Joe Flacco will surprise people this year, but we’d still start Matt Schaub over him this week.

Dear RotoRob,

Re: QB Selection in Week Three

Matt Schuab or Joe Flacco? I am in a head-to-head pool and have started the wrong guy in both weeks thus far. Now that they have each had a stellar week, I am unsure as to whom to plug in for Week Three. Can you help?

Grant

Hi Grant,

I think Flacco is really going to sneak up on some people this season, and there will be weeks when he could start over a lot of “regular” Fantasy starters. That being said, I don’t think this is one of those weeks: Cleveland has been terrible against the run so far (205 YPG against).

I think the Ravens will pound the rock all day Sunday, and I don’t see big numbers from Flacco as a result.

Andre Johnson has struggled against the Jags lately, and Rashean Mathis is a tough cover corner (look at Larry Fitzgerald’s numbers from last week). As a team, though, J-Ville is soft against the pass, and Houston’s lack of a running game (at least so far) and crummy defense leads me to believe that this game could be a shootout. Schaub probably won’t go off like last week, but he should put up solid numbers against the Jags.

I’d go with Schaub.

Dear RotoRob,

Team 1 sends Matt Cain and Ryan Zimmerman to Team 2 for Dan Haren and Troy Tulowitzki.

Which team gets the better deal?

Taylor

Hi Taylor,

Not having all the specifics, I have to assume this is a redraft league and not a keeper format. I’ve also assumed even though all four player are playing in the NL that it is a mixed league.
 
Let’s take a quick look at the numbers for the two pitchers involved.
 
Haren: 155 IP, 11 W, 6 L, 149 K, 23 BB, 2.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
Cain: 148 IP, 12 W, 3 L, 117 K, 54 BB, 2.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
 
At first glance, it appears that Haren has the edge, but we all know that he has a history when it comes to fading down the stretch. Cain is pitching in a situation where, although his offense is a bit weaker than the Diamondbacks, he has the support of a far superior pen heading down the stretch. I see some regression for Haren in every category except strikeouts where he should maintain an edge over the balance of the year. Straight up I give Cain a slight edge.
 
Now let’s move on to the two bats involved in this deal.
 
Tulowitzki: 341 AB, 61 R, 20 HR, 52 RBI, 51 BB, 76 K, 14 SB, .270
Zimmerman: 412 AB, 77 R, 21 HR, 70 RBI, 46 BB, 81 K, 0 SB, .294

This is another tough call. Currently, Tulo is leading all shortstops in homers with 20, he’s fourth in RBI and eighth in stolen bases with 14. At the hot corner, Zimmerman is second in homers, third in RBI, and carries a solid .294 BA. It appears that Zimmerman is the better choice looking at the numbers with homers being a draw and steals being the only category that Tulowitzki has the edge in.

The one intangible here would be the replacement factor. The replacement options at third base/corner infield are far deeper than at shortstop. Kyle Blanks, Adrian Beltre and Kevin Kouzmanoff — just to mention a few – are all possibly available on your league waiver wire. What is currently out there for shortstops? My guess would be nothing that will contribute significantly over the balance of the year. I’ll give the edge to Tulowitzki for that reason alone. Tulowitzki plus replacement at 3B is likely to outperform Zimmerman plus replacement at SS over the balance of 2009.

Overall, this is a great trade. Both parties are getting solid value in all the players involved and it would boil down to the specific needs of your team heading down the stretch. If you need the strikeouts and stolen base numbers and are looking to fill a short position at shortstop, with ERA/WHIP not a concern go with Haren and Tulowitzki. If your needs fall into the BA/RBI categories and ERA/WHIP/W from a pitching perspective I’d go with Cain and Zimmerman. The key from my perspective would be the unknown replacement players that are available to fill in the blanks at both shortstop and third base after this deal has been completed.

How does Juaquin Iglesias stack up against some of the other rookie receivers?

Dear RotoRob.com,

Do you think Juaquin Iglesias is worth a look at pick 176 in a dynasty draft? The best remaining rookie wide outs include Mohammed Massaquoi, Ramses Barden, Brandon Tate and Jarett Dilliard, and Jordy Nelson is getting heavy consideration from me. Nate Washington, Lee Higgins and Sidney Rice are left as well. Let me know via e-mail if you get this…thanks.

Hitchcock

Hey man,
 
Here are my thoughts on your options…
 
Rookies

Iglesias — All the buzz has centred on Johnny Knox, though things are wide open there, which is good. I’m not sold, though.

Massaquoi — Browns have no one outside of Braylon Edwards, but I think Brian Robiskie gets that job. Meh. 

Tate – You’ve got Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis…and we know Bill Belichick loves veterans. What’s more likely — that Tate breaks through or that he’s the second coming of Chad Jackson? I say option two.

Dillard – David Garrard does nothing for me and Jacksonville doesn’t have much of a track record with WRs not named Jimmy Smith.
 
Others

Nelson – He’s very interesting to me. Donald Driver is 34, and Nelson is the kind of tough possession receiver that excels in a West Coast offense. He’s a pick for 2010, but if you’re in a point-per-reception league I’d consider it even more strongly.

Higgins – He finished strong and has the most chemistry with JaMarcus Russell outside of Zach Miller. You could do worse.

Washington – He’s a third banana trying to be a first or second banana on a team that likes to run and rarely stretches the field, which is his strength. Move along.

