 STL for the season. Monta Ellis played one more game than Rose and averaged 24.1 PTS, 5.6 AST, 1.7 3PT, and 2.1 STL. Shooting guard Eric Gordon only played in a little more than half the games but he added additional scoring and outside shooting.

The real post-season star was Andray Blatche, who notched 23.9 PTS, 11.6 REB, 2.4 STL and almost a block per game over his last month of games. Add in similar numbers by Millsap and rookie DeMarcus Cousins (around 15 PTS, 8 REB, 2.5 AST, 1 STL/BLK for both) and this quickly became the team to beat. Their post-season run included victories over an eleven win team, a fifteen win team, and finally a fourteen win team.

Going forward, we have to say that the Amoebas are set up for a fierce title defense. As the youngest team in the league, they have definitely won a championship ahead of schedule and have a beautiful core to continue their winning ways. Congrats to Eric-A and the Amoebas for a fantastic finish to an exciting season!

2011 Toilet Bowl: Bombs Away

We can't quite figure out how Pierre does it, but despite making no moves all season, probably never really looking at his team, and playing five games less than his opponent during the final week, his Bayside Bombardiers are the Toilet Bowl winers! Sweeping through the Toilet Bowl while barely breaking a sweat, Pierre's team was led by Pau Gasol, who had four games of 17.8 PTS, 7.3 REB, and not much else. Luis Scola and Samuel Dalembert both averaged double doubles during Toilet Bowl week, and Jameer Nelson and Jamal Crawford helped manage the attack with their outside shooting and passing. The real key to victory may have been little Kyle Lowry, who averaged 11.5 PTS, 7.5 AST, and 2.0 3PT over his final few games to key the Toilet Bowl win.

Oh I guess Pierre did make a few adjustments as David West was taken out of the lineup. Still, Pierre played only seven guys for the week, as Leandro Barbosa missed all his games (while a healthy Mo Williams sat on the bench), and Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry were both banged up too. Maybe Luol Deng in for Charlie Villanueva would have been the right move but we can't question Coach Pierre as he has piloted his team to victory. Missing the post-season by just one win this year, Bayside should return to their winning ways with a top pick to being the next season. In 2010 they were the Voltron division winners and could easily compete for that title again in 2012.

The Fob Stars did secure a second overall pick but you'd think his team filled with luminaries such as Chris Bosh, Zach Randolph, and DJ Augustin could have beat out Bayside. Heck Shawn Marion averaged 17.3 PTS and 10.3 REB the whole week! Instead Jimmy will have to settle for being a runner up this year and get his scouting department on the job. Coming off a 4-13-1 season in 2010, this year's success ain't too bad but it sure would have been nice to secure a very winneable first selection. Actually they could have lost by a lot more too, as they barely won 3PT and PTS as it was, despite playing almost 25% more games than Pierre's team. I guess Bayside was just destined to win the Toilet Bowl this year!

Championship Preview: The Wizarding Hour

#3 Human Amoebas (9-10) vs #3 Sour Snails (14-5)
Led by Derrick Rose, the Human Amoebas are streaking toward history. Already taking down two top seeds on the way to this championship round, Eric-A's young team may be a winner one year ahead of schedule. The fans in Amoeba-ville are swooning with pride and dizzy with the sudden heights they've attained. Although they are facing off against the defending champs, the argument could be made that this underdog is the favorite for the upcoming week.

Rose, Monta Ellis, and Eric Gordon anchor a superb backcourt that provides PTS, AST, 3PT, and STL in bunches. They'll need all three to be in top form in order to topple the small ball oriented Sour Snails. Given the apparent lack of size on the Snails' roster, you'd think they'd get wiped out on the boards but they are actually very competitive there with Josh Smith, Kevin Love, and secret weapon Chuck Hayes (who's been averaging double digit rebounds over the past two weeks). To counter that, Eric-A will have Paul Millsap, DeMarcus Cousins, and the astonishing Andray Blatche, who has been simply oustanding since returning from injury last Friday. In three games, Blatche is averaging 25.0 PTS, 14.7 REB, and 2.3 STL. What is going on in Washington these days?

I mean, on the Snails side of things, Wizards' rookie guard Jordan Crawford is throwing up triple doubles and coming off a huge week of 27.0 PTS, 5.8 REB, 5.0 AST, 2.3 3PT, and 1.5 STL. Trieu had better hope that the other Wizards rookie guard, the one named Wall, sits on the pine for a little while longer so Crawford gets his minutes. The Snails desperately need him to get play because this young man has been the sole Snail to average over 20+ PPG recently and the Sour ones need some serious firepower to compete against the Amoebas. Crawford's backcourt mates, Stephen Curry and Stephen Jackson both need to have huge weeks. Jackson is nursing an injury -- as is Kevin Love -- but he'll hopefully return to make this Finals matchup a battle that's decided on the court and not on the basis of who's hurt.

Other player matchups include Ty Lawson and George Hill running guard duty for Eric-A's team, while Channing Frye bombs from outside the arc. Neither of these teams have much at the small forward positon, as it's Anthony Morrow for the Amoebas and Paul George for the Snails. Trieu will also be trotting out Darren Collison, Tracy McGrady, Rip Hamilton, and Danilo Gallinari.

Last year's Finals had a similar story: two mainly small ball teams facing off against each other. Exactly twelve months ago, Evan's Chunky Monkeys clawed their way past top seeds and into the last round, despite a middling regular season record. The difference though was that they were mostly out of gas by the end of the playoffs. The 2011 Human Amoebas look like they could go another few rounds on Rose power alone. Of course, it's hard not to look at these matchups and wonder about the impact Lebron James might have made on the festivities. If the Snails lose, will LBJ have been the difference? Or will they repeat even after dealing the number overall pick? This is a matchup for the ages with intrigue and plot points galore, it's more than worthy of our second Slam Nation Finals!

Everyone set your DVRs for the Wizards games!

And in the Toilet Bowl, it's Fob Stars (6-13) versus Bayside Bombardiers (8-11). Both owners were on vacation last weekend and yet somehow still managed to win. I hate fantasy.

Playoffs: Conference Finals (and Toilet Bowl)

As predicted, the first round of the playoffs was full of upsets. The only higher seed to advance to the next round was the number one ranked team in the Russell Conference, 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps. Slam N Dragon, Fat Jubas, and LA Buffy all got toppled by "lesser" teams. The 5-3-1 loss by Fat Jubas was especially difficult as they had a stellar regular season and were seen as the early favorites. The margin of victory would have been even greater possibly, as the Jubas only managed to squeak out a win in REB and PTS by one each. Stunningly, Jubas and Oliver's Half Man Half ImAsian tied in FT%. Is that crazy or what? Let's take a quick look at the semi-final matchups.

