Announcement

Writing a post every single day is too much writing for me. From this point on, I'll write weekly posts.

Where Four Poor Teams Play On Thanksgiving (Day 31)

Two games on Thanksgiving night. In the first, the Atlanta Hawks rolled the Wizards, 116-96, behind Josh Smith's all around line of 20 points on 8-14 shooting, 4-4 free throws, with 14 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Joe Johnson (21 points on 8-16 shooting, 3-5 treys, 2-2 free throws, with 5 boards, 5 assists, no turnovers) was typical Joe Johnson, and Al Horford (15 points on 6-11 shooting, 3-3 free throws, with 13 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks) had a double-double, as well. The Wizards were led by Gilbert Arenas and his 21, 6 and 8, with 4 treys and 3 steals.

Where The Wolves Are Fun To Watch (Day 30)

Kevin Love (32 points on 11-19 shooting, 9-9 free throws, with 22 boards and 3 assists, with a trey) continued his torrid rebounding spree, and Darko Milicic (22, 8 and 4, on 10-17 shooting with 5 blocks) had another solid line, but the Wolves blew a 21-point lead and fell to the Spurs in overtime, 113-109. San Antonio won their 12th straight, as they were led by Manu Ginobili's 26 points on 8-17 shooting, 4-10 treys, 6-7 free throws, with 6 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block. To be honest, before the season started, I viewed the Timberwolves' organization as a joke. Even the Wolves' organization didn't take itself seriously. But ever since the whole Wes Johnson/Kevin Love failed handshake, the documentary following it, Darko and Michael Beasley's resurgence, and the whole minutes issue being resolved, the Wolves have become- well, somewhat competitive and quite fun to watch.

Where Dirk Almost Scores Half His Team's Points (Day 29)

Dirk Nowitzki exploded tonight for 42 points on 13-23 shooting, 3-3 treys, 13-16 free throws, with 12 boards, an assist, and 2 blocks, with only 1 turnover, as he led the Mavs to a comeback victory over the Pistons, 88-84. For Detroit, Rodney Stuckey (19 points on 4-8 shooting, 10-10 free throws, with 5 boards, 3 assists, and only 1 turnover) and Tayshaun Prince (19 and 5 on 9-13 shooting, with a block and no turnovers) were solid.

Where Melo Plays Against The Warriors (Day 28)

I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems as though almost half the daily top performers happen to be playing against the Warriors the night they post their monster line. (Though, according to basketballmonster.com's Ease Rankings, Minnesota, Phoenix, Los Angeles [Clippers], and Memphis are better match-ups overall.) Carmelo Anthony took advantage of the Warriors for 39 points on 10-24 shooting, 2-4 treys, 17-17 free throws, with 9 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals, to lead the Nuggets over Golden State, 106-89. Al Harrington chipped in 19 points on 7-13 shooting, 5-7 treys, with 8 boards and 4 assists, with no turnovers, against his former team. For Golden State, Stephen Curry had 17, 7 and 5, with a trey and 3 steals.

Where Pau Is Perfect (Day 27)

Pau Gasol (28 points on 10-10 shooting, 8-8 free throws, with 9 boards, 5 assists and 4 blocks, with only 1 turnover) didn't miss a single shot tonight as he led the Lakers to a rout over the Warriors, 117-89. Kobe Bryant (20, 6 and 5, with no turnovers) and Lamar Odom (15, 10 and 3, on 5-8 shooting, 1-2 treys, 4-4 free throws, with a steal and 2 blocks) were okay, but the Warriors were no match for the Lakers at all. Los Angeles had a 30-point lead in the first half, and there was no point watching the second half.

