Since taking over the rundowns and general Razzball Basketball reigns, I have been thrusting my new terms into the void that is the lack of new Razzball catch phrases for the basketball side.  Have you seen Enter The Void?  Yea it’s like that.  Here’s some phrases that will always be added to, never limited to, and always changing:

Charlie Day - Josh McRoberts.  C’mon, everyone sees that.

The Colonel - Larry Sanders.  Original recipe.

Doug Collins Shout Out - When your big man, who must be a fairly regular rebounder, gets only 1 or 0 rebounds.  Based off of Doug Collins calling Spencer Hawes for only getting one rebound.

Goromotaro - 20 Pts and 20 Rebounds.  The arms of Goro, the legs and tail of Motaro and the head of Joakim Noah, initiated after one of his 20 20 games.

Gus Ayonin’ - Razzball Basketball version of Cust Kayin’.  Just like the Fantasy Baseball term, it means “just sayin’”.

Luminescent Lithuanian (not Latvian) - Jonas Valanciunas.  Don’t get his nationality wrong, or else!

Rainbow Line - At least 2 Pts/2 Rebs/2 Asts/2 Stls/2 Blks.  They’re always after me lucky charms!

Rony Seikaly Broke Google - When I was searching his name to be sure it was spelled correctly, for some reason it shut down the tab I was in.  Was a very bizarre occurrence.  A term for a player that isn’t a frequent mention and needs his name looked up.

Schmohawk - The same as Fantasy Baseball, meaning a less than desirable player.  Since Nate Robinson is my least favorite player, and frequently seems to have a schmohawk, it’s more than appropriate.

ThrAGNOF - Similar to the Razzball Baseball team and their theory of SAGNOF (saves ain’t got no face), the theory that 3-point specialists should not be valued highly and can be streamed when shooters are hot (threes ain’t got no face).  ThrAGNOF!

“Wahhhhhhh, I’m Jarrett Jack!” - When a player complains about something.  Named because Jarrett Jack frequently looks like he’s about to cry, and a fun catch phrase my friends and I say back and forth.

Wiggity Woo - Whoopty Doo.  Big Whoop.  Big friggin’ deal.  All the same shenanigans.

Trust me, plenty more will be filtered in here.  Suggestions?  Things I forgot?  Shoot below!

If you missed it, my top 10 then top 20 came out last week.  Hey, it’s early, you might say “way too early” (see what I did there, it’s in the title!) so these rankings are subject to change.  And I want no accusations of flip-flopping!  It’s not my fault if all the sudden Dwight Howard goes to the Bobcats and becomes a first-rounder!  OK, so that is as likely as Rony Seikaly… returning.  You gotta stop on the word that rhymes Jean-Ralphio!  Man I’m liking that show.  Also, random side note, Googling Rony Seikaly to spell his name correctly broke Google.  I searched it and it would freeze, despite everything else working.  Weird.

As I battle my ADHD to get into the rankings, let’s just dive into it:

21. Al Horford - A stud across all categories last year, may move into the top-20 depending on where Josh Smith moves to.

22. Nicolas Batum - I seem to be down on him compared to a few other rankings and a discussion with my colleagues.  I’m worried about the drop in FG% and 3PT% with lingering issues with his wrist.  Plus the emergence of Damien Lillard who I think steals a little bit of that offense as well.

23. LaMarcus Aldridge - Back-to-back Blazers (you may even say “puff, puff pass”), Aldridge is as steady as she blows, bringing more scoring and boards, but a little less around the board contributions as Batum.

24. Anthony Davis - Going to be all over Davis for a sophomore breakout.  A 16.0+ PPG scorer in the last 2 moths (19 games played), already at 1.8 Blks and 1.2 Stls a game last year overall, and I think will get up to 2.5 Blks a game.  Will do it all except hit 3′s.

25. Dwight Howard - I think will be criminally underrated heading into next season.  With no Kobe for a good portion of the season (I’m guessing right now Howard stays in L.A. but that’s a big guess), his scoring will bounce back up.  The blocks went up to 2.4 a game last year and should remain there, along with your usual Dwight stats, which will unfortunately include a horrific FT%.  That paired with lingering shoulder issues and a possible relocation has me keeping him this low, but if a few pieces come together, he may even move up some for me.