Russell Conference
#1 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps (15-4) vs #3 Human Amoebas (9-10)
After dispatching Slam N Dragon with relative ease, Eric-A's Amoebas face off against a much tougher opponent this time out. Prior to last week, Coach Jose of Heffalumps had said that he was afraid of the surging Funk Coalition and Human Amoebas. Now he'll be facing them back to back. With Kobe Bryant literally dragging his team long, Jose's team will really have to step up their game to compete against Eric-A's backcourt combination of Derrick Rose, Monta Ellis, and Eric Gordon. It looks like this matchup could come down to the big men down low, and which team can get a role player or two to step up. The Amoebas are pretty much locks to win 3PT and AST, and are capable in their other categories. If we're looking at a future huge upset, this could be the matchup that is all sorts of wrong for the highest seed left in the playoffs. Can Kobe defend himself against the onslaught of the Amoebas' young studs? We think it'll come down to a frontcourt battle to determine the victor.

Chamberlain Conference
#3 Sour Snails (14-5) vs #4 Half Man Half ImAsian (12-7)
Despite a horrid tail end of the regular season, Oliver's Half Men picked up their game at just the right moment. JaVale McGee is cleaning up the boards to the tune of 15.3 REB per game and adding 18.5 PTS and 3.0 BLK to boot. He could individually cancel out the Snails' Kevin Love -- well especially since Love is injured. All the big men categories are probably going to swing Half Man Half ImAsian's way if Love remains out so it'll be interesting to see if Kevin Durant can put up enough points to cancel out Trieu's crew of bombers. With Steph Curry leading the way, the Sour Snails will need to keep their hands up on defense and swipe a lot of balls to win what will be a very close semi-finals matchup. Can Trieu advance to the Finals and get a chance to defend his crown? We're thinking he can, but Oliver might have something else to say about that. This is going to be quite a week for both teams.

TOILET BOWL
Russell Conference
#5 Bayside Bombardiers (8-11) vs #6 Chunky Monkeys (6-13)
No big surprises here, as both higher ranked teams took care of business and defeated Nande ReBuRonSAN and MoRRie's Pogiboys, respectively. It just goes to show you that having random capital letters in your team name is no path to success. Both Pierre and Evan's teams could use an infusion of young talent to make them playoff contenders next year. I mean, for the Monkeys, power forward JJ Hickson was their highest scoring player last week. That's not good. Or "no bueno" as the Spanish say. For the Bombardiers, Pau Gasol is a man on fire, averaging 24.5 PTS, 12.0 REB, and 2.0 BLK last week. We're predicting an easy win for the Bombardiers -- who made it through the entire season not making one move.

Chamberlain Conference
#5 Squirtle Squad (11-8) vs #7 Fob Stars (6-13)
The Fobby Ones took out Steve's 2005 All Star Team behind Zach Randolph and Chris Bosh's fine weeks. The Squirtles barely squeaked by Jedi Knights, winning off a H2H tie breaker. If Jimmy can pull off another upset, their season will be half way redeemed with a top two pick. But he'll have to get by Quake Griffin (25.7 PTS, 13.0 REB, 1.3 STL over his last three) and the rest of the Squirtle Squad first.

Playoff Preview RD1

Chamberlain Conference
#1 Fat Jubas (15-4) vs #4 Half Man Half ImAsian (12-7)
After starting off 9-1, the Fat Jubas have hardly slowed down and are 6-2 during the past two months. The thing is, Half Man Half ImAsian were undefeated through their first eight weeks and established themselves as contenders immediately. Of course, with five losses in their last six weeks, Oliver's team might be fading at just the wrong time. Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge are going to have to carry this team and get help from more than just JaVale McGee (12.1 PTS, 9.0 REB, 4 BLK over last seven games) to take out Jubas' super vet trio of Steve Nash, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett.

#2 LA Buffy (13-6) vs #3 Sour Snails (14-5)
After fending off three other teams in the very competitive Transformers division, Buffy has secured home court advantage for this round despite having lost one more game than defending champion Sour Snails. There's a bit of concern here as Roger's team has only one win over the past month while Trieu has been virtually undefeated since the calendar flipped (and post-Lebron James), winning ten of their last eleven. Their only loss was versus division winner Fat Jubas, in the last week of the regular season.

Buffy has a strong inside game but nobody is fully stepping up to the plate, unless late season find Toney Douglas (15.8 PTS, 6.8 AST, 3.4 3PT over last nine games) is going to spearhead an upset. The Snails will rely on their small ball plus Kevin Love formula to run and gun on step one of their title defense.

Russell Conference
#1 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps (15-4) vs #4 Funk Coalition (9-10)
The surging Funk Coalition won five of their last six games to squeak into the playoffs. However, division leader 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps have won seven of their last eight matchups. The kicker though, was that their only loss was to the resurgent Funk in WK18. We could be primed for a big upset here, or just business as usual as the Heffalumps take their game up to post-season heights.

Kobe Bryant is going to do his damnest to make sure that the Heffalumps don't lose, but a slumping Rajon Rondo needs to step up his game as the AST and STL categories could be crucial this week. As for the Funk, they are peaking right now and even with Tyreke Evans out, this team is putting up huge numbers across the board, especially free agent find Tyler Hansbrough (22.4 PTS, 7.8 REB, 1.6 STL over last seven games).

#2 Slam N Dragon (11-8) vs #3 Human Amoebas (9-10)
Last year's winner of the Toilet Bowl, Slam N Dragons, are entering the playoffs as a division winner but are definitely stumbling over the past few weeks as they've lost four of their last five. Eric-A's Amoebas have had an up and down season with five straight wins followed by three losses and then a .500 record over the last month of the regular season.

The root cause of Thien's rough back half of the season has been that fact that nobody has really been helping take the pressure off Dwayne Wade. A healthy John Wall has been crucial (19.6 PTS, 7.0 AST, 6.7 REB, 2.3 STL) but nobody else is averaging more than fourteen points a game over the past two weeks. Andrew Bynum being out a game or two won't help matters either. Led to Derrick Rose and Monta Ellis, the Amoebas also have Eric Gordon back in the lineup and could easily romp ther way to an upset if Paul Millsap and DeMarcus Cousins step up a little.

Playoff and Toilet Bowl Seedings

PLAYOFFS
 *= division winner
Chamberlain Conference
#1- Fat Jubas (15-4)*
#2- LA Buffy (13-6)*
#3- Sour Snails (14-5)
#4- Half Man Half ImAsian (12-7)

Russell Conference
#1- 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps (15-4)*
#2- Slam N Dragon (11-8)*
#3- Human Amoebas (9-10)
#4- Funk Coalition (9-10)

TOILET BOWL
Chamberlain Conference
#5- Squirtle Squad (11-8)
#6- 2005 NBA All Star Team (9-10)
#7- Fob Stars (6-13)
#8- Jedi Knights (4-15)

Russell Conference
#5- Bayside Bombardiers (8-11)
#6- Chunky Monkeys (6-13)
#7- Morrie's Pogiboys (5-14)
#8- Nande Reburonsan (5-14)

Tie Breakers
#1: Human Amoebas defeated Funk Coalition, WK16
#2: Morrie's Pogiboys and Nande Reburonsan had even H2H, even conference records, and was tie broken by Most Categories Won (Season)

Playoffs

Toilet Bowl

Final Standings 2011

Plus year end rosters.