Where Blake Griffin's Talent Is Going To Waste (Day 26)

It's really a shame that Blake Griffin plays for such a lousy organization. He has terrible team-mates, a terrible coach, terrible broadcasters (no relation to his game), and overall terrible luck. If only another team won the lottery 2 summer ago. On a night when Griffin explodes for 44 points on 14-24 shooting, with 15 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block (and a couple highlights), the Clippers still lose (it wasn't even close), 124-115, to the Knicks. Eric Gordon (25 points on 11-20 shooting, 3-3 free throws, with 4 assists, a steal and a block) was efficient from the field, I guess, but the Knicks' trio of Amare Stoudemire (39 points on 14-24 shooting, with 11 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks), Danilo Gallinari (31 points on 7-11 shooting, 4-6 treys, 13-13 free throws, with 4 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals, with only 1 turnover), and Raymond Felton (20, 3 and 7, with 3 treys, 7 steals, and a block) consistently got whatever shot they wanted, whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted, with minimal resistance (The Clippers are dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency) en route to their third straight victory.

Where New York Plays Golden State (Day 25)

You know you're going to have a bunch of fantasy goodies when these two teams play together. Sure, they're not the two fastest paced teams with the worst defenses playing against each other. But they're both well known to run and gun. And tonight, that's what these teams did. And it ended up with Raymond Felton (35 points on 13-17 shooting, 4-7 treys, 5-6 free throws, with 5 boards, 11 assists, 4 steals and a block) having a career night, as the Knicks beat the Warriors, 125-119, in Oakland for the first time in the past 9 tries. Amare Stoudemire (26 points on 10-12 shooting, 6-7 free throws, with 11 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks) abused the Golden State frontline, who were missing David Lee, who got hurt the last time these two teams played one another. So Monta Ellis (40 points on 17-30 shooting, 4-7 treys, with 3 boards, 5 assists, and 3 steals) shouldered the scoring load yet again, on a night when Stephen Curry (29 points on 9-21 shooting, 3-6 treys, 8-9 free throws, with 5 boards, 8 assists, and a steal) started off slow.

Where Danny Granger Is Healthy (Day 24)

Only three games tonight.

Danny Granger (22 points on 6-14 s hooting, 4-6 treys, 6-7 free throws, with 7 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, with no turnovers) is a 9-category fantasy force when healthy, and he was plenty healthy tonight as his injury-plagued Pacers (who were missing starting guards Darren Collison and Mike Dunleavy) rolled past the Clippers, 107-80. Roy Hibbert (18 points on 9-13 shooting, 8 boards, 1 assist, a steal and 3 blocks) continued his break-out season, while Brandon Rush (14 points on 4-7 shooting, 4-5 treys, 2-2 free throws, with 5 boards, an assist, 2 steals and 5 blocks) made a case for the starting shooting guard position. And the Clippers. Well, those guys all sucked.

Where Chris Bosh Is Chillin' (Day 23)

Chris Bosh took advantage of Phoenix's lack of size for a season-high 35 points on 12-17 shooting, 11-11 free throws, with 6 boards, 4 assists, and a steal, as the Heat routed the Suns, 123-96. LeBron James (20 points on 9-15 shooting, with 8 boards, 9 assists, and 3 steals) nearly had a triple-double in merely 23 minutes, and Dwyane Wade had himself a quiet 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, with 2 blocks, on 6-11 shooting, 5-6 free throws. Bosh's brilliant play tonight was offset by his post-game quote, where he basically said something about how his coach wants to work, but "[they] just want to chill." All Bosh has done since last season is one-up himself in making himself look like a pathetic third-wheel idiot.

Where Derrick Rose Is Breaking Out (Day 22)

I am very high on Derrick Rose this year. A lot of doubters are pessimistic about his fantasy ceiling. He can't hit threes, and he doesn't accumulate steals, they say. Look at his stats from Year 1 to Year 2, they say. Not much improvement. As a matter of fact, it's almost identical. But you know what? He was playing through an injury for most of his sophomore campaign. And a lot has changed from last year to this year. He's actually got a very good coach (Thibodeau- who, by the way, was the defensive coordinator for the team that featured the best thief in the NBA) as opposed to one of the worst coaches (Del Negro- now a coach of the Clippers- how fitting) I've ever witnessed. And supposedly, Rose worked on his three-point shot in the off-season, and though he's struggled in the early going with his outside shot, I'm a believer of his sky-high potential. Not only in the real world, but in the fantasy world as well. Tonight, he scored 33 points on 13-20 shooting, 4-5 treys, with 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals to lead the Bulls over the Rockets, 95-92. That's 4 treys and 3 steals, and now he's averaging career highs in both categories, accumulating a little over 1 per game in each cat. And there's no reason he can't keep this up. For all we know, it is a very realistic possibility that he can do better! For Houston, Luis Scola (27 points on 11-17 shooting, 5-6 free throws, with 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks) continued to be productive. And to tell you the truth, I think Scola can keep this up all year. I'm pretty pessimistic about Yao Ming and his health issues, which makes Scola the only legitimate threat on the offensive end for Houston. Which isn't bad. Not bad at all. He can shoot, he can drive, he can bank it off the glass, he can pick and pop, he can scoop, he can score in every possible way imaginable.

I have this ungodly infatuation with Dwight Howard in the fantasy basketball world. Despite his overwhelming negative impact towards free throws, and his terrible turnover rate, something about Dwight Howard makes me all giddy on the inside, and it's not because I play head-to-head.

Welcome to my world. I am the fantasy manager that you do not want to be. Someone who is overly attached to a player, despite that players deficiencies. And for the past however many years, that player has been Dwight Howard (Huge upgrade from Kwame Brown, but we'll talk about that some other day).

Fantasy Basketball doesn't seem as fun when you're trying to have an all around team, getting 10's in all 9 cats. Though my daily life would sway depending on how my players did, it just wasn't enough.

Where The Jazz Are Backwards (Day 21)

The Jazz, after going through a rough 5-game (all come-from-behinds) winning streak on the road against some of the toughest teams in the league, finally returned home to a struggling Thunder team- and lost, 115-108. Not that it was Deron William's (31 points on 12-18 shooting, 4-7 treys, 3-3 free throws, with 5 boards, 11 assists and a steal) fault (or Paul Millsap's [20, 6 and 6, on 8-15 shooting, with a trey and 2 steals]). He outplayed OKC's Russell Westbrook (22, 1 and 7, on 8-13 shooting, 6-6 free throws, with a steal), but the rest of his team couldn't keep Serge Ibaka (22 points on 9-13 shooting, 4-4 free throws, 11 rebounds, with an assist, a steal and 4 blocks) from having a career night and Kevin Durant (30 points, 16-16 free throws, with 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 treys and 2 steals) from scoring his usual thirty. By the way, Ibaka's outburst should not be a surprise. He has been playing exceptionally well all season thus far and is a dependable option for percentages, rebounds and blocks with minimal turnovers- regardless of whether Jeff Green is in the lineup or not.

Where The Suns Are Scorching (Day 20)

Jason Richardson (35 points on 13-20 shooting, 7-10 treys, with 8 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals) went berserk and Steve Nash (21 points on 6-11 shooting, 2-3 treys, 7-7 free throws, with 2 boards, 13 assists and a steal, without a single turnover) methodically led the Suns to 22 three-pointers- 2nd most in NBA history- and beat the Lakers, 121-116. Even Channing Frye (20 points on 7-12 shooting, 4-9 treys, with 6 boards, 2 assists, a steal and a block) and Hedo Turkoglu (17 points on 6-9 shooting, 5-7 treys, with 2 boards, 5 assists and a steal, with no turnovers) contributed a bunch of long bombs. For the Lakers, Pau Gasol (28 points on 12-17 shooting, with 17 boards, 2 assists, a steal and a block), Kobe Bryant (25 points on 11-20 shooting, 2-2 free throws, with 9 boards, 14 assists, a trey and a steal), and Lamar Odom (22 points on 10-18 shooting, with 11 boards, 4 assists, a steal and a block, with only 1 turnover) all had monster nights, but it was all in vain, as Phoenix simply couldn't miss. What can you do? Teams get lucky, sometimes.