26. Al Jefferson - A solid, safe pick, but Jefferson’s Pts/Rebs/Blks all went down last year.  Played a lot of minutes in a pretty long career already, I’m thinking age is catching up with him.

27. Ty Lawson - Virtually the same player as the year before, model of consistency, slight uptick in Asts in 2012-13.

28. David Lee - Doesn’t quite block enough for a big man, but everything else is there.  18.5/11.2 last year, down in scoring from 20.1 Pts in 2011-12 but rebounds up from 9.6.  Will continue to be involved to stretch the floor for Curry/Thompson.

29. Mike Conley - Love Conley as an underrated commodity next year.  He’ll take over the lead scorer role as well as facilitator with Rudy Gay now north of the border.  Averaged over 16 Pts a game the last three months once Gay was gone and I think can be an 18 PPG scorer and boost his assists to 7.5 a game.

30. Dirk Nowitzki - The age is creeping up there, and will move down if Dallas brings in another scorer like J Smoove or Dwight Howard.  Showed flashes of his earlier form towards the end of the season as he eased back from knee injuries.

31. Nikola Vucevic - An absolute dream season for Vuc, who’s 11.9 boards a game ranked 2nd in the NBA.  Was durable in his first full season (as opposed to virtually every other Magic player), showed a huge improvement offensively, 2 Asts, a Stl, and a Blk a game as well – what’s not to like?  I think he’ll be underrated and I’ll have him higher than most.

32. Greivis Vasquez - A huge breakout for Vasquez, boosting all his stats as the starter.  I’m especially fond of the 31.9 to 34.2 3PT% that will hopefully climb a bit further to make him a complete PG across virtually all categories.

33. Jeff Teague - Probably the biggest out on a limb pick in the 20-50 range (well maybe besides my #50), I am going to be all over Jeff Teague.  I have him ranked this high because this will be close to where I’ll need to draft him to guarantee he’s on all my teams.  I think whatever Josh Smith decides to do has little effect on Teague, but I think he moves on and Teague will have the ball in his hands even more.  Despite a minuscule decline in minutes a game last year, he added two more points a game, over 2 assists, and dramatically improved his free throw shooting.  A star PG in the making.

34. Jrue Holiday - All but disappeared after an All-Star first half, with a scoring average dropping more than 1.5 Pts every month the last three months of the season (20.9 to 12.7).  When you’re a team’s primary scorer, that’s horrifying, plus the Sixers will either have Bynum or at least someone to help the offensive output.  Yeah the 8.0 assists a game make him more than just a scorer, but 3.7 TOs nullify some of that boost.

35. Roy Hibbert - Some definite red flags come with Hibbert this high, a scoring clip and FG% way down, the return of Granger and its impact on his offensive production, and just the consistency in general, but I see a lot of upside here.  I don’t think he’s just a guy that will hand down shrimp cocktails off the wall to people – he upped his blocks to 2.6 a game and I think he can still improve as an overall player.  I know we’re probably past the point of vast improvements entering his 6th year, but he has also played almost every game for the Pacers (376 out of 394 in five seasons) so there is some extra boost involved with that.

36. Joakim Noah - The resident Goromotaro, Noah is a defensive and roto beast, but injuries took their toll down the stretch.  With Derrick Rose back, I think the offensive numbers slide back down as does the rebounding with a more succinct offense.

37. Rudy Gay - Gay took a big step forward moving to the Raptors, and with a full offseason to gel with his new team and running mate DeMar DeRozan, I think he can be a solid 4th-rounder.  Some will probably reach higher for him, but it won’t be me.  I don’t think he will emerge as a fantasy superstar.

38. Larry Sanders - Tough to find a better source of blocks with a guy that has Sanders’ upside, who I think could push to something like 12/11 a night with his same 2.8 Blks a night.  Think that’s crazy?  That’s what he did after the All-Star break last year!  With Brandon Jennings possibly moving, he may become a more involved asset in that Bucks O.