Final Rosters 2011

Shake Up

Even as the NBA shocks us with one blockbuster after another, SlamNation is itself heading toward the tail end of the season. With just four weeks of regular season action left -- including this week -- Funk Coalition gets in the action again by getting involved in another blockbuster. Having moved franchise point guard Deron Williams off the roster about a month ago, GM Jon saw the need for a bit more assists. Recent acquisition Tyreke Evans had been ailing and it was the three headed "monster" of Tony Parker, Rodney Stuckey, and Lou Williams leading the Funk. Tied with Bayside Bombardiers for their first ever playoff berth, team Funkalicious needed to make another mega move.

Dangling LaMarcus Aldridge, Jon fished around for a new franchise caliber lead man. Aldridge has arguably been the hottest player of 2011, with averages of 28.0 PTS, 9.5 REB, 1.8 STL, 1.5 BLK and outstanding percentages from both the field and the line over the past few weeks. He has clearly made the leap and taken control of a Portland franchise in turmoil. With such a juicy trade chip, Jon looked into every prime time fantasy PG option.

For Half Man Half ImAsian, this season has been about more continued success. Standing at 11-4 and fighting for homecourt advantage through the playoffs, Oliver's team is adding more frontcourt strength in order to battle division leader Buffy's plethora of big men. With Anderson Varejao done for the season, Half Man Half ImAsian was lacking another big man to pair with Andrew Bogut. It's true Amir Johnson and JaVale McGee exude promise but they are still getting started in their careers. With boldness and execution worthy of Mikhail Prokhorov, Oliver swung for the fences and agreed to an exchange of Russell Westbrook for LaMarcus Aldridge and hometown favorite, combo guard Rodney Stuckey.

This move transforms both franchises immediately. Kevin Durant says good bye to his Thunder teammate and will need to find the emotional fortitude to carry on. Having Stuckey around will help in the PTS department but he isn't in the same league as a distributor. Westbrook was averaging 22.1 PTS, 8.5 AST, 4.9 REB, and 1.8 STL this season while Stuckey was at 15.1 PTS, 4.4 AST, and 1.1 STL. Neither are great shooters or possess much three point range. While Funk Coalition will miss Aldridge's 22.4 PTS, 9.0 REB, 1.2 BLK/STL, and 50.0 FG%, they wanted to be able to fight for the AST category each week.

Will this be the last major SlamNation deal before our deadline closes? Let's hope not, as I know more moves are in the making as teams jostle for playoff positioning and the Toilet Bowl. More trades guys!

I'm Outta Here

In solidarity with today's surprise announcement that Jerry Sloan will be stepping down as coach of the Utah Jazz after 23 seasons and 1,127 wins, his protege, the coach of the Funk Coalition will also step down after after two seasons and ten wins. We would name the Funk's coach but it appears nobody in the organization knows what his/her name was. Long time Funker, point guard Tony Parker, said, "Attendez que nous avions un entraîneur-chef? Quand? Je m'ennuie de toi Eva!" Translated to the King's English, it means: "Wait we had a head coach? When? I miss you Eva!"

On a one game winning streak, the new Funk Coalition is charging up the charts and only a game out of the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony and Tyreke Evans have been stellar but it's been the emotional return of Kendrick Perkins (averaging 7.0 PTS, 10.7 REB, 2.0 BLK) that has steadied the team. In addition, snubbed by the All Star team, LaMarcus Aldridge is making his case for most pissed off player of the year by dropping two 40+ PTS games after the announcement.

As for former face of the Funk franchise and recently traded Deron Williams, whom ESPN reports was the leading cause of Sloan's retirement, chants of "coach killer" will surely follow him the rest of his career and possibly demoralize his confidence forever.

Once Again Tip

It's the annual Funk Coalition and Squirtle Squad mega-trade! This time they'll be flipping some more All Star players, and reuniting Deron Williams with his old backcourt mate Joe Johnson, and Carmelo Anthony will rejoin Al Jefferson. Why don't Jon and Brian just switch teams, or borrow each other's players? Pundits aren't entirely sure either but it sure has given the new year a shot of trading excitement. If you'll recall, last February these two teams exchanged Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson and both players performed well for their new owners. Buoyed by that positive exchange, Funk and Squirtles have agreed in principle to a Melo sized deal.

Brian will be trading Carmelo Anthony, Tyreke Evans, and next year's number one pick for Deron Williams. A three for one? Seems a bit steep doesn't it? But digging just a little under the surface, Williams has increased his value over the past two years, emerging as the most well rounded PG in the land. Deron is averaging 22.1 PTS, 9.5 AST, 1.9 3PT, 1.2 STL, and stellar percentages. While there are a lot of great point guards in the league now, we'd argue that Mr. Nu Jazz is the best, thus his hefty trade price.

It's no secret that GM Jon was in absolute love with Deron, but faced with his huge hole at small forward, he felt the need to move his team captain in order to bring in the disgruntled Carmelo Anthony. Melo's NBA future is still cloudy and one thing is certain -- his numbers are depressed also. Averaging just 23.5 PTS, 8.1 REB, and shooting 43.5 FG%, Anthony has clearly been unmotivated all season long. He could still soar to the top of the scoring charts but it's unlikely he'll regain those heights this year. As for Tyreke Evans, the sophomore point guard has struggled with injuries and has been far less impressive compared to his Rookie of the Year campaign. Evans is averaging 17.1 PTS, 5.5 AST, 4.8 REB, 1.8 STL, but only shooting a putrid 39.6 FG%.

With both Brian and Jon fighting for a playoff spot, the number one pick that Brian is sending Jon's way in the 2012 draft could be any position. Looking over the rosters post-trade, we understand why both teams made the move. Brian needed a bonafide point guard stud to secure his backcourt and lead his restructuring team. Williams, Joe Johnson, and Blake Griffin will be the new core of the Squad, and GM Brian will have to put some more talent around them. We wonder if not keeping Baron Davis this off-season -- Brian kept Serge Ibaka instead -- led directly to this move. We do like the sudden uptick in 3PT that Brian's team will enjoy, and we think this blockbuster signals a move to a more perimeter orientated Squirtles' philosophy.

As for the Funk, they'll gain in the PTS and REB department but now they really have no 3PT on their roster. Jon's team was already ranked dead last in long range shooting -- Brian's team is second to last -- so maybe he'll just scrap the whole category. Losing Deron's nearly ten assists a game could push the Funk into the bottom half of the league in AST, but a lot of that will depend on Tyreke and Tony Parker's continued production. There are rumors that Evans could be salted away for the season from plantar fasciitis so if that's the case, Brian has made a very savvy move for his playoff push.

We love the gumption showed by both general managers and hope this leads to more exciting moves in the weeks ahead!

Did You Know?

I just discovered this the other day while trying to find out how good (bad) my team was doing. There's an "active stats" button that allows you to see how many games your players have actually played for you, as well as very handy "matchup totals" tab that lets you see how consistent you are in each category per week/month. The normal standings view allows us to see how we're doing for the whole year but this type of detailed analysis is much more useful as teams tend to trend up or down as injuries, attrition, and trades impact our weekly totals. See below for a sample from Fat Jubas, our league leader!

Mid-Season Report: Russell Conference

Earlier in the week we took a look at the Chamberlain conference. Today we continue that coverage by looking at the other side. Note: There's quite a big disparity between the good teams and the bad teams so far. We have five teams with eight wins or better (Fat Jubas, Half Man Half ImAsian, 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps, Slam'N Dragon) but just one other team better than 0.500 -- defending champion Sour Snails. It's the year of the have and have nots!

VOLTRON DIVISION

Slam'N Dragon (8-2)
What happens when you add first overall pick John Wall to your roster? You become a contender, that's what. While Wall has missed a few games this season, his high rate of AST and STL has helped Thien's team vault to the top. With Raymond Felton also becoming a top flight PG, the Dragon backcourt is very strong with these two plus Dwayne Wade. The only downside for this team so far has been the injuries to big men Chris Kaman and Andrew Bynum, who have only played a combined twenty four games this season. Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan have stepped in nicely though, as the Dragons' excellent record can attest to. Last year Thien won the Toilet Bowl but this year he may be headed to the Finals!

Bayside Bombardiers (5-5)
Sure we berated Pierre's team for not having made any moves, but maybe he's participating in some grand experiment where he uses the same players all season long and still makes the playoffs? Right now his squad are poised to make the post-season, and have shown a nice consistency in beating all the lower ranked teams. Whenever they face a winning squad however, the Bombardiers suddenly go in the tank. Maybe a few moves might push them over the top? I won't harp on GM Pierre's inactivity too much though, as I'm still hoping to be invited for hot pot in Bayside... Who knew that Mo Williams was averaging 7.4 AST this season? And how about Kyle Lowry? He's averaging 6.8 AST, 1.8 STL, and 1.2 3PT. Damn! This team should be better because they seem to have all the right parts on paper.

Human Amoebas (5-5)
Eric-A's team stumbled out of the gate with three straight losses and then suffered through a few more erratic weeks before he righted the ship and won his last three games. Derrick Rose has emerged as a complete fantasy point guard,, finally, averaging 24.3 PTS, 8.1 AST, 1.6 3PT, 1.1 STL on the season. Fellow third year guard Eric Gordon is also blossoming (23.5 PTS, 4.4 AST, 1.7 3PT, 1.2 STL) and there's a reborn Michael Beasley too, who is finding all the shots he can jack up in Minnesota. There is a lot of things to like about the Amoebas, including some productive young front court guys like Paul Millsap, Andray Blatche, and rookie DeMarcus Cousins. With such an enviable lineup, we're wondering why they're only 0.500 -- but that may not be for long!

MoRRie's Pogiboys (2-8)
The Pogiboys will have trouble matching last year's seven wins. After starting off 2-2, the bottom has fallen out on Alvin's team as they've lost six games in a row. If you want a win, play the Pogiboys! What's been going on? Well, aside from MVP candidate Amare Stoudemire (26.3 PTS, 9.1 REB, 2.4 BLK) the rest of the roster has been underwhelming. Brandon Jennings is hurt, Troy Murphy has been hurt and averaging 3.6 PTS when he plays, last year's second round pick Devin Harris has lost his shine. The good news is that youngsters Mike Conley and Roy Hibbert have found themselves useful with 1.9 STL and 1.7 BLK respectively, but all these parts haven't made Alvin's team win much. If everyone can get healthy, the Pogiboys could still make a playoff push but they seem headed into the Toilet Bowl.

THUNDERCATS DIVISION

100 Acre Wood Heffalumps (8-2)
The Heffas are having another spectacular season and seem headed toward their first division title. After racking up twelve wins last year but having to enter the post-season as a wild card, Jose is not messing around this time. Despite lacking superior scoring punch, the players of 100 Acre Wood are good at just about everything else. Rajon Rondo is an AST and STL machine, Marcus Camby is healthy and contributing big REB and BLK, and Kevin Martin is leading a slew of shooters who are great from behind the arc and at the line. Jose's team is top three in FT%, REB, and AST and pretty solid everywhere else. This team will be hard to beat come playoff time.

Funk Coalition (4-6)
With just five wins all of last season, the Funk were mired in suckitude. This year they are off to a much better start, even as they struggle to close out games. A four game losing streak from WK4-7 hurt their overall record but Jon is emboldened by the progress his team has made. LaMarcus Aldridge has emerged as an all around contributer (20.5 PTS, 8.8 REB, 1.3 BLK, 1.1 STL) and Al Jefferson has found his groove out in Utah. Losing breakout player Joakim Noah has hurt, as he was contributing heavily in REB and BLK. Tony Parker is averaging a career best 6.8 AST, along with 1.4 STL and he's helped round out the backcourt next to Deron Williams and Rodney Stuckey. Can the Coalition pull it together for a post-season run? Or will all this progress just be a prelude to another Toilet Bowl?

Chunky Monkeys (3-7)
Last year, the Monkeys shocked everyone by making a surprise run to the Finals. This season however, they're entrenched in a five game slide and about to eliminate themselves from the playoff race. A full season of Chris Paul should have helped but he's barely getting any help. Brandon Roy might be done for the season and the front line of JJ Hickson, Darko Milicic, and Andrea Bargnani (who is playing well with 21.5 PTS, 1.2 3PT, 0.8 BLK) is strangely assembled. Is this team small ball or are they transitioning? Young point guard Jrue Holiday has been averaging 6.7 AST and 1.4 STL in a starting role but other players like Trevor Ariza, James Harden, and Travis Outlaw have been pretty disappointing. Evan needs to pull it together if he wants to make another post-season run. Then again, he just won a big football championship so maybe the fantasy gods have already given him too much?

Nande ReBuRonSAN (2-8)
Mikey's team, after winning this division on the strength of a great regular season record, has collapsed to the bottom of the standings. Two losing streaks of four games apiece is giving the fans reason to boo, and both of Nande's wins have come against just one team, the Human Amoebas. The good news is: Lebron James is in the house! LBJ is cranking out 25.3 PTS, 7.2 REB, 7.0 AST, 1.3 3PT, 1.5 STL per game but he's doing almost everything for this team. Nobody else on this squad scores more than sixteen points per game, there's only one other guy rebounding at more than eight per, and Andre Igoudala is the next highest assists guy. The depth of this team behind James, Igoudala, Gerald Wallace, Vince Carter, and Daniel Gibson is non-existent so Mikey will have some work to do in order to shore up his roster. This King needs help!

Mid-Season Report: Chamberlain Conference

I've been neglecting updating about our SlamNation season but now that we're halfway through, I've got to right? Since I'm busy, you know, moving to the East Coast, these will have to be short, but so so sweet.

SILVERHAWKS DIVISION

Fat Jubas (9-1)
Leading the league in wins, the only loss Eric-L has suffered so far was a WK1 defeat. Since then, his team has ripped off a string of impressive wins and after almost toppling Sour Snails in the playoffs last year, they've taken firm control of the division this year. We questioned Jubas' young additions this offseason, and for the most part they haven't worked out, but that hasn't mattered because the vets are doing alright. The return of Kevin Garnett to fantasy relevance (15 PTS, 9.5 REB, 1.7 STL, 0.7 BLK) has fueled Eric-L's rise -- even if he's currently injured. The all Suns bench of Goran Dragic, Marcin Gortat, and Robin Lopez shows a little too much Phoenix loyalty but that's okay because when you're at the top, you can do whatever you want!

Sour Snails (6-4)
Last year the Snails romped through the regular season, threatening the league with an undefeated year right out of the gate. The defending champion is finding the road to the playoffs a bit tougher this year though, as they'll most likely be vying for a wild card spot. After the huge blockbuster that moved Lebron James out of Snailtown, Trieu managed to lose his next three games before righting the ship recently. Granted, those losses came against opponents with a combined 83% winning percentage, but it spoke to how non-dominant the Snails have been this season. With last week's win over 8-2 Half Man Half ImAsian, Trieu is hoping his post-LBJ team is just warming up. Sophomore point guards Stephen Curry and Darren Collison are on opposite trajectories as Curry has continued his fine work while Collison has mysteriously become very average. Btw, Kevin Love, we love you! Did anyone think he could maintain a 21.2 PTS, 15.7 REB, 1.4 3PT pace till mid-season?!

Jedi Knights (2-8)
Chris' team started off the season with six straight losses before picking up two wins off weak competition, including one over fellow division cellarmate Fob Stars. GM Chris has made just one move all season and we're thinking it's not because his team has been so damn dominant. With Dirk Nowitzki recently suffering an injury, the Knights will need to shuffle their lineup around a bit. The good news is that Hedo Turkoglu has decided to play again upon his return to Orlando and is averaging 13.4 PTS, 6.7 REB, 7.1 AST, 1.7 3PT, and 1.9 STL since the trade. Way to mail it in during your stints in Toronto and Phoenix Hedo! Pre-season sleepers Wesley Matthews and Dorell Wright are bombing the crap out of the ball so with some rejiggering, the Knights could shore up in time for the Toilet Bowl.

Fob Stars (2-8)
There's a lot of pathetic teams in the league but Jimmy's is right there at the bottom with the worst of them. They get routinely blown out, especially early in the season, and despite a nice win versus 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps in WK9, are having trouble gaining any momentum. The Fob Stars should be better than this. Chris Bosh is back to productive star, DJ Augustin has been useful as a third guard, and Zach Randolph is still a monster (19.7 PTS, 12.7 REB). Hell, even Rashard Lewis is back to rebounding after being traded to the Wizards. We think Jimmy can manage this team a little better, at least to make them get out of the division cellar. Hopefully.

TRANSFORMERS DIVISION

Half Man Half ImAsian (8-2)
Who's the better fantasy player: Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook? It's a tough call but the answer really doesn't matter because Oliver has both on his roster. The two combine for about 50 PTS, 11 REB/AST, 3 STL, 1.5 BLK, and 2 3PT each Thunder's outing. The two of them have been carrying the rest of the team, as the next best player has been Andrew Bogut, who's just lost front court mate Anderson Verajao for the season -- pre-draft trade acquisition Caron Butler is already done for the year. There's not much else besides those three on the roster, and after eight straight wins to open the season, the Halfies have suffered two losses -- both to 0.500 teams -- so we're curious how long Oliver's team can stay at the top.

LA Buffy (8-2)
If Oliver's team might be sliding, Roger is poised to grab the top Transformers spot as these two 8-2 teams represent the only jockeying for a division lead so far this season. Buffy's only two losses have come against top tier opponents -- Fat Jubas and Slam'N Dragon, 17-3 combined record -- so they are clearly poised on the edge of contention. Having a full season of Danny Granger has been fantastic as Granger has reasserted himself as an all around star by averaging 20.8 PTS, 5.7 REB, 2.2 3PT, 1.2 STL, 1.0 BLK. As usual, there is a strong front line here, highlighted by the return to health of 20-10 Carlos Boozer. And let's not forget about swingman Wilson Chandler, who's been a revelation with 17.7 PTS, 6.4 REB, 1.5 BLK, 1.8 3PT. We like Buffy a lot going forward, obviously.

Squirtle Squad (4-6)
Brian has been very active on the waiver wire, having pumped through twenty seven moves so far, ranking second in that category. Sadly, all that activity has been very necessary as they find themselves flirting with 0.500 and being stricken by injuries to Joe Johnson, among others. The great news is that pseudo rookie Blake Griffin has emerged to the tune of 21.8 PTS and 12.6 REB, although his poor free throw shooting and lack of blocks might make him a (much) more exciting Zach Randolph-type. The Squirtles biggest problem has been a gigantic hole at the center position, as Serge Ibaka, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Randolph would barely combine to form one decent player. Ibaka's 2.2 BLK is nice but he only averages 6.7 REB. Brian's hoping a Carmelo Anthony trade will free him up to score near 30 ppg again, as he's down to only 23.8 PTS this year. There's some great potential on this team but it'll need to gel quickly to challenge for a playoff spot.

The 2005 NBA All-Star Team (4-6)
Last year, Steve's team suffered six losses all season. Right now they are sitting at the bottom of a division they won last year, and is going to struggle to get into the post-season. They've faced a really rough schedule, as five of their losses have come against winning teams. That's the price you pay for winning so much last year right? As the team name here suggests, this team is old. Most of the vets are doing fine though, as Manu Ginobili is having an injury free year, Jason Kidd and Andre Miller continue to pile up assists, and Antawn Jamison gets to jack up as many shots as he wants. Looking over the roster, we think Steve's squad should be better than their record, as they've got Dwight Howard (and his non-mentor Shaq) playing at an MVP level. If this were 2005, this All Star team would have sealed a championship already we're pretty sure. They'll be fighting hard to stay out of the Toilet Bowl in 2011 though.

Mid-Season Standings

And while we're here, the stats for the season so far, sorted by number of moves an owner has made. Trieu's Sour Snails top the list with forty five moves so far, almost doubling the next owner, Squirtle Squad. Seven teams have made less than ten moves, and Chris and Pierre have combined for one move each. ONE MOVE. Guys, what're you trying to tell me? That your teams are so good you don't need free agents? Is that what it is?

Witness to Change

It's been a pretty quiet first few weeks of the season and as fantasy football winds down, we had a gigantic bomb drop into the SlamNation world. Lebron James is taking his talents to Nande? ReBuRonSAN! I don't know what the hell that means in Japanese but I'm betting it could translate well to "I got the King bitches!"

We've had some major blockbusters in our young history but nothing quite like this. The top overall pick moved from the Chamberlain to Russell Conference. This trade between Squirtle Squad and Nande, the two best regular season teams last year, proves that even winners can't sit on their laurels and just count their money. Along with Lebron James, Trieu is moving Gerald Wallace and Hakim Warrick to Mikey for Gilbert Arenas, Stephen Jackson, and Kevin Love. Keep in mind this is the second trade between these two teams this season. Do we smell corroboration here? Or is it just two savvy GMs making moves that nobody else dares? Before we delve into the specifics of the trade, let's take a look at what prompted this huge move.

Nande has been off to a horrible start this season. After a 5-4 victory over the Human Amoebas to start the season, they've lost four in a row, with no more than three categories won each time. Ranking last in FG%, sixth in REB, low in PTS, AST, STL, and second to last in BLK, Nande's only team strength has been superior outside shooting, which helped them rank first in 3PT. Sitting in dead last in the Thundercats division, Mikey didn't hesitate to make a Riley-esque splash.

Why the move for Trieu though? After romping through the league last season, we thought the Snails would never move their dynamic trio of Lebron, Wallace, and Josh Smith. They got off to another hot start, winning four games in convincing fashion, but then suffered an embarassing 3-5-1 loss last week to Human Amoebas, who were the worst team in the league last year. Perhaps that served as the wake up call. As we've alluded to, the Sour Snails are a very strange small ball team. They are mostly outside shooters, but with James, Wallace, and Smith, they can regularly compete in the REB and BLK categories. However, if a team could over power them down low, the Snails were susceptible to their big three's free throw shooting woes. Lebron is a career 74.4% FT shooter, and Wallace (71.4%) and especially Smith (66.9%) aren't exactly eagle eyes from the charity stripe. That weakness left them a bit vulnerable during certain matchups.

While we were initially a little skeptical of this trade, after looking at the numbers and talking to team sources, it looks like a huge win win across the board. For example, the Snails get a huge upgrade in FT% and 3PT, plus a significant uptick in REB and even a bit of a kick in STL and PTS. They are worse in FG% and TO after this trade, but those weren't categories they were looking to win anyway. Let's take a look at what these guys are averaging so far during the 2011 season.

What jumps out at you right away is the decline of Wallace, who is no longer the All Star player he was last year. The huge jump of Kevin Love to an extreme 20 PTS, 15 REB player was obviously the key to this trade. He can match James and Wallace's rebound numbers, freeing Trieu to play two more streaky shooters, which is actually more befitting his style. We're a little wary of Arenas' role and injury history, but at his worst, Gilbert is an offensive powerhouse. On Nande's side, well, he got Lebron. Having an all around stud like LBJ means that Mikey now has a franchise cornerstone to build around. While he paid a heavy price -- especially since Hakim Warrick is almost waiver wire fodder -- we love this forward thinking move for both teams. Quality analysis, big cajones, and we have the first blockbuster of the year. What's next? Which owners will step up to shake their teams out of the doldrums?

Let the trading season begin!

The Infinity War

Whew, the 2011 SlamNation season is fully upon us! The draft is over, the teams are set, and all we have to do is roll out the ball and get started. Meanwhile, Marvel and the NBA, two of my favorite things, came together to create this insane collaboration for ESPN. I picked up two copies of the magazine today so I could rip one apart and display all of my favorite ones in my room. Not that I have a room, or a house, or well, a wall. Okay, I made the Celtics image my iPhone wallpaper, that'll just have to do. But seriously, this is some great stuff. Maybe I have them available here for our perusal? Thanks to a special someone who gave me the access, you know who you are... If you don't know what the above photo refers to, can I point you toward The Infinity Gauntlet? So freaking awesome.

Before we get things really geared up, I took some time out of my busy schedule to create some serious team previews for everyone. Yes, this is my push to get into Alvin and Co.'s fantasy football league, but it's also done from passion. I'm freaking excited for this NBA season after swearing I'd never care again after the Game Seven loss. There are just too many interesting teams and story lines to stay away from this season. So on with the show!

All previews, from this year and the last, are under the "divisions" tag, so if you want to take a read about the teams last year, go right ahead, or simply click below.

2010
Chamberlain Conference: Silverhawks - Transformers
Russell Conference: Voltron - Thundercats

2011
Chamberlain Conference: Silverhawks - Transformers
Russell Conference: Voltron - Thundercats

(Russell Conference) Voltron

Bayside Bombardiers - Pierre (11-7)
Last year we said that this team was full of "second bananas." Proving that the experts were idiots, a team full of so-called second bananas surged to a division win and Pierre's team earned a second playoff seed in the Russell Conference. Of course, while there, the lack of an alpha dog caused them to narrowly avoid a first round upset, and then that same weakness totally derailed them against the surprising Chunky Monkeys. This season, the Bombardiers still have the same problem but they hope a stronger sense of purpose will propel them to playoff success. All those secondary guys on NBA teams proved that they could put the ball in the hole, propelling Bayside to third in PTS and FG%, plus a sterling second in FT%.

The main problem they faced was a lack of backcourt production. They were weak in 3PT and AST, and absolute last in STL. Jameer Nelson, Jamal Crawford, and Mo Williams are decent but not dominanting in any category. New additions Leandro Barbosa and Kyle Lowry could help but we predict that the Bombardiers will have trouble increasing those categories unless they can find a leader at the guard position. Actually, if Barbosa can do anything with his unlimited time in Toronto, he could really help the 3PT category. It's strange that a team with this many shooters aren't at least average from beyond the arc but the stats don't lie. Maybe jettisoning last year's third round uber-disappointment, Ben Gordon, will help morale and give some shots to more efficient players.