Rice – I’m not sure what to make of him. He makes some spectacular plays, and should get a better effort from the QB position this year, but he’s also a little girl, which is a problem. To me he’s the top risk/reward guy of the eight you listed in that he could blow up with Brett Favre (assuming he does come to Minny) or just blow up when a DB bumps him and his knee shatters.
 
That’s all I got. Good luck.

Dear RotoRob,

Who do you think will hit the homers this year? And can you give me your own All-Star teams for the National and American Leagues?

Reggie Bush

Hi Reggie,

First off, how the hell is Kim?

I’m going to attempt to answer this one in two parts. Your first inquiry relates to who is going to smack the big flies this year and my answer is undoubtedly me. You see I live in the middle of nowhere, or should I say “God’s” country and we have more flies per square inch than pretty much anywhere on the face of the earth so undoubtedly I have to come up at the top of the charts on this one.

On a bit more of a serious note, I’d have to say that if I was forced into choosing one player that I’d want on my Fantasy team this year from a power perspective it would have to be Albert Pujols. The guy is a hitting machine and the best pure hitter in the game today. He’s currently second in the National League in homers with 13, leading in RBI with 37, and is sporting a mind boggling 1109 OPS. Hey, Hey, Hey, it’s gotta be “Phat” Albert.

Moving on to your second question, below are my choices for All-Stars from early on in the 2009 campaign. I’m going to take a look at this question from a Fantasy perspective and take into consideration not only the relative production, but also the relative draft position of these players for 2009. Without further ado, the All-Stars that would be leading your Fantasy squad onto victory this year:
 
Catcher: Bengie Molina (NL), Victor Martinez (AL)
First Base: Pujols (NL), Carlos Pena (AL)
Second Base: Rickie Weeks (NL), Aaron Hill (AL)
Third Base: Ryan Zimmerman (NL), Evan Longoria (AL)
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez (NL), Jason Bartlett (AL)
Outfield: Raul Ibanez, Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano (NL), Jason Bay, Johnny Damon, Carl Crawford (AL)
Designated Hitter: Brad Hawpe (NL), Adam Lind (AL)
Starting Pitcher (right): Dan Haren, Johnny Cueto (NL), Zack Greinke, Roy Halladay (AL)
Starting Pitcher (left): Johan Santana, Wandy Rodriguez (NL), Mark Buehrle, Erik Bedard (AL)
Closer: Trevor Hoffman, Ryan Franklin (NL), Frank Francisco, Bobby Jenks (AL)

I hope this helps, and continued good fortunes in all your Fantasy endeavours!

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Dear RotoRob,

I have been offered a trade in a keeper league. I have Delmon Young and am being offered Brandon Wood. Is either going to be any good or play?
 
Thank you.

Stephen

Hey Stephen,

I just got back from a trip to Minny to catch the Rays and Twins, which is rather appropriate considering your question. Let’s first take a quick spy at the results for both to date.

Young is 23 and now has in excess of 1,300 major league at bats. His strike zone judgment is limited as demonstrated by the strikeout-to-walk ratio. He does hit for a decent average and has shown flashes of both power and speed.

Wood is 24 and has demonstrated huge power potential at the Triple-A level. His strike zone judgment falls into much the same category as Young’s, albeit has been almost exclusively in the minors (so that’s not a good sign). He got called up mid-April and has only been given five at bats since the promotion. As I mentioned in The Wire Troll last week, why did the Angels even bother calling him up if they aren’t going to give him the opportunity to play?

I’d keep Young. He has at least a track record at the MLB level. Unless the Halos make a move to free up a position, it doesn’t appear that playing time is even going to be remotely considered with Wood. Young is at least splitting time with Carlos Gomez and any sort of slump on Gomez’s part – or someone else in the crowded Minny OF/DH situation — could ensure even more at bats. Long term, I prefer Young as he has at least offered some hope at the big league level. Both players are risks but at this time at least Young, with that solid 2007 season, has shown the ability to play at the MLB level, something Wood hasn’t demonstrated to date.

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The Detroit Pistons failed to get back to .500 for the first time since late-March as they lost 106-102 in Indiana Saturday, ending a three-game winning streak, the team’s best run in over a month.

The eighth-place Pistons’ recent surge has gone for naught, with the Chicago Bulls surging of late, and soaring over Detroit and into seventh place with their win over the Bobcats Saturday. Saturday’s loss not only ensures Detroit’s first non-winning season since 2000-01, but also seriously damages the Pistons’ chances of regaining the seventh seed and avoiding Cleveland in the opening round. How much do you think the Pacers – a team with an ugly recent history with Detroit – enjoyed hurting the Pistons chances?

Of course, Detroit still has a golden opportunity with the Bulls coming to town on Monday night – a game that will likely seal both teams’ fates.

Clearly, the Pistons’ days of being a power in the East are over. They won 59 games last season – a seventh straight year of at least 50 Ws – but have yet to even reach the 40-win mark this season, with just two games to go. The Allen Iverson trade was a fiasco, making it obvious that it’s time to blow this thing up. Fortunately, there’s been some pleasant developments among some of the team’s younger players, specifically in the backcourt.

Rodney Stuckey has maintained his starting job despite some recent competition from Will Bynum. However, his minutes are down lately (he spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench Saturday) and he hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard. Of course, 5-for-17 shooting over the past two games will do that. On the plus side, Stuckey continues to facilitate, dropping almost seven dimes per game over the past three contests. And his less than normal workload will keep him fresh come playoff time. Stuckey isn’t getting the same number of touches he did last month, but his owners have to be pleased with the fact that his perimeter game is showing signs of life with five treys in six April games so far. While Stuckey hasn’t exploded like many of us predicted heading into the season, he has made significant progress, becoming a much bigger part of the Detroit offense and showing glimpses of being an outside threat.

Speaking of Bynum, he’s emerged as one of the team’s best players over the past month, gaining nice traction in fantasy leagues as a result. In fact, if you need a last-gasp push, Bynum could provide it for your team. He turned in another fine outing Saturday, scoring 16 points in 21 minutes with six assists, four boards and a key steal late in the game. He was on the floor at crunch time – scoring or assisting on 18 of Detroit’s last 22 points – so it’s obvious he’s truly ingrained himself as a key component of the team. Could you use 15 points and 4.5 assists per game? That’s what Bynum is providing his owners so far in April, and he’s even starting to hoist up the occasional long bomb, averaging one attempt per game from beyond the arc. After spending the past two seasons playing in Israel, Bynum has followed the Anthony Parker model, and like the Raptor guard, looks like he’s back in the NBA for good.

Veteran Richard Hamilton said Saturday’s loss didn’t matter because the Pistons are already in the playoffs and apparently don’t care who they play — according to Rip anyways. Hamilton’s been inconsistent of late, but he brought his game Saturday, scoring a team-high 23 points with five assists, four rebounds and two 3-pointers. Rip only sunk 10-of-23 (missing a key shot with about a minute and a half to play that would have put Detroit up by three), but owners can’t complain, as he’s shot the ball well lately (46 per cent in April). Hamilton also seems to have calmed down from his barrage of long distance shots; last week, he put up 14 treys in a two-game span, but has attempted a much more reasonable seven 3-pointers in the three games since. Although it’s been a strange season for Hamilton, spending some time as the sixth man after having been a full-time starter his entire run in Detroit, he still has managed to get starter-type minutes, with 34 per game. And with 15.5 FGA per game, any thought that AI’s presence would cut into Rip’s touches has also been unfounded; in fact, he’s gotten enough plays to be the team’s leading scorer – something he’s done every single season since landing in MoTown seven years ago. Unfortunately, after enjoying an excellent season shooting the ball in 2007-08, Hamilton has struggled this year.

After enduring his first single-digit scoring night of April on Friday, Tayshaun Prince bounced back Saturday, sinking 7-of-9 from the field and all three of his attempts from the charity stripe for 18 points in 42 minutes. He even had a play called for him by coach Michael Curry out of a timeout with less than a minute to play, however, he had it stolen from him – one of four TOs — and he managed just three boards and one assist with no blocks or steals. Then again, as we observed last month, a lack of steals is nothing new for Prince. It’s a damn good thing Prince was shooting the lights out Saturday, because he’s not getting many touches lately. His 10.5 FGA in April is the lowest it’s been this season, as Prince is being affected by the emergence of Bynum. He’s only scoring 13.5 PPG in April, and unfortunately the rest of his numbers are suffering as well. The durable Prince has enjoyed a fine year – his best since 2004-05 – setting a career high in MPG and FGA, but he’s been generally ineffective when owners need him the most as they battle in their fantasy playoffs.

If Detroit has any designs on winning its fifth straight Western Conference regular season title, then it better find a way to earn a win against the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The Wings have pulled away in the Central Division and have made slight gains on the Sharks, yet remain five points back with two more games played than San Jose heading into action Wednesday. With this being the final meeting between the two teams, it’s obvious that this is as close to a must-win game that Detroit will face until the postseason.

It’s not as if the Wings have slacked off at any time this season. Their worst month was January (and really that was limited to a late slump), and I doubt the 7-4-2 mark last month sent any of their fans into therapy. In fact, Detroit, one of the model organizations of the league, is on its way to bettering its record for the second straight season. Yet, San Jose is showing no cracks in its game, making it next to impossible for Detroit to gain any traction in the standings. Are the Wings locked into the No. 2 seed in the West? We’ll have a much clearer idea after this battle.

There are a couple of factors working against Detroit here: it’s dropped two of the last three vs. San Jose; and the Wings aren’t exactly soaring right now. Sure, they had rhymed off six straight wins earlier this month, but have been uncharacteristically middling over the past five games (2-2-1) after getting dumped by 5-2 in Minnesota on Saturday.

Some things to watch for in this game:

• Claude Lemieux will not get a standing ovation in his return to Motor City after a five-year retirement. The 43-year-old super pest is among the most hated men in Detroit history. Something tells me the half decade Lemieux spent in his rocking chair hasn’t changed that.
• Detroit’s goaltending situation is in a bit of a mess right now. Prospect Jimmy Howard was brought up from Grand Rapids to take the place of the slumping Chris Osgood, who has been given a “mental breather.” Howard, who is enjoying an excellent season, didn’t fare well in his season debut on Saturday as he got rocked early, but he is someone to keep an eye on for the future. With the aging Osgood suffering through his worst NHL season, Ty Conklin has proved to be a real saviour for the Wings this season, and he’s definitely someone you want to consider adding if you need a goalie. In our pre-season rankings, we expressed concern over Osgood’s ability to handle a huge workload, but certainly didn’t see this collapse coming. Osgood’s 10-day break will end Friday night when he goes back in net against the Kings. If Detroit has any hope of making a move on San Jose, it will need Osgood to return to his form from last season, or at least something resembling that. Conklin, meanwhile, will be looking to extend his 11-game home winning streak – a run that has matched the third best in Red Wing history. Overall, he’s a perfect five-for-five when he starts in February. Like I said, Conklin has been an absolutely lifesaver for the Wings.
• This is a battle pitting the top two power plays in the NHL against each other. However, Detroit didn’t exactly look like the best power play team in the league Saturday, going 0-for-5 with the man advantage, but had gone 9-for-17 in the three games before that loss. And therein lies the difference between these two teams: while San Jose – with the fourth best penalty killing unit in the league – is capable of shutting down Detroit’s power play, the same can’t be said for the Wings, who are one of the worst penalty killing teams in the NHL. Advantage San Jose.
• Dan Cleary, who just keeps getting better since he arrived in Motown, is heating up with three goals and two assists in his past four games. Need a forward? He could be available, and while he isn’t racking up the +/- numbers he did last season, Cleary is headed for his first 45-point season, a total he should easily eclipse now that he’s been moved to the top line in Detroit. Now, if he can just learn to stay healthy, he could turn into a serious difference maker. A jaw injury cost him a good chunk of 2007-08, and this season it was an eye injury.
• Don’t look for the Wings to get shut down very often like Saturday, when the Wild held them to a pair of goals. Detroit definitely had its struggles when it limped out of January on a season-worst five-game losing skid, but since then, the Wings have turned it own, scoring 48 goals in 11 games while going 8-2-1. Having said that, this week is a tough test for Detroit’s NHL-leading offense, as it had to deal with Minnesota, and its second-best GAA in the NHL, and now San Jose, almost as good with the third best GAA.
• As great as he was last season in his debut with the Wings, Brian Rafalski has been even better this season as he puts together a career year, at least offensively, at the age of 35. He’s recorded assists in four straight games (six helpers in total), and going back even further, he has 12 points in his last eight games and has managed two or more points in half of those contests. He made the top 10 in our pre-season rankings, and although his +/- isn’t as high as we’d like, Rafalski certainly has been all that on offense.

Hello faithful readers. I just wanted to remind you that as a courtesy to you all, we have experts for baseball, basketball, football and hockey available to answer your fantasy questions here at RotoRob.

See that handy “Got a Fantasy Question?” link in the left column? Just click the damn thing, submit your question, and bingo! We’ll do our best to get you a complete and enlightening answer as soon as possible.

Better yet, if your question is deemed useful and intelligent enough, we’ll even post it on the site in an upcoming Dear RotoRob column. How much better does it get without beer?

Don’t be shy…go ahead and do your worst! Ask us a fantasy question.

Dear RotoRob,
 
I have read what you’ve written in the Fantasy Baseball Guide (the Peter Kreutzer one) over the past few years, and also have read your site. I have two questions concerning keepers.
 
I play in a 5×5 Standard Roto League on Yahoo! We have 30-man rosters (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 5x OF, 2x UTIL — can be from any position — 9x P, and nine bench spots). We keep eight players every season.
 
My roster for the last year:
 
C: Kelly Shoppach
1B: Kevin Youkilis, Carlos Delgado
2B: Dustin Pedroia, Brian Roberts
3B: Garrett Atkins
SS: Jhonny Peralta, Troy Tulowitzki (Worst keeper decision that I ever made!)
OF: Jay Bruce, Pat Burrell, Jermaine Dye, Brad Hawpe, Lastings Milledge, Carlos Quentin, Ichiro Suzuki, Shane Victorino
SP: Dave Bush, Matt Garza, Randy Johnson, Jair Jurrjens, Jesse Litsch, Kyle Lohse, Jason Marquis, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brandon Webb
RP: Joba Chamberlain, Joe Nathan, B.J. Ryan, Joakim Soria, Brad Ziegler
 
My two questions:
 
1. I have heard a lot of hype for Victorino so far. I love him, but I don’t know if he is worth keeping, especially considering the glut of outfielders on this team. Is he worth it?
 
2. Outside of Webb, are there any starting pitchers worth keeping?
 
I hope you get back to me, but if you don’t I understand…I’m sure you get hundreds of e-mails like this every day!
 
Thanks a lot,
 
Brian

Brian,

Well hundreds of e-mails is a bit of a stretch, but we’re always willing to help faithful readers.

The fact that you can’t wheel and deal before you declare who you are protecting does cause this analysis to be a bit of a challenge. You simply have too many solid players (and my hats off to you for acquiring them) for the number of protection slots in your league.
 
I’m a huge proponent of building in a solid core of speed into my fantasy squads, and in particular in a league format such as yours where (I’m assuming) you have a total of 12 teams x eight = 96 keepers. If you don’t protect the speed my guess is it simply won’t be there come draft day. You really don’t want to be chasing the Juan Pierres of the world if at all avoidable. I’ll list the no-brainers first, and then try to pare this one down to a final eight.
 
1. Youkilis, 1B (1B/3B eligibility is a big plus)
2. Pedroia 2B
3. Quentin OF
4. Webb SP
5. Nathan RP
 
All five of these guys are must keepers, in my opinion. They all represent top tier production at their respective positions. I’ve found this year that both middle-infield and first base tend to be top heavy and shorten themselves very quickly and Youk becomes a must keep as a result. As mentioned, the multi-position eligibility is also a nice bonus. Now the fun part…the other guys that should be considered: Roberts, Hawpe, Suzuki, Victorino, Matsuzaka and Soria.

I’d cut:

Dice-K – The WBC participation and the high walks concern me and the pool of starting pitching is rather deep this year, allowing you to get away by keeping just one SP. Just looking at your cuts alone leads me to believe the middle tier of SP in your league should allow you solid options.

Soria – I love the guy, but not at the expense of the offense you’d have to cut to keep him. Closers traditionally have a 25 per cent turnover, and between your draft and the waiver wire you should be able to find saves to add to the 40 or so Nathan gives you.

Hawpe – Another guy I love, but with Quentin and Youk, you already have a decent power base and to keep him you have to be looking at cutting the stolen bases, which are probably not going to be available in your draft. Power will be available in your draft way before speed is my guess. Take the lesser of two evils and keep whatever is going to be easier to replace later on.

That then leaves you with Ichiro, Roberts, and Victorino as your last three keepers. Combined, they represent 100+ stolen bases, an excellent BA, and a slew of runs scored. By keeping Roberts, it also forces someone to be a tad thin at the 2B slot, and that’s a good thing as finding a replacement there would be tough. Someone in your league is going to have to start a 2B that is not going to be an asset. I also think that Victorino has the potential to hit 15-18 homers, which is sweet. Add in Pedroia and it gives you a pretty good shot at a top four finish or better in stolen bases. Let your league mates chase the Juan Pierre types.

You certainly have some tough choices to make and I wish you well with them. My approach, and I believe it’s a solid one, is to identify both quality players, and players with skill sets that will be a challenge to acquire on draft day. You have a slew of other players that in most leagues would be considered keepers such as Burrell, Bruce, Dye, Ryan, Peralta, Garza, Delgado, and Atkins. I’d be strongly lobbying to increase the keepers to about 20 if I owned your team!

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I am being offered Tayshaun Prince for Devin Harris. Do you think Prince can continue his amazing lines? I am not sure if this trade is worthy or not.

Thanks for any help.

Amalia

Amalia,

I am certain Prince will continue to flourish with Allen Iverson in and Chauncey Billups out. In fact, he snapped a mini slump Sunday with 20 points, two treys, two steals and a block. Having said that, I wouldn’t take the trade, especially if you’re in a league that doesn’t count turnovers. To give you an idea, in a 9-cat league, I just offered Andrei Kirilenko and Rudy Fernandez for Harris. If you’re looking at players that would be good value for Harris straight up, I’d want Josh Smith, or maybe even Al Jefferson in return.

It’s that time of year again and I could use your sage advice. I just had my fantasy basketball draft. The format is 12 teams, H2H with FG percentage, FT percentage, 3-pointers made, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks and Turnovers. We start: G, G, F, F, C and two utility spots (with four bench players). I drafted 10th overall and we have since decided to add another bench spot (five in total), so I would have the third pick off the waiver wire.

I need help evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of my team, and picking from the waiver wire.

1st Kevin Garnett
2nd Josh Smith
3rd Rudy Gay
4th Jason Kidd
5th Mike Miller
6th Tyson Chandler
7th Leandro Barbosa
8th Raymond Felton
9th Marcus Williams
10th Nene Hilario
11th Thaddeus Young

Players available on the wire include Monta Ellis (I shouldered the Gilbert Arenas load all last year and it crippled my team), Ronnie Brewer, Matt Barnes, Wilson Chandler, Tyrus Thomas, Jordan Farmar, Chris Duhon, Mickael Pietrus, Rodney Stuckey, Bobby Simmons, Andray Blatche, Paul Millsap, Sean May, (Ricky Davis?), etc.

Thanks for your help.

Jordan

Jordan,

Well, I see a lack of assists outside of Kidd. Felton has lost the Bobcats confidence (and could be overtaken by D.J. Augustin) and Williams was supposed to take over for Baron Davis in Golden State, but hasn’t even played yet, and is clearly not fitting in with Don Nelson. Nene is off to a great start, but is going to be a bust if he can’t stay healthy for more than one straight game, so I would want the bench player to be a big man. From what you listed, I’d pick up Thomas, Blatche followed by May. Millsap is a season away from getting his minutes (he is waiting for Carlos Boozer to bolt or possibly be dealt).

Do any of you have one available or can you offer a written rule on when to veto a trade?

I’m the commissioner of a custom Yahoo! basketball league where most of us are in our second year together and we switched from a voting format to a situation where the commissioner decides on vetoing deals.

Last year, when I solicited input and votes we would get five or six strong opinions, but not enough votes in a 20-team format to overturn trades that many of us thought were unfair.

Now that I am the dictator, I’m trying to come up with an impartial rule (after the fact). My sense is that a trade should be vetoed for one of three reasons: (a) If it appears that the two teams are the same person or colluding together to make another team obviously better; (b) If one of the owners appeared to have been lacking important information such as a recent injury/actual NBA trade that should be considered; or (c) If an owner is extremely novice, and unfamiliar with the scoring system of the league.

This last one is the fuzziest – any help on cleaning it up?

This might be good column to write on – perhaps?

Regards,

Matt

Matt,

I can’t go into your league because I am not a member of it. But, a trade should only be vetoed when collusion is involved or the trade is so lopsided that it is in the best interest of the league to protect an owner from himself. I don’t like the idea of telling someone how to run their team unless it is absolutely necessary.

Now, with that being said, if team A trades, say, Larry Hughes to team B for T.J. Ford and Team B didn’t know Hughes was going to miss four-to-six weeks, that is Team B’s call. Ask him if he knew about the injury and if he still wants to do it. I am the Commish of a league and if I see something like that I will give all the insider info I have on injuries to both teams and ask if they still want to do it or not. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.

What I will also do if I think a trade is lopsided is I will ask for reasoning for the trade before I veto it. And, I say it just like that so they know my position and I want to know why trades are made before I decline them. If they make a strong case, fine. If they don’t, veto! Saying some stupid crap like “Ya, I traded Jose Calderon for Ford because now that Ford is running the offense in Indiana, he is going to bust out with Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy.” Uh, I am a writer for the Pacers and I am with the team all the time, and I say no he won’t! Jarrett Jack will steal minutes from him. Ford is a top 20-ish PG, but his injury history is too much of a concern to deal him for a viable top 10 PG. Veto!

Basically, you can’t make everyone run their team as you run yours. The veto button is only to be used for collusion or extremely lopsided trades. Just because you don’t agree with it doesn’t mean it isn’t a fair deal. You may take a hit at PG because you have depth there to pick up a C because you are weak there. Most people will look at those stupid Yahoo! rankings and say “No. 102 ranked for No. 68, that ain’t fair!” But, centres generally get lower overall rankings because their stats are rebounds, blocks, and FG% mostly. Use it sparingly, grasshopper! Hope that helps clear it up for you.

Chauncey Billups, Lamar Odom, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen for Russell Westbrook, Robin Lopez, Andrea Bargnani and Manu Ginobili.

And James’ response to this proposed trade:

I just got the actual trade e-mail now. Based on what I see, I’d veto it. What he gets back is really just Manu and he is ranked around the lower end of the top 20 for SGs. Bargnani is coming off the bench behind Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh. Lopez isn’t even in the rotation now, so you can’t count on anything from him. Westbrook isn’t a true PG and couldn’t win the job from Earl Watson! Maybe he overtakes him at some point in the season, but not to start.

On the other side, Odom is a legit top 15 SF and Billups is a top 6-8 fantasy PG. Okay, Haslem isn’t much, but right now he’s starting at C for the Heat with Michael Beasley at PF and he’s playing very well. Andersen shouldn’t have even been drafted! Nene is the starter and Steven Hunter (when healthy) is in the mix. Every star in the sky would have to align for Anderson to have fantasy value in your draft.

Basically, I’d say the guy who gets Odom and Billups get twice the deal as the other GM.

Haslem = Bargnani or Lopez
Manu = Odom
Westbrook = Anderson
Billups is supposed to be worth Bargnani or Lopez? Heck no!

I’d veto it.

I need some advice about some trade offers in my NBA dynasty league. Again, we have a 20-man roster and only draft rookies. I have the No. 2 pick in my draft and with the big two (Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley) available, I have a number of scenarios given to me from my league mates inquiring about the availability of the pick.

My guards right now are: Jose Calderon, Beno Udrih, Randy Foye, Kirk Hinrich, Rajon Rondo, Joe Johnson, Jameer Nelson and Monta Ellis.

My power forwards and centres are: Chris Bosh, LaMarcus Aldridge, Charlie Villanueva, Linas Kleiza and Andrew Bogut.

And Greg Oden will be added to my 20-man list before the draft.

I have been offered Brandon Roy and Rodney Stuckey for the chance to draft Beasley or Rose. Other picks involved would be my No. 10 and his No. 19.

I have also been offered No. 6, No. 12, No. 14 and a player to be considered for the No. 2 and No. 10 picks.

A third offer is Andrew Bynum or Thaddeus Young for the No. 2 pick. This offer comes from the guy that has the No. 1 pick in the draft.

I really like Rose and would love to add him to my group, but Beasley is also an intriguing prospect to add to my bigs.

Any thoughts on what might be the best avenue?

My other good players are Kevin Durant, Danny Granger, Luol Deng and Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

My PG situation is up in the air with Calderon asking either to be the starter or be moved. Will Foye be the PG for Minnesota? Can Udrih stay at the point for Sacramento? And can Hinrich come back from what was possibly his worse season ever?

Thanks.

Daryl

Daryl,

If I had your team I would want Rose more than Beasley. You have the forwards and centre in Bosh, Aldridge and Bogut and a crap load of so-so PGs to follow. Beasley would get lost in your shuffle, but Rose would fill the glaring weakness that I see.

Roy and Stuckey for Rose doesn’t help. Roy is more of a two-guard that can get assists and Stuckey has yet to really show us what he can do.

Three picks for two means you get deeper, but not really better as you drop out of the top five and only gain two guys in the middle of the top 10-15. So, two so-so guys and a possible impact player at six for Rose? No thanks. If he was that good he would have went top five, so No. 6 doesn’t impress me too much.

Bynum should be okay after his surgery, so if you’re sold on his recovery, then he’s an option. Do note that the Lakers haven’t slowed down offensively at all without him. As for Young, he isn’t very good and there ain’t no way in hell I let the guy picking No. 1 also get the No. 2 anyway!

From the sounds of it, the PG job in Minny is Foye’s, unless of course, the team opts to move him and pick up Jarred Bayless in the draft, something that’s being discussed as a possibility.

I wouldn’t count on Udrih, however. There’s talk the Kings are targeting Texas PG D.J. Augustin in the draft. Another possibility is they make a deal with the Raptors for T.J. Ford. Either way, many believe Udrih, as good a job as he did this year, is ticketed for the bench in 2008-09.

I can’t imagine Captain Kirk not bouncing back, but the question is where will this recovery take place? One rumour had Hinrich being included in a deal to Miami for Dwyane Wade. I doubt that will happen, but it’s quite likely Hinrich will get moved, and that actually may be a very good thing. A change of scenery could do wonders for him after such an awful season.

The question is: How to I stay in first throughout the season?

Here’s my roster:

C Geovany Soto
1B Prince Fielder
2B Ian Kinsler
3B Garrett Atkins
SS Orlando Cabrera
OF Carl Crawford
OF Jeff Francoeur
OF Josh Hamilton
UT Ryan Zimmerman
UT Edwin Encarnacion
BN Ryan Church

P Joakim Soria
P Bobby Jenks
P Ervin Santana
P Max Scherzer
P Dustin McGowan
P Tim Lincecum
P Josh Beckett
BN Jair Jurrjens

DL Wandy Rodriguez
DL Noah Lowry

Rocknfunk

Rocknfunk,

Have the best team. Don’t ride the waiver wire like it is the city bus. Too many stops on and off usually means you pick someone up after they are hot and they will cool off the second you get them. The waiver wire is like the stock market — and most people don’t make good day traders because they buy when it is doing good which means they missed the buy low point and bought it on a high.

Look to trade someone that is overvalued like Church or Santana. They are doing great — in May. But, their three-year splits show they are most likely going to slump back down to Earth pretty quickly. But low, sell high. Pick up the break-out guy, but don’t jump on everything that looks good over the past week. Look at the past month and see what the difference is between the week and month totals.

Francisco Garcia has been dropped in my dynasty league. I have some candidates for dropping to pick him up:

Kirk Hinrich
Nate Robinson
Jameer Nelson
Jordan Farmar (I hesitate to drop him, because I think he is talented enough when given the chance)
Thabo Sefolosha
Linas Kleiza
Charlie Villanueva

Do you think any of these guys are worth keeping at all?

Daryl

Daryl,

I worry about Robinson and Hinrich the most out of those guys. N-Rob is just so small and the Knicks don’t seem to have enough faith in him to play him constantly. Hinrich may be about as good as he is going to get right now. I’m not sold on Robinson as a PG because all he does is score. He doesn’t get numbers in assists or steals and that is what makes a PG. I don’t care if he’s a former Slam Dunk Champ – dunk him off your team. As for Captain Kirk, he was a massive disappointment and he did a great job of dragging the Bulls down with him this season.

Dear RotoRob,

Let us switch gears here. I am looking at guys from other teams right now that haven’t played to their potential (at least in my mind) to maybe try to pry them away from a few owners. One guy I am targeting is Andrea Bargnani.

What do you think of his progress going forward?

Thanks.

Daryl

Daryl,

I think this was the season he was supposed to do it and he didn’t. Rasho Nesterovic (who has an $8.4 million player option for next year) is 33 years old next month and Bargnani is 23 right now, so I think Bargnani is still the Raps’ idea of the centre of the future for them, but he is looking a lot like a 10-11 point/3-4 rebound guy to me. Maybe he steps up his play and gets better, but I think of him more as Darko Milicic (except with more points and less rebounds and blocks) than Zydrunas Ilgauskas. But the similarities (young, European big man who has yet to approach his lofty expectations) are striking. Obviously, Bargnani has a ways to go before he really is the next Dirk Nowitzki.

I have no doubt that Bargnani will get better – remember how long it takes big men to develop — but it doesn’t look like he will get a lot better than he is right now. Did he simply slump all year, or is he just a bust? It’s too soon to tell.

Some guys to look at next year are Francisco Garcia, Jason Maxiell, Devin Harris if you can get him, Ramon Sessions and/or Chris Quinn. Bargnani is the popular pick for people because he is the name, but I think what you see is what you get with him and if you are happy with a centre that nets you the rebounds of a PG, then go for it.

Dear RotoRob,

Typically I don’t quibble and just enjoy the articles, but Mehmet Okur over Andrei Kirilenko for Utah’s “dud” is arguable and Jason Kapono over Andrei Bargnani for Toronto is just flat out wrong. Bargnani was drafted by many to be a No. 2 centre and taken as early as the fifth round, while Kapono was a back-up forward at best and wasn’t drafted in many leagues.

I definitely commend the rest of the picks for duds since they are guys that hurt squads and weren’t just nobodies.

Nashua

Hi Nashua,

You weren’t the only one to suggest that AK-47 should have gotten the call as the Jazz dud (see below), but here’s my reasoning:

While Kirilenko still hasn’t come close to getting back to his peak years (2003-04 to 2005-06), he was much better than last season’s disaster. Note that AK-47 set career highs in FG percentage and 3-point percentage, played more games, got more PT and, other than his blocks, everything else was up. Yes, his rebounding numbers were again greatly disappointing, but Kirilenko was up in FT percentage, steals, assists and points.

Okur, on the other hand, while hardly a major flop, did backslide for the second straight year. First off, for the first time since arriving in Utah, he wasn’t durable, missing ten games. Additionally, he experienced declines in MPG and blocks (he’s almost a non-factor in this department now). His free throw attempts per game were down significantly as was his scoring (a decrease of 3.1 PPG). Hence, he got my vote.