39. Ersan Ilyasova - Speaking of more involved, Ilyasova will surely be an every game starter unlike the rocky opening last season while he struggled with management to get consistent playing time.  Once he got 30+ minutes a game he was lights out, scoring 17.2 a game, hitting 1.7 3s and pulling down 9 boards in the 2nd half. If only he did a little more in Asts/Stls/Blks he’d be higher, but for what he is, he’s a solid pick here.

40. Brandon Jennings - Three straight Bucks?  What is this a Milwaukee only blog?  Well, before you get all crazy don’t forget BJ might not be a Buck, OK!?  He’s talented and would be a good fit on a lot of teams, but isn’t consistent enough to be ranked much higher.  We’ll keep an eye on where he ends up.

41. Tony Parker - The Frenchman will probably move up if Duncan retires, but for right now he’s just out of the top 40.  A fantastic season last year for Parker, but injuries are always a concern.

42. Kawhi Leonard - Just like Teague, I’ve been writing about it all during the past season, Kawhi Leonard will be on all of my teams this upcoming season.  The guy does it all, he’ll even wash your dishes, and like Parker, will vault even higher if Duncan retires.  This will be a much higher ranking than anywhere else, but I think he ends up a top 50 player.  Gimme some Kawhi.

43. Paul Pierce - A declining skill set, no Rondo for a few months, possibly no Garnett, injury concerns, all say avoid to me.  That said, he’s still a top 50 fantasy option.

44. Isaiah Thomas - Hard to believe the numbers IT2 put up after the All-Star break to the tune of 17.3/2.5/5.4/1.0 along with 2.1 3′s.  He’ll enter the season the no question PG starter in yes question Sacramento (or wherever they end up).

45. Blake Griffin - Someone will reach for Blake based on the highlights, but it won’t be me.  A very subpar campaign last year, rebounds and scoring way down, FG% down, a ton of nagging injuries, all spells a pass to me.  Like Pierce, still a top 45 option though.

46. DeMarcus Cousins - Ya know, Cousins right here might be a steal.  But he also might be a colossal bust.  The polarizing big fellah probably won’t end up on any of my teams.

47. Nikola Pekovic - Pek was downright awesome last year.  Yeah the offense might go down with Love back in the fold, but he’s an absolute beast down low.  He can score anywhere near the paint, and with Love stretching to the perimeter and Rubio slashing in to dish high or low, I think the Wolves will have something cooking.

48. Rajon Rondo - I’m a big Rondo fan, he’s awesome to watch, so even though he will miss I’m guessing two months, he’s worth a top 50 bid.  All the complications with Rose have me sweating this pick, but when the rankings are readdressed closer to the start of the season, we’ll have a better gauge on where he is.

49. Tim Duncan - A possible hanging up of the sneakers looms, but tough to keep a guy out of the top 50 with the season Duncan just put together.  Another guy we will readdress.

50. Jonas Valanciunas - If you’ve been sticking with me since I took over the reigns, you know how much I love the Luminescent Lithuanian (not Latvian).  Slotting him in the top 50 may be a tiny bit of a reach, but like Teague and Kawhi, will be a guy on virtually all of my teams.  After returning from a broken finger, Valanciunas took off with a fantastic final two months.  His fantastic FG% (55.7 – 58.8 after ASB) and FT% (78.9 – 82.9 after ASB) can’t be ignored and he will get so much room down low with the focus on Gay and DeRozan.  The dude just turned 21, but has been playing pro in Europe since he was 16.  One of my boldest breakout buys.  His BBB is an A+ rating (I think that’s good for the Better Business Bureau – fact checkers…?).

As always, post your comments/questions/insults below and happy offseason!

After the first 6 picks, ending with Chris Paul for me, it’s becomes a mess of upside players and seasoned vets all tossed around like Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in Twister.  Then that tornado finished the job last year, ripping off Hunt’s clothes for The Sessions.

Without further ado, here are the guys I’d be ripping my clothes off for to round out my top 20:

11. Kevin Love - Oh Kevin Love, how I would love you so… Few players have the upside Love brings to the table who could go 25/15/3/1/1 and hit 2 3′s a night.  But as you well know, it’s all about the injuries.  If there is nothing but strong health and a solid preseason heading into the season he may vault into my top 10, but even the smallest whiff of an injury moves him down a few pegs.

12. Derrick Rose - It’s funny how the “when will Rose come back” narrative has lