Five Under-the-Radar Games that You Must See in 2012-13

          After months of anticipation around the globe, the NBA schedule for next season was finally released today. You know what that means, dear reader! It’s time to take out the highlighter and mark your calendar for all the games you JUST CAN’T MISS. When compiling a list of such games, it is easy to get excited about Thunder vs. Heat or Celtics vs. Lakers. But to limit yourself to only big market teams and brand-name stars would demean what the NBA stands for. So, in your better interest, I have scoured the entire regular season television schedule and picked out a few games that you would be a fool (that’s right, A FOOL) to miss.

Philadelphia @ New Orleans: November 7th on ESPN

New Orleans Center Jason Smith plays against his former team in what should be a barn burner between two teams that can really put the ball in the basket.

Orlando @ Detroit: November 16^th on ESPN

Former Blue Devils Kyle Singler and J.J. Redick Duke it out (get it?) to see which unathletic white three-point shooter can be the unathletic-iest, whitest, and three-pointiest of them all.

New Orleans @ Charlotte: December 29^th on NBA TV

Al-Farouq Aminu and Bismack Biymbo take center stage in the battle for alliteration world domination. But will Desagana Diop emerge as the dark horse and steal the crown?

Dallas @ Golden State: January 31^st on TNT

Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson were teammates in New Jersey. But both have moved on to bigger and better (?) things. Now they face off in what should be a high-flying, aerial display between two athletes who definitely didn’t lose their hops years ago. Or anything like that.

Detroit @ Washington: February 27^th on ESPN

Okay, even I can’t feign interest in this one…

The 1st Annual NBA Fantasy Value Draft: Rounds 5-8

Round 5

With the 21^st overall pick, Team O’Toole selects: Greg Monroe

Sean: At 6'11", he doesn't have the height of say, a Roy Hibbert, but as a 22-year-old in his second year in the NBA averaged 9.6 boards and 15 points a game. The blocks aren't there in as high a quantity but the $3.2 million contract and young age makes Monroe a solid pick for now and the future of my team.

My take: If Monroe played in a bigger market, he would definitely not hold the same anonymity amongst casual fans. His numbers actually compare favorably to Demarcus Cousins, though his game is not that of a prototypical center. He’s a big man who can either face up or back down a defender. He’s actually at his best between eight and twelve feet from the basket. While not a great post defender, he is a big body who gives you the post scoring you needed. Solid choice.

With the 22^nd overall pick, Team Oetinger selects: Paul George

My take: This kid’s gonna be a stud. A 6-10 (yes, you read that correctly) shooting guard with top-end athleticism and a smooth stroke from 3. He’s already one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, he’s only 22 and costs just $2.5 million next season. He adds versatility as he can defend four positions and he will excel running the fast break with LeBron and Kyrie. He hasn’t learned how to create his own shot yet, that’s not what I need him to do at this point. A player I’ve been targeting for a while, I’m glad he’s available.

With the 23^rd overall pick, Team Lamonica selects: Brook Lopez

Adam: I was surprised to find he is only a 4 mil cap hit. While he may not be a superstar, he is an all around solid center who will occasionally show flashes of brilliance. He very nicely rounds out my starting give of Rose at 1, Curry at 2, Melo at 3, Griffin at 4, and now Lopez at the 5.

My take: A true 7-footer with a good post game, Lopez is a rare breed. He adds great size to your team, with a small cap hit. I am a bit worried about his injuries and his rebounding though. He sat out nearly all of last season with a broken foot. And in his last full season, he averaged only six rebounds a game, which for his size is unacceptable. I also have a tough time taking him seriously because his name sounds like a female porn star. He’s a decent shot blocker though, and his post defense will take some pressure off of Blake Griffin. He’ll also force the defense to collapse on him when he gets the ball in the post, which should lead to open shots for Curry and Anthony. I like the pick.

The 1st Annual NBA Fantasy Value Draft: Rounds 3 & 4

Round 3

With the 11^th overall pick, Team O’Toole selects: Ricky Rubio

Sean: A solid young pass-first point guard who would have been the only player last year to give Kyrie Irving a challenge for ROY had he not been injured. With elite scorers around him he will be an assist machine.

My take: Well whaddya know? Somebody took my advice (or I knew his pick before I made said advice). While I could point out more well-rounded point guards available, I think Rubio is actually an excellent pick considering the talent surrounding him. Rubio’s shooting deficiencies will be balanced out by Durant and Gordon. He does need to work on man-to-man defense, but he has the height and lateral quickness to do so. Also of note is Rubio’s contract, which at $3.7 million next year technically qualifies as stealing.

With the 12^th overall pick, Team Oetinger selects: Kyrie Irving

My take: Remember the more balanced point guard I just mentioned? Kyrie does it all. He has great court-vision, speed, and outside shooting. He’s also only 20 years old, and will be playing under his rookie contract for a while. Like Rubio, he needs to work on his man-to-man defense, but he has all of the requisite skills to do so. At this point, I’m really feeling good about my team’s potential.