As for the Raptors, I agree that Bargnani could have easily taken this one, especially given the expected growth in his sophomore year. However, he stayed healthy, improved his FT shooting and saw an improvement in his assists. Was his year a disappointment? Yes, absolutely. But Kapono completely tanked, and simply didn’t play enough to be of use except in super deep leagues. Like I said, Bargnani is an excellent choice, and now that I look again and consider everything, I am swayed that he probably screwed more owners than Kapono’s precipitous fall did.

Just wanted to let you know that I had Okur on my fantasy team this year and right before the trade deadline in mid-march I received and offer of Al Jefferson for him. I would be stupid not to take it right? Well, because I am a Jazz fan I held off and Memo came up huge for me in the playoffs. Not only did he solidify my rebounding – he was in the top five in rebounding in the last three weeks of the regular season – but he allowed me to sneak out a huge upset in the semis because he helped me get the 3 pt category. That 3 pt category determined the victor.

Memo had a horrible stretch in the middle of the year, but when the playoffs came he was, as they say, “Money!”

I’d say the bigger dud on the Jazz this year was Kirilenko.

Steve

Hi Steve,

Fair enough, Okur’s stretch play was definitely a factor, but I was looking at the entire body of work. See above for a more complete description of that.

I won my championship and wanted to say thanks for giving me better advice than those guys at NBA.com. Y’all should really apply for their jobs.

Thanks to y’all I snatched Elton Brand and Brandon Roy off the waiver wires in addition to Chris Quinn, Ramon Sessions and Channing Frye.

Meanwhile Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala, Lamar Odom, Nick Collison, Shaquille O’Neal and Andris Biedrins brought home the title for me in a 12-team H2H league.

I’m 300 smackers richer. See y’all when fantasy football starts!

James

Hi James,

Y’all are welcome, my man! We’re here to help.

Bruce Bowen was up to his old tricks Wednesday night, i.e., pissing off opponents. Well, his elbow to the ribs of Amare Stoudemire only succeeded in firing up Stat, who came up big to lead the Suns to an immense 96-79 win over the Spurs. In today’s Daily Dose, we explore the situation.

Rafer Alston made an immediate impact upon his return; Chris Bosh was lights out; Charlie Villanueva had the finest night of his season; usual durable Shane Battier got hurt; Manu Ginobili is just one of many ice cold Spurs; and Tim Duncan is a double-double machine.

Do try to drag yourself away from Dooce long enough to read up on the latest fantasy basketball tidbits. We’ve got you covered in today’s Dose.

Dear RotoRob,

Would you drop Big Ben for Hakim Warrick when your team is:

G – Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, Flip Murray, Jason Williams, Rudy Gay, Corey Maggette and Bonzi Wells
F — Carmelo Anthony, Rasheed Wallace, Caron Butler, Al Thornton
C — Amare Stoudemire, Marcus Camby, Al Horford

Sean

Sean,

Yes, Ben Wallace isn’t the same player he once was, especially with concerns over his back, and the Grizzlies need Warrick down the stretch more than ever.

Tom,

I see them as West, Navarro and Cook, then Murray and Wells. Murray won’t be well rounded enough to make a real difference and Wells is going to be on and off. I’ve watched Murray warm up and talked to him over the past week and I like him as a scorer, but not as my PG.

Dear RotoRob,

I think very highly of your insight. I am in a H2H, points league for the first time. We start three outfielders with two Utilities and two SPs, two RPs with three open pitching spots. The settings are as follows:

R (1), 1B (1), 2B (2), 3B (3), HR (4), RBI (1), SB (3), BB (.5)

IP (1.5), W (8), SHO (10), SV (8), ER (-1), BB (-.25), K (1)

I think there is a clear advantage for hitters. Do you agree?

Thank you for your input. I appreciate it!

Ben

Ben,

Yes, this league is clearly heavy for hitters. Based on the settings I see here, you could wait five or six rounds before taking your first pitcher and be just fine. You go get someone like Prince Fielder for the homers, Curtis Granderson for the triples and, say, Juan Pierre for the steals and you are sitting pretty when people think you are dumb.

If it were me, I’d lock up home runs, triples and steals then go for a pitcher. But, I’d have like two of each of the batting stats before I took my first pitcher. Wins and saves are the money settings. Sure, shutouts are 10 points, but Brandon Webb was the MLB leader and he had three last season. That stat is impossible to predict.

Re: NBA Daily Dose: Rocket Roll

The main reason Chuck Hayes ate into Luis Scola’s minutes was because Scola picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game. He didn’t get back in until late in the second quarter. Just a heads up.

James

Hey James,
 
Thanks for letting me know. Still, Coach Rick Adelman was very complimentary of Hayes’ performance that night, so it definitely seemed worth of a mention. By the way, you must be freakin’ stoked about your team! So impressive.

Dear RotoRob,

Great article, however, Al Horford isn’t exactly “losing steam.” Post All-Star break, he’s averaging 11.4 points, 9.1 boards, and 1.9 assists while shooting 52 per cent from the field and 85 per cent from the line. Yeah, his boards are down a little, but his points and percentages are up, and he gets a block and nearly a steal a game. That’s perfectly fine by me.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the note.

I was also looking at the fact that he was getting just 8.7 boards per game in March – good, but not up the standards he’s set. His scoring has been decent, but he still doesn’t get enough steals or blocks to compensate for that. Don’t get me wrong; Horford’s had a fine rookie season, but there’s probably a reason he’s winding up on some waiver wires. I’ve noticed him slipping in the past two weeks in terms of the percentage of leagues he’s owned in. That could be a big mistake, of course, but it was worth noting.