The great news for Pierre is that the frontcourt is absolutely fantastic. Pau Gasol and Luis Scola are interchangeable at power forward and center, and Scola had some ridiculously great games at the end of last season. David West is solid and he should bounce back to 20-10 status after dipping a bit last year. Small forward Luol Deng didn't make the keeper roster but was snatched right back up this season. There isn't much needed behind these four but Charlie Villanueva, Samuel Dalembert, and Shelden Williams are around for depth. Charlie V has a ton of fantasy upside but he doesn't seem to care much about trying very hard. Dalembert was huge down the stretch last season and is a necessary rim protector, but he starts the season dinged up and we're not sure how healthy he plans on being. Overall, this team surprised us with their great balance and effort and there's no reason not to expect another fantastic season from the boys of Queens.
NBA Team: Utah Jazz

Golden Ticket - Thien (9-9)
The team that keeps changing its name -- for extra money and merchandising sales no doubt -- had reason to keep changing identities. They started off last season in a stupor, winning only once in their first five games. Then they ripped off six straight wins and looked like legit contenders. Five losses in six games later and the Golden boys found themselves in the Toilet Bowl. Of course, once there, they flexed their muscles again and won the whole damn thing, earning the number overall pick this season. Whew, is everyone going to buy season tickets to watch Thien's team this year or what?

That first pick turned out to be John Wall, the only sure thing out of this crop of rookies. Last year we said this team was only lacking a premier point guard and twelve months later here he is. Wall is going to help tremendously all around, pushing AST from last year's poor ranking (fifth to last) to something much higher this season. His quick hands will likely push STL up as well (already a strength last season), and his offense will allow Golden Ticket to challenge for the PTS crown, where they were second last year. Pairing Wall with Dwayne Wade is going to be insane, and we're pretty sure they'll be unbeatable in the backcourt. Last year's starting point guard, Raymond Felton, is pushed to third guard duty, where he'll thrive and add his own underrated bunch of AST/STL.

That's not all. Golden Ticket is also very good at both 3PT and BLK, an interesting combination. The BLKs will likely dip as Andrew Bynum is injured, Kenyon Martin is gone, and only Chris Kaman remains to man the middle. There will be an audition for the PF spot between Drew Gooden, Thaddeus Young, and Tiago Splitter. What we don't need to worry about is the wing positions, as Rudy Gay and Paul Pierce are perfect complements to the backcourt. Once Glass Man Bynum returns, this team will officially be super scary, with a balanced team that should contend for a championship -- the real one, not the toilet kind, this time around.
NBA Team: Oklahoma Thunder

Morrie's Pogiboys - Alvin (7-11)
The Pogis has a pretty disastrous draft last season. Third round pick Caron Butler had to be traded for a third rounder this summer as his value plummeted, Tyrus Thomas was a fourth rounder and never quite steadied his statistics, and Charlie Villanueva was the sixth selection, ouch. Those guys didn't work out as promised. The good news was rookie gem Brandon Jennings, who saved GM Alvin's reputation, and the season, as Devin Harris was in and out of the lineup. Jennings maybe encapsulates the Pogiboys season overall, as he probably contributed to their second to last ranking in FG% and third to last in TOs. He's only going to get better in his second season though -- possibly much better.

All world Amare Stoudemire carried this team to seven wins behind his fantastic offensive numbers. He'll likely push above 25 ppg this season and he'll be counted on to play a fast athletic center. Oh Ty Thomas, Alvin's soft spot. Can Thomas be the defensive presence tihs team needs or will Roy Hibbert have to be the answer? Having Devin Harris return to his 2009 numbers would be fantastic and we like third guard Mike Conley, who is sneaky good and getting better. The big questions are who'll man the shooting guard and small forward positions this year. Is Marco Belinelli and Austin Daye the answer? We see a bit of a homer reach on Daye but apparently he's ready to be the skinniest power forward ever?

And in the event Belinelli isn't up to the task, last year showed us Marcus Thornton's potential so one of them will cover the SG/SF slot. The rest of the bench is Carl Landry, Josh Childress, Jamario Moon, and Al Harrington. When Harrington returns, he'll give a big boost to the offense and could be a matchup switch with Hibbert. We don't think Carl Landry's hard work will be slept on in Sacramento so he'll likely take over for Tyrus if he falters. As for Childress and Moon, one of them will come through right? We see the Pogiboys needing growth from his team at every position except Amare, in order to compete for a playoff spot.
NBA Team: New Jersey Nets

Human Amoebas - Eric A (3-15)
Last year we predicted that Eric A's young team was going to be a contender in 2012 but that the first few years might be difficult. As it turned out, 2010 was a horrific season as all that youth dragged the Amoebas to last place in the league. They were second to last in 3PT, third to last in REB and AST, and middle of the pack in just about everything else. With no defined strength, this team needs to find an identity and gel quickly for them to get out of the cellar.

Last year's first round pick, SF Danny Granger, was shipped out mid-season for Monta Ellis and Ellis is now the centerpiece of a promising backcourt that includes Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon, fresh off their World Championships experience this summer. It would be hard to find a better up-and-coming guard rotation anywhere else. The frontcourt is all potential and not a lot of proven production. Michael Beasley will be given all the minutes he needs to shine in his new Minnesota home, Paul Millsap will be stuck behind another injury prone power forward in Utah, and Andray Blatche will be looking for a huge breakout season. The intriguing prospect here is rookie PF/C DeMarcus Cousins, who could make a quick impact. In fact, he needs to make an immediate impact because he's the starting center.

The bench is filled with that p-word again, "potential." Guards Ty Lawson and George Hill are both reserves for now but trades would likely make them very viable starting options. Swingman Anthony Morrow should have secured the starting small forward spot in New Jersey and both he and the versatile Ersan Ilyasova will contribute in the 3PT department. Marreese Speights flashed some potential last season but will likely ride the pine unless minutes clear up for him in Philadelphia. Overall, Eric-A will need big seasons from Gordon, Blatche, and Cousins to prepare themselves for a championship run in 2012. We believe!
NBA Team: Washington Wizards

(Chamberlain Conference) Silverhawks

Sour Snails - Trieu (16-1-1)
We don't want to point fingers here but having two four win teams in this division means Trieu's monster team feasted on weak competition all season long. That's why they were almost undefeated last year. That's why they won the championship. That's why they look like a potential dynasty team. It has nothing to do with the fact that they were ranked tops in PTS, 3PT, AST, STL, and BLKs all season long. Nope, that has nothing to do with it at all. Look at all of the Snails weaknesses! They turn the ball over at a prolific rate (last), can't shoot free throws (second to last), and get outrebounded once in awhile (ranked fifth). A team that undisciplined should lose a lot right?

