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Midseason Review
By: Chris aka Nothin but Nets
1/20/07

Here we are, year 3. A year in which we've seen two
teams separate from the pack, possibly a new
superpower on the rise and a superpower shot down.
The biggest story of the year is obviously injuries,
just about every team saw at least one of their star
players go down and because of this, we don't even
have a good idea of who the top teams are or could be.
We've seen a huge list of players go down: Chauncy
Billups, Chris Paul, Peja Stojovic, Michael Redd,
Gerald Wallace, Lamar Odom, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh,
Pau Gasol, Yao Ming, Shaq, and so many more, I'm not
even going to go on. However, injuries havn't slowed
down the competition. After a quiet preseason the
three top teams of the previous two years took charge,
being Boston Pimps, Nothing But nets and LakerFan.
However, thing would soon change.

While Lakerfan started strong with a hot start, his
team began to fade, dropping as low as 5th. He has
moved into somewhat of a youth movement this year when
he traded players like Elton Brand, Marcus Camby,
Monta Ellis, and Jason Richardson for the likes of
younger players and prospects with high ceilings like
Carlos Boozer, Greg Monroe, and Nicolus Batum. With a
fall of one of the top teams we have also seen a
considerable rise in a number of the bottom teams.
Playoff Prediction: Yes, good for an upset, nothing
more though

Theres a saying in basketball, "you can never have
enough bigs", and that seems to be the case with this
team. Snoops Dawgs, in his first year in the league
is seeing a very young team that former manager
hybrid, finally perform. With the most impressive
groups of big men in the league he sets a concrete
foundation of his team and goes into every week
knowing he'll more than likely take blocks, rebounds
and offensive rebounds and more than often, fg%.
Going into every week knowing that you've already won
1/3 of your matchup is never a bad thing. With big
men like Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Nenad Krstic,
Tyson Chandler, Andris Biedrens, Darko Milicic and
Kwame Brown, he is hard to run with on the boards.
Now just 3 1/2 games behind Nothing But Nets for 2nd
place its his time to rise or fall. at the halfway
point With below average guards though he will
struggle in categories, holding him back from taking
the next step, keep in mind he still has Paul Pierce
which will drastically improve his guards but still
has a ways to go before he can run with the elite.
Playoff Prediction: Yes.

The biggest upgade of any team has to go to Dribblin
Drummers, after finishing last season in 13th place,
his team has catapaulted into 6th place and he's
thinking playoffs. Dribblin in any way is not an
elite team but he has made that team into a good one.
Is there anyone in the league more deserving than MVP
than Steve Nash right now. Where would this team be
without him. Dribblin along with some talent he has,
also has a young team so not only should he be a force
this year but could be a good team for years to come.
Playoff Prediction: Yes, one and done though

After a slow start, Boozers is one of the hottest
teams in the league right now. He started the year
going 16-32 and everyone wrote him off. In the
offseason he moved one of the top SFs in the league,
Lamar Odom and that didn't help his case much.
However he has traded his way right back into the
competition. It seems like you can depend on three
things in life, death, taxes, and the combo of Carlos
Boozers and Marcus Camby finding themselves on the
injured list. Boozer has budded into a star but
Boozers wasnt quick to hesitate when he moved him for
top 5 PF, Elton Brand. He was also involved in what
seems to be the trade of the year when he acquired
Igoudala and Okafor from Dribblin Drummers. Oh yea,
the return of Pau Gasol from the injured list helps a
bit too, I'd say. Acquiring the red hot Janerro Pargo
from Boston Pimps hasn't hurt him either. After his
16-32 start, Boozers finds himself with a 39-21 record
in his last 5 contests. If he stays this hot he
should find himself still updating his roster at
playoff time.
Playoff Prediction: Yes, 1 and done though

This season we've seen alot of players breakout and
fall including

In fantasy I believe there is no more of an important
aspect than who you pick up on the waiver wire and who
u can acquire via trade. If you don't pick guys up or
don't trade, you'll more than likely not be a dominant
team.

Easily the trade of the year so far has to go to
Boozers when he acquired Igoudala and Okafor from
Dribblin Drummers. Both were young stars looking to
break out when the season began, and this year they
both did. Okafor has managed to stay off the injury
list this season, he has a history of sprained ankles
and back injuries though and his back could flare up
at any time. However, AI has gone from the "other AI"
in Philly to the only one. Since the Iverson trade,
Iggy has averaged 18 points per game and shows no
signs of slowing down. On the flip side, things have
no worked out as well for Dribblin Drummers. He
acquired Channing Frye and Charlie Villanueva who have
been in and out of lineups because of injuries. They
have combined for just 51 games this season. Frye and
Villanueva have struggled during their sophomore
seasons with averages of 10 ppg and 12 ppg and have
alot of catching up to do before they can say they
were worth Igoudala and Okafor.

During the Supplemental Draft we saw two traded that
altered two teams. Both involving Nothing But Nets.
When we saw Nets trade Dalembert for Haslem/Crittenden
we thought it was a big win for Nets, however this
trade seems to be evening itself out. Since the
trade, Dalembert has really seen his minutes improve
and has played very well being the only reliable
center in the 76ers frontcourt now. Dalembert has
averaged 14 ppg, 10 rpg and 3 blocks since the trade.

With Dalembert gone, Nets needed to turn somewhere to
replace his blocks so he went with Marcus Camby who
has been on a tear since the trade. Since the deal
Camby is averaging 12-15-3 which is a better bang for
the buck then what he was getting with Al Harrington.

While trades are a big part of who determines a
champion I always thought the biggest was who you pick
up on a waiver wire.
There have been several notable free agent adds
including Luke Walton by Pimps (who was later traded
for cassell), Andrw Bynum by Dribblin Drummers, Tony
Allen again by Drummers, Dorrell Wright by Canadia and
Willie Green by Nets, lets take a deeper look, shall
we?

Luke Walton finally received a shot to start this
season and responded. After a hot start, he slowed
down when Lamar Odom went down with an injury but has
still been solid along the way. he is averaging 12
ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg and doing it while shooting 50% from
the field, better than anything you'll find on the
waiver wire now.

Andrew Bynum is a young budding star in the making it
seems. Bynum got our attention when he went for 18-9
on opening night. When Kwame Brown went down with an
injury Phil Jackson inserted Bynum into the lineup and
he responded putting up solid numbers. 12 ppg, 9
rebounds per game along with 1.5 blocks a game. To
think this guy is only 20 years old is a steal off the
wire.

Another big pick up by Drummers, I don't need to
explain much about this one, as stats talk. Allen had
bounced around on the wire the last 2 years but after u
this pick up it could be the last time we see him
there. Tony Allen went for 7 straight 20+ point games
before tearing mcl and acl muscles on his knee. If he
can make a full recovery and come back strong next
year, he's easily the FA of the year.

Dorrell Wright is more than a wait and see but the
fact he was on the waiver wire is startling. The #11
overall high school prospect in the nation in 2004
jumped college for the NBA draft and found himself
buried on the Miami bench for the last 2 seasons.
With injuries though Wright has received some playing
time and responded, he has looked good but was
replaced in the starting lineup by Jason Kapono, the
only thing we can do with Wright is wait and see.

And finally, Willie Green. Wille Green's numbers have
been off the charts since the Iverson trade. We
always knew Green could score but with Iverson,
Iguodala and Korver there wasn't room for him in the
starting lineup. Now that there is room he is
lighting it up with 7 straight games of double digit
points, including a game of 23 points and 30 points.
More importantly, Green hasn't been shy about taking
shots, over that stretch, Green has averaged 16 shots
per game. Look for Green to remain in the starting
lineup for the second half and be a quality sleeper
the rest of the way.

Now, time for some playoff predictions

Heres the 6 i'll take in this order......1 Pimps, 2
Nets, 3 Snoops, 4 Boozers, 5 Lakerfan, 6 Dribblin

In the 1st round i'll take Snoops over Dribblin and
Lakerfan over Boozers

2nd, I'll take Nets over Lakerfan and Snoops over
Pimps

I'll take Snoops over Nets in the championship

Round 1 Prospect Draft Analysis

Note: I rate players on fantasy potential and the likelihood of reaching that potential using a 1-10 scale. Both are very important. The I grade the pick as a whole.

Hixville Hunks picks PF Joakim Noah. This is the right pick to make here. Noah slipped through the cracks in last season’s draft since he did not break out until March Madness. He is a virtual lock to be a top 5 pick in an impressive draft this season. While his ceiling isn’t as high as some others, he is almost certainly going to be a good NBA player. Hixville can probably expect about 10 ppg, 7rebs, 3.5 asts, 1bpg, 1spg, low TOs and a good FG% out of Noah in year 1. I do not believe he will ever be a star but because of his hard work, intelligence and intensity, he could be a double double guy with very good peripheral stats. Potential: 8 Chance to reach potential: 9 Grade: A, It was the best pick possible.

StreetHoopz picks C Hasheem Thabeet. This is another good pick since Thabeet will likely be a top 5 pick himself whether he comes out this year or next. Thabeet is just huge and extremely athletic for his size. He has the potential to be a top center in the league for years. The true question is whether he will reach this potential as he is still very raw. Due to his size and excellent shot blocking skills he will have good fantasy value as a Tyson Chandler type of player atleast. He would benefit from another that year in college though to develop his offense and footwork more. If he develops well he could be a 15/12 guy with 3 blks in his prime, although it is no guarantee he will reach this potential. Grade: A, like Noah, this is the best pick that could have been made given the players available. Potential: 10 Chance to reach potential: 4

Lakers picks Chase Budinger SG. One of the top preps in the nation last season, Budinger has become a good player on a strong Arizona team. However, he could improve his draft stock, become the go-to-guy, and develop further if he stays in college another year, which seems likely. Budinger is a great athlete who can be a very good scorer. He has developed a good outside shot to go with his good slashing and finishing abilities Grade: A-, Another good pick. Potential: 9 Chance to reach potential: 5

Dribblin picks Kevin Love C. I have seen Love rated anywhere from #1 to #7 in his class, but in my mind he is definitely in the top 4, but don’t ask me to put them in order. He has great post moves already and is a dominant rebounder. He is not the greatest athlete but can hold his own and makes up for it with intelligence and hard work. I think he can become a poor-mans Carlos Boozer. Grade: A- Potential: 9 Chance to reach potential: 6

Polly picks Eric Gordon G. Gordon’s another guy in the mix as one of the top HS Seniors. He’s a good athlete but what makes him special is his sweet shot. He can shoot it from anywhere. He seems like Delonte West on steroids (which is a good thing) since he has more strength and driving ability. Its also worth mentioning that he averaged over 30 points this summer in elite National HS basketball camps. Grade A- Potential: 8 Chances to reach potential: 5

Snoops picks Brandon Jennings PG HS. Jennings is an athletic, offensively gifted player. I tried to pick him myself actually, only to realize Snoops already picked him up. He can shoot and he can slash to the hoop. Hes also a “true” pg who can pass. He needs to bulk up though to be able to keep up on the nba level. This is a good player but I think that given that hes still just a junior in HS, and not necessarily the best in his class, it makes it a little bit to risky to take him so high. The younger the player is, the harder it is to project them as nba players in my mind. Grade: B Potential: 8 Chances to reach potential: 3

Lakerfan picks Greg Monroe PF HS. Monroe is regarded as the top player in his junior in HS class. Since Big Men usually develop slower than smalls, this is an impressive feat especially considering he is a year younger than most others in his class. He seems similar to Brad Miller where he is a good rebounder, passer, and shot blocker and solid scorer. His upside surpasses Millers though. Grade A- Potential: 9 Chances to reach potential: 4

Pearly picks Donte Green PF HS. Green is a really good athlete with nice potential. However, he is still more raw than most of the other top prospects in his class and accordingly he tends to not be as highly rated. Ive seen him rated as low as 13^th in the HS senior class. When you add in other classes and international prospects, he won’t be a very high draft pick unless he develops further. But this seems like the point where the quality of players available drops off. Grade: B- Potential: 8 Chance to reach potential: 2

Boozers picks DeMarcus Cousins C HS. Cousins is considered the #2 prospect in the sophomore HS class, nipping on the heals of #1. But he dominated the Nike Hoops Jamboree which is impressive. Hes a huge guy who has good low post skills and bigtime upside. Ordinarily, the likelihood of a top HS sophomore reaching his full potential and becoming an NBA star would be very difficult but unlike most young HS’ers he has a great work ethic which I think is very important. Grade: A- Potential: 9 Chance to reach potential: 4

Nets picks Marcus Williams G/F Arizona. Williams is a good scorer due to his driving and mid range shooting. However, his 3 ball isn’t reliable enough and his FT shooting is pretty bad. He rebounds fairly well but he doesn’t contribute much in any other categories. He may become a good real life player but I don’t see him ever becoming a very good fantasy players. His potential has him becoming the next Al Harrington. That is good scoring, ok rebounding, and not much else. While I don’t see him becoming a fantasy star, I wouldn’t mind having an Al Harrington. And since he will likely be a high draft pick, he will be given every opportunity to succeed. Grade: B- Potential: 7 Chance of reaching potential: 7

Nuke picks Kyle Singler HS F. Singler is a smart sharpshooter with impressive skills already. Hes seen as a top 5 senior in HS. Id say he seems like Larry Bird if that wasn’t so absurd, but hes that type of player anyways. He probably does not have as high a ceiling as some of these uber-athletes being drafted but I could see him becoming a Wally Sczerbiak type fantasy player. Potential: 8 Chance of reaching potential: 6 Grade: A-

Boondock - Devin Ebanks, SF, HS (NY) Ebanks is a good scorer on the high school level showing good ability to create his own offense. He is generally not viewed as an elite prospect though, ranking 14^th among HS juniors by two top scouting sites. It is always possible that anybody could become a star but Ebanks seems like a stretch to do so. Potential: 3 Chance of reaching potential: 5 Grade: D

Nets - Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio St. Cook is a good scorer and athlete. He’s a freshman playing with Oden at Ohio State and producing well. He reminds me of Ricky Davis both in skills and attitude. And I think theres a decent chance he could end up a similar fantasy player. Cook is borderline cocky and will certainly look to take his shots, which is good from a fantasy perspective. Potential: 8 Chance of reaching potential: 5 Grade: B+

Nets- Javaris Crittenden, pg, Georgia Tech. Crittendon seems like the second coming of Shaun Livingston. He’s big, athletic, sees the court well, slashes, and a very good ball handler. His shot is a bit suspect but adequate. He is a coach’s dream though because of his intelligence and work ethic. This seems like a nice pick this late in the round. Potential: 9 Chance to reach potential: 6 Grade: A

Dribblin - Earl Clark, G, Louisville. Clark seems to have decent upside but it is too early to pick him here. Hes very big for his position and is a good ball handler and passer. However, he is unrefined and still raw. Clark sees minimal playing time for Louisville and does not seem to even be a sure thing to make the NBA let alone become a quality player. He needs vast improvement in his shot and defense. Who knows, maybe he’ll be the next big thing but there are players available with more potential who are more likely to reach it. Potential: 5 Chance to reach potential: 3 Grade: F

Hix - Corey Brewer, F, Florida. Brewer is like the Bruce Bowen of college ball. He should be a mid first round pick when he enters the NBA. Due to his great athleticism and defensive prowess, Brewer can be among the league leaders in steals. Unfortunately, he is not a great scorer and will really struggle to score on the NBA level, barring significant improvements to his offensive game particularly his dribbling. Potential: 6 Chance to reach potential: 6 Grade: C

POWER RANKINGS
Written by Lamar (Snoop)

1.) Boston Pimps – Before his week 14 loss to newcomer Chicago Chiefs, Pimps was riding an eight game winning streak, most of those wins coming without top fantasy producer Chris Paul. Now with Paul back, Pimps is looking to start another winning streak and hold off the competition to secure the number one seed in the playoffs.

2.) Chicago Chiefs – Chiefs made a big splash in the league taking down two top teams in Snoops Dawgs and number one team Boston Pimps. With a relatively easy schedule on deck, playoffs look to be a lock, but how he will fare against other top teams come crunch time (Nets and LakerFan) will be vital if he wants a bye week.

3.) Nothing But Nets – Talk about consistency, Nets on the season has 13 wins and only one loss coming at the hands of Snoops Dawgs. However, all is not well with Nets, the injury bug has bitten him hard with Camby, JO, Redd and Jrich all nursing injuries, some worse than others. He has a nice schedule as of now, but his season will be defined come the final three weeks with both Pimps and Chiefs lurking on his schedule.

4.) LakerFan – One of the more balanced teams in the league, Calvin has two top fantasy producers in Kobe and Carmelo leading him. With injuries affecting other top teams in the league, Calvin has a legit shot in getting a top seed once the playoffs begin; however, Baron Davis must stay healthy and he must hold ground against Chiefs and Pimps in a crucial two game stretch closing the season.

5.) Snoops Dawgs – Lots of young star power make up the Snoop Dawg squad, and at the beginning of the year, in fact, even two weeks ago, one could argue Snoops landing a bye when all is said and done; however, with a lingering injury to Pierce, Krstic out for the year, and a plethora of guys missing weeks, sometimes month at a time, Snoops will have to finish strong to secure a playoff spot.

6.) dribblin drummers – Dribblin has been the cinderella team so far this season, but with Nash nursing a sore shoulder, Jamison out two to five more weeks, along with a tough schedule on the horizon, Drummers must hold his ground in order to keep his spot in the playoffs.

7.) Boondock Saints – The healthiest team in the league is looking to gain some ground with his remaining schedule, since other than Snoops Dawgs, he does not play anyone who is currently seeded in the playoffs. KG and West could easily push him into the playoffs with a strong finish.

8.) Boozers – Boozers is another team with a nice core of players in Gasol, Okafor, Iguodala and Brand, and with a nice schedule on tap, including a potential upset against a top team in Nothing But Nets, Boozers could finish strong and land a playoff spot.

9.) Nuclear B-balls – Nuclear still has a shot to lock down a playoff spot, but he will need to have solid showing against Chiefs and Pimps in the final weeks. Of course without Jefferson it will not be an easy task, but with many other teams battling injuries, Nuclear could land a five or six seed when all is said and done.

10.) Hipcats – Desperate times come for desperate measures; Hipcats must win out to have an outside shot at making the playoffs. Rashard will be back soon and his schedule is not as hard as some, but with being 23 games under .500, one more big loss would due him in.

11.) Pearly Whites – One of the many teams building from ground up with young players, Whites could be a playoff competitive teams as soon as next year; however, much of this depends on the development of Shaun Livingston.

12.) Dallas – Dallas has some great young pieces to build around in Roy, Granger and AK47; however, he also has some vets in Shaq, Wallace, Terry and Tmac who could have made this a strong playoff team. Injuries and a lack of depth hurt Dallas this year, but with key pieces for the future, look for him to be in the hunt again next season.

13.) Hixville Hunks – Racking up 117 losses with seven weeks to go will make any team look bad, but this team is not as bad as it looks; in fact, with Hinrich, Harrington and Yao, Hunks has a solid core to build around. Of course there is still a lot of work to be done, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

14.) street hoopz – Stacked with young, potentially good players, and one all star in Carlos Boozer, street hoopz outlook of the future is dependent on the likes of Bargnani, Morrison and Gay. All of which could wind up being serviceable players, but it will be a long time before hoopz is sniffing the playoffs again.

15.) Polly Urethane – Looking for street hoopz without Carlos Boozer? Look no further than Polly Urethane. Another team who has invested stock into the 2006 draft class will be rebuilding for years to come, but when all is said and done, he could become a top contender – in 2014.

16.) Lakers – This team must draft well in the future to have any sort of shot at competing later down the road. He has a few promising rookies in Foye and Tyrus Thomas, and even Andrew Bogut, but with five-six other teams implementing the same strategy, Lakers must separate himself from the pack in order to get back up to surface level.