Where The Jazz Can't Lose (Day 19)

Nazr Mohammed (of all people!) had the line of the night as he exploded for 22 points on 10-16 shooting, with 20 boards, 2 assists, and 4 blocks, with no turnovers, but his Charlotte Bobcats fell to the Utah Jazz, 96-95, who simply cannot lose a game right now. Stephen Jackson added 24, 5 and 6, with 5 treys, 3 steals and a block. Al Jefferson led the Jazz with 19 points on 8-13 shooting, 3-3 free throws, with 6 boards, an assist, a steal and 3 blocks, with no turnovers, and Deron Williams (17, 2 and 9), the best point guard in the NBA, blocked a key shot in the final minute then casually made the game-winning floater in the lane.

Where Love Goes For 30/30 and 40! (Day 18)

Kevin Love was an absolute monster on the boards tonight as he recorded 31 points and 31 rebounds (hasn't been done in 28 years!) with 5 assists, a trey and a block to help his Wolves rally against the Knicks to win, 112-103. Also, to note: Love played 41 minutes tonight- the first time this season where he topped the 40 minute threshold. And look what happened! Take note, Coach Rambis! Michael Beasley continued his scoring rampage to the tune of 35 points on 16-29 shooting, with 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 treys, 2 steals and a block. As to the go-to for Minny, which lacks decent basketball players, it looks like Beasley's going to put up a bunch of points going forward. As for the Knicks, Raymond Felton (22, 3 and 8, with 3 treys and 2 steals) and Wilson Chandler (17, 6 and 7, with 2 treys, a steal and 5 blocks) continued their early season success.

Where The Heat Are On A Losing Streak (Day 17)

Only three games tonight, and I watched every single one. LeBron James (35 points on 9-21 shooting, 0-5 treys, 17-22 free throws, with 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals) was an assist shy of yet another triple-double, and his Heat were 6 points shy of defeating the Celtics, as they fell for the 2nd time to the C's this season in their second meeting, 112-107. The Heat couldn't handle Ray Allen (35 points on 13-23 shooting, 7-9 treys, 2-2 free throws, and only 1 rebound) who scorched the Heat for 7 triples tonight. Kevin Garnett (16 points on 6-8 shooting, 4-5 free throws, with 13 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and only 1 turnover) was solid tonight, and he has looked healthy and spry all season thus far. Paul Pierce continued his efficient scoring with 25 points on 10-16 shooting, 4-4 free throws, but contributed nothing more but an assist. Rajon Rondo had 3 boards, 16 dimes, and 2 steals but only had 8 points on 3-8 shooting. As long and as fast and as flashy as Rondo is, I don't think that he is as good as the elite point guards in the league, and I don't think he ever will be until he improves his shooting- drastically. His high assist totals are a result of his extremely efficient teammates, so I think he's a bit over-rated there as well. However, I do acknowledge that he is one of the elite defenders in the league. For the Heat, Udonis Haslem (21 and 10 on 9-10 shooting, with an assist, a steal and a block, with only 1 turnover) was near perfect from the field, and Chris Bosh chipped in 15, 7 and 2, on 6-10 shooting, while Dwyane Wade (8 points on 2-12 shooting) struggled.

Where The Jazz Are Magical (Day 16)

Michael Beasley had the best line tonight, as he went off for 42 points on 17-31 shooting, 1-2 treys, with 9 boards, 2 assists, and a steal, to lead the Wolves over the Kings, 98-89. Nobody really showed up for SacTown except maybe Beno Udrih (16, 7 and 9, on 6-12 shooting, with a trey and a steal). It looks as though Beasley and Kevin Love (8 points and 9 rebounds) are the only two Wolves that fantasy owners can depend on to get consistent minutes.

Where Paul Millsap Is Heating Up (Day 15)

I don't know what to say. The Miami Heat were destroying the Utah Jazz. They were up by as much as 22 and led by 8 in the final minute of regulation. Then Paul Millsap (46 points on 19-28 shooting, 3-3 treys, with 9 boards, an assist, a steal and a block, with only 1 turnover) started going absolutely berserk, making three treys in the final 30 seconds of regulation and tipping in the game-tying lay-up to send the game to over-time. Then in over-time, the Jazz outscored the Heat, to win, 116-114- check this- without Deron Williams (21, 4 and 14, on 9-16 shooting, 1-2 treys, 2-2 free throws), who fouled out at the end of regulation, and Al Jefferson (2 points on 1-7 shooting, but with 9 boards, 2 assists, a steal and a block), who sucks. LeBron James (20, 11 and 14, with a steal and 3 blocks) had a triple-double, Dwyane Wade scored 39 points on 12-23 shooting, 3-5 treys, and Chris Bosh chipped in 17, 9 and 3, on 7-13 shooting, with 2 blocks. But man, Paul Millsap is finally getting minutes, and tonight he was the best player among all these stars. And I'm certain that he'll be the best player on many more nights to come.

Where Z-Bo Sees 20/20 (Day 14)

Zach Randolph abused the Phoenix front court for 23 points on 9-16 shooting, 5-6 free throws, with 20 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and only 1 turnover in a 109-99 win. Rudy Gay (22, 8 and 3), O.J. Mayo (16, 3 and 4, on 7-14 shooting) and Mike Conley (16, 2 and 6, with 4 steals) all contributed positive lines, while for the Suns, Grant Hill (19, 12 and 3, on 8-10 shooting) is Phoenix's leading rebounder this season, while Steve Nash (16, 3 and 11, on 6-11 shooting) continues to be Steve Nash despite his team's lack of size and over-abundance of forwards. Funny quote from Z-Bo: "We just finished the whole game. We played the whole 42 minutes."

Where The Hawks Fall (Day 13)

The Hawks finally lost for the first time this season, falling to the Suns, 118-114. But it didn't stop Al Horford (30 points on 13-16 shooting, 4-5 free throws, with 10 boards, 5 assists, a steal and 2 blocks, with only 1 turnover), Joe Johnson (34 points on 15-27 shooting, with 7 boards and 6 assists, with only 1 turnover), and Josh Smith (19 points on 6-10 shooting, 7-8 free throws, with 9 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block) from producing amazing lines. But the Suns were led by a brilliant Steve Nash (19 points on 7-11 shooting, 1-1 trey, 4-4 free throws, with 5 boards and 15 assists), who destroyed Horford one-on-one every time they were matched up off the pick-and-roll. Nash scored at will, either crossing Al over or stepping back and draining a shot in his face. Nash also got teammates Jason Richardson (21 points on 9-15 shooting) and even Jared Dudley (15 points on 5-8 shooting) and Grant Hill (14 points on 5-10 shooting) to post some solid lines.

Where D-Will Wills The Way (Day 12)

Rudy Gay (32 points on 11-19 shooting, a trey, 9-9 free throws, with 9 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block) had the best line tonight and he didn't screw this one up (like last night) as he led the Grizzlies over the Kings, 100-91. Gay is currently the number 1 ranked player in fantasy basketball, according to Yahoo! Sports and is looking really good since signing that big deal in the summer. For the Kings, Tyreke Evans scored 30 points on 12-20 shooting, with 8 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Where The Basketball Gods Favor The Suns (Day 11)

The Suns stole one from the Grizzlies. They were down by 4 with about less than 4 seconds left, and they still somehow managed to win. How? Ask Jason Richardson (38 points on 14-29 shooting, 6-8 treys, 4-5 free throws, with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, with only 1 turnover). He scored 5 points in that short span with a banked-in three-pointer and a lay-up (dunk?) with 0.4 seconds left off a lob. Of course, the Suns got a bit of help from Rudy Gay (26 and 4, with 3 treys, 2 steals and 2 blocks), who meant to intentionally miss a free throw with 0.4 seconds left but accidentally made it. The Suns then forced over-time and double-over time to eventually win, 123-118. Marc Gasol (26 points on 12-13 shooting, with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks) produced a solid line for the Grizzlies, and Steve Nash (25, 3 and 9) did as well for the Suns.

Where The Knicks Rain Threes (Day 10)

Only two games tonight. First off: The New York Knicks beating the Chicago Bulls, 120-112. I can't really say that the Bulls played terrible defense, because from watching the game, it wasn't about a terrible defense- it was about scorching outside shooting for the Knicks. Toney Douglas led the way with 30 points on 9-14 shooting, 5-9 treys, 7-7 free throws, with a board, 4 assists, and 4 steals with only 1 turnover. Danilo Gallinari (24 points on 7-11 shooting, 4-4 treys, 6-6 free throws, with 6 boards, an assist, 2 steals and a block with only 1 turnover) and Raymond Felton (20 points on 7-11 shooting, 4-6 treys, 2-2 free throws, with 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals) were also on fire on a night when the Knicks really didn't need Amare Stoudemire (14, 8 and 3, with a steal and 2 blocks, on 5-21 shooting, along with 8 turnovers) to dominate. For the Bulls, Derrick Rose (24, 1 and 14, with 2 treys and a steal, on 9-17 shooting) started off hot but didn't get to play late in the fourth (same with Joakim Noah [12, 13 and 3, with 2 steals and 2 blocks, on 5-8 shooting])when the Bulls made their rally. There was actually one instance when the Bulls cut the lead to single digits with a little over 3 minutes left. The fans in Chicago were chanting, "We Want Rose! We Want Rose!" and coach Tom Thibodeau didn't budge. Which is a shame. Because I think the right move would've been to bring Rose in for the final push. I actually think that Thibodeau didn't bring in Rose because of the chant. He didn't want to appear weak. He wanted to look like he was in control. Which shouldn't matter at all, as long as you make the right move. Which he didn't. But you know, I'm sure he had other motives as well. The Bulls have another game tomorrow night in Boston, where Thibodeau will be facing off against his former team, and I'm sure Thibodeau wants to win that one more than this one. Oh well.

Where Monta Ellis Is The Man In Golden State (Day 9)

With Stephen Curry (ankle) sitting out yet another game, Monta Ellis exploded for 39 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals to lead the Warriors to a 115-109 victory over the Grizzlies. He got plenty of help from early sleeper-of-the-year candidate Dorell Wright (25 points, 7 treys, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) and new big man David Lee (15 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block). The Warriors are now 3-1 on the season and look like a pretty stable team behind new coach Keith Smart. For Memphis, Rudy Gay (35 points on 14-23 shooting, 4-7 treys, with 7 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Mike Conley (18, 7 and 13, with 3 steals) continued their ridiculously hot starts.

Where John Wall Is The Fastest Player In The NBA (Day 8)

Holy Smokes! John Wall is FAST! And I mean real fast. They say that he can run faster with the ball than most NBA players can run without the ball. And that's not just an expression. He Literally can. Tonight, he led the Wizards in their home opener against the Sixers, 116-115, in overtime. He scored 29 points on 9-16 shooting, 11-14 free throws, with 2 boards, 13 assists, and 9 steals. Wow. He committed 8 turnovers, however, but I'm pretty sure Wall owners won't be too bitter. For the Sixers, Elton Brand continued his scorching hot start to the tune of 21 points on 9-11 shooting, 3-4 free throws, with 9 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals and a block, Jrue Holiday posted a double-double (14, 3 and 13, on 6-11 shooting), and Lou Williams came off the bench to score 30 points on 6-16 shooting, 3-7 treys, 15-17 free throws.