I mean, sure, a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Aaron Brooks, Darren Collison, Danilo Gallinari, and Brendan Haywood ain't bad but hardly invincible right? Sadly, those five are the bottom end of Trieu's likely rotation players. Add in Gerald Wallace. Add in Josh Smith. Oh and add in Lebron James. Those three change a small ball team into a big-small ball team. Collectively they contribute 26+ REB per and almost 5 BLK. The traditional small ball team can't do those things. In fact, it's crazy that the Snails are so great at BLK and so terrible at FT%. Understanding that the few matchups the Snails can't win are against teams that can compete with them in one of their five dominant categories and on the boards, GM Trieu wisely drafted a few big men for certain matchups. Haywood, Ben Wallace, and rookie Greg Monroe won't be used often but they'll be essential plug-ins against the handful of teams that the Snails can't beat in REB.

Two Knicks will cheer from the bench, Toney Douglas and Kelenna Azubuike, and if Trieu hits on another outstanding sleeper we might as well all give up. You realize he had the vision to draft Curry as the first rookie off the board last year right? Top of the fifth round. We said last year that "it seemed a bit early for Curry" but now he's a first round value. Genius!

Looking over this roster, I have a hard time picture many losses this season. The matchup nightmares are all over the place. They can go super quick with Curry, Brooks, Collison, Lebron, and Josh Smith. They can go ultra big with Lebron, Gallinari, Wallace, Smith, and Haywood. Oh wait, that's the NBA. This is just fantasy. Even worse. Short of a Lebron-colypse, is there any way this team doesn't take the regular season crown again? With the lessened games played cap and the shorter rotatations that brings, can your eight guys beat Trieu's eight guys? Heck, can your eight guys beat Trieu's seven guys?!
NBA Team: Miami Heat

Fat Jubas - Eric L (9-8-1)
The Jubas had a great inaugural season, as they came within an inch of toppling eventual champion Sour Snails. Heading into the last day, they were tied before folding but not holding their head in shame. In fact, the Jubas may be the best bet to topple the Snails as they played them extremely tough during all their matchups. This veteran team led the league in FT%, passed the ball spendidly (second in AST), and shot the ball effectively and efficiently (fifth in 3PT and FG%). This is a team with no real weaknesses, as they rank about average in just about every other category. Impressive.

The veteran laden team is headed by Steven Nash, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. All three are past their primes (although Nash isn't slipping much) but will likely remain very effective players for at least another two seasons. The young cornerstone of this team is Brook Lopez, who is the most well rounded big man around, and will be joined this year by his brother Robin Lopez. I vote we make all their stats count double for the Wonder Twin team up. Small forward Jeff Green is who he is at this point, a nice player who averages 1 3PT/BLK/STL a game, while not really rebounding enough as a power forward. That last trait could be said of Boris Diaw, who rebounds even less than Green, but has a unique stat that makes him a valuable reserve. There is a hole at the backup guard position, with new Cavs guard Ramon Sessions likely fitting the role. Given enough shots and time, Sessions can be outstanding and we predict good things.

The other backup guards, Goran Dragic and Rodrigue Beaubois, are probably in the next generation of fantasy standouts, but will be stuck firmly behind Nash and Jason Kidd respestively, for at least another year. Intriguing sleepers Nicolas Batum and Taj Gibson anchor the bench but they should be ready to enter the fray at any time, as Diaw and the lesser Lopez could be taken out for matchup reasons. We know owner Eric-L thinks of this team as a contender but we're curious how this mix of young and old will unfurl over time. With a core of Nash-Garnett-Allen be best served with some veteran help to make a run during their contending window?
NBA Team: Boston Celtics

Jedi Knights - Chris (4-12-2)
Chris had a great offseason, possibly the best of any owner in the league. Chris got married! Congratulations all around! Now that his heart is happy and he's officially wifed up, his basketball team really needs his love too. The Jedis are an efficient shooting team, ranking second in FG% and third in FT% last season. The problem was that they were sort of a mess everywhere else. Third to last in 3PT, second to last in REB/AST/BLK, and dead last in PTS. They were the best TO team in the league though! Actually, winning TOs could be a sure sign your team is bad, as the top three finishers in TOs last year (Chris, Jimmy, Jon) had a combined thirteen wins among them. The strategy in 2011 is to just throw the ball out of bounds on every possession obviously.

With Dirk Nowitzki, David Lee, and Nene, we're actually not sure how the Knights were so inept on the boards. Let's hope that was an aberration as those three should be enough to win REB once in awhile. There's absolutely nothing behind them in the frontcourt though, as neither Yi Jianlian nor Brandon Bass are good rebounders. But let's not worry about the solid -- but thin -- frontcourt. The big question will be if Jose Calderon and Hedo Turkoglu can return to form. Both were absolutely horrible last year. They were supposed to anchor Chris' passing and shooting stats but they weren't up to the task. OJ Mayo and John Salmons, nearly identical statistical players (19 PTS, 3 REB/AST, 1.5 3PT and 1 STL), are perfect on any team and we kind of love them both.

There could be a battle for that eighth rotation player position, as there doesn't seem to be much difference between Dorell Wright, Yi, and sleeper Wesley Matthews. The likely opening day starter will be Beno Udrih, who thrived passing and shooting next to ROY Tyreke Evans. Actually, Udrih has to start because Calderon will need the help in the AST category, even if he returns to 10+ per game. So that's how this season shapes up for the Jedi Knights: Calderon and Turkoglu need to make a comeback!
NBA Team: Toronto Raptors

Fob Stars - Jimmy (4-13-1)
We liked this team a lot in the pre-season last year. We predicted big things but were rewarded with the second worst team in the league. What happened? Well the backcourt was horrible, helping Jimmy's squad to dead last in AST and second to last in STL. On top of that, there was no defense either, as the Fob Stars miscommunicated often and also ranked dead last again in BLK. Their best category? Second in TOs!

Despite returning his top six draft picks this year, the Fob Stars can't be pleased with the effort from any of them. Only Zach Randolph outplayed his position (fifth rounder) while Chris Bosh, Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis, Emeka Okafor, and Louis Williams all underwhelmed. The new backcourt will feature SG Richard Hamilton and DJ Augustin, who are probably upgrades. Lou Wills will be relegated to reserve minutes, both in real life and fantasy. Nobody expected Billups to only average 5.6 AST last season and he'll have to up that by quite a bit if he wants to help his team. We do think Bosh, Randolph, Lewis, and Okafor form a well rounded front court, so we're not sure why they couldn't help this team to more wins.

Last year there was a big hole at swingman all season long and this year will be no different. Is Carlos Delfino or CJ Miles the answer? Delfino is actually quite underrated and we like his quiet combination of 3PT and STL to win out. Rookie Evan Turner seems to be a bit lost in preseason so we're not sure what to expect out of him. Fellow rookie, center Cole Aldrich, will be good at setting picks for Rip but that's about it. Overall we like this team on paper but as has been proven, they are no monsters on the court. The best case scenario here is that DJ Augustin becomes a worthy starter and Billups finds his passing eye again.
NBA Team: Detroit Pistons