With the 13^th overall pick, Team Lamonica selects: Carmelo Anthony

Adam: No doubt this is a risky pick. Melo’s leadership ability has been in question for years, and he has made it obvious that he likes to be at center stage.  Pairing him with D-Rose could be dangerous, but his overall ability to play every aspect of the game when motivated is hard to overlook. He can take over games, drive, make big shots, post up, and stuff the stat sheet. He has performed well on a winning Denver team with a scoring PG in Billups, so I believe he can coexist with Rose.

My take: I’m definitely torn about this pick. I do respect Melo’s game, and his toughness and rebounding is often overlooked. But he is an absolute ball stopper on offense. With D-Rose already running the point, Melo will have to settle for spot-up jumpers, which has never been his specialty. He’s one of the best crunch-time scorers in the league; someone who you can put the ball in his hands and feel confident he can score at will. But so is Rose. I’m also concerned with Melo’s unwillingness to run on the fast break. But still, the talent is there. You just need to find a way to make it work. 

The 1st Annual NBA Fantasy Value Draft: Rounds 1 & 2

Round 1

With the 1^st overall pick, Team O’Toole selects: Kevin Durant

Sean: When looking at future value, I thought Kevin Durant was the best choice over LeBron James. He is obviously one of the most talented scorers in the NBA right now and looking forward I do not see that changing.

My take: Understandable reasoning. Durant is four years younger than LeBron, and has time to develop his defensive game. Barring devastating injury, Durant will end up being a top five scorer of all time, no question. He has all the offensive tools, and more importantly, is an outstanding leader and high character guy. Great pick.

With the 2^nd overall pick, Team Oetinger selects: LeBron James

My take: Let’s see, hands down the best all-around player in the game, the reigning Finals MVP, and only 27 years old? Yes please. It seems redundant to go over LeBron’s ability, but I’m in a boastful mood. He is the most explosive athlete in the game, an offensive force around the rim with a developed jump shot. He can create for others with his elite court vision, which makes him a matchup nightmare. And he is the best wing defender in the game today. I had to think about this pick for about .07 seconds.

With the 3^rd overall pick, Team Lamonica selects: Derrick Rose

Adam: The youngest MVP ever, an unselfish scorer who plays defense. He is literally the perfect package of youth, talent, repertoire, attitude, relatively soft cap hit, and a superstar that wants to win.

My take: Before Rose’s ACL tear in last year’s playoffs, this would be a much easier pick. That being said, assuming he fully recovers, there aren’t many stars with better character than D-Rose. And in today’s fast-paced game point guards are at a premium, and Rose is among the finest in the league.

The 1st Annual NBA Fantasy Value Draft: Intro

         

          When considering my options as to what to write about during the NBA’s offseason, I decided to focus my efforts on more retrospective pieces. Yes, I could write about the NBA Draft, but frankly that is a dead horse that has been kicked one too many times. Eventually every single prospect is pointed to as a potential bust or sleeper; and eventually all of the opinions blend together in an unending mass. The only other blip on the NBA radar is free agency, and that is a time that belongs to the Ric Buchers and the Marc Steins of the world: media leeches with more inside sources than I have Facebook friends. My only option is to react to big stories, but we find ourselves in a particularly bland summer of free agents.

As a result, I decided on a little reader participation. I wanted to figure out a way to demonstrate who the most valuable players are in the NBA today; who you could build a team around. I wanted this to take into account all factors: ability, age, salary, and personality. With all this in mind, I have created the 1^st Annual NBA Fantasy Value Draft.

In order to conduct this draft, I called upon the brightest basketball minds that I know (i.e. the only people I have ever had a conversation about basketball with). Joining me in this venture are CJ Arena, Sean O’Toole, Joe Fisher, and Adam Lamonica. Each has varying levels of knowledge about the game, so it will be interesting to see which of us comes out on top. And how does one win this competition, you ask? Let me show you.

The rules of the Value Draft are simple. There are eight rounds and seven roster spots, enough for a starting lineup and two role players. The eighth round is designated to drafting a coach that will effectively lead your team to victory. There is a salary cap as well. The regular NBA salary cap is $58.044 million. But this is a soft cap, which allows teams to have a higher annual payroll as long as they pay the subsequent luxury tax. But I decided to make things interesting. My league has a hard salary cap of $55.164 million. I arrived at this number by subtracting five minimum salaries ($480,000) from the current NBA cap. This allows for five bench warmers to be added to our current seven-man rosters, though they will be unnamed and theoretically will not play any minutes. But since every NBA team must consist of at least twelve players, they are necessary to devise our salary cap.

The goal of the Value Draft is to construct a team that will compete for a championship, both next year and in the future. The order of the picks were selected at random. The winner of this competition will be decided by the one person I trust most with such a decision: myself. However, I do promise that each team will get a fair shake, and if somebody drafts a team that is better than mine, I will declare it as such. I just think that it is highly unlikely to happen. I will post the results every two rounds, with the final post detailing each player’s explanation of why their team is superior. So, without further ado, I present the 1^st Annual NBA Fantasy Value Draft. May the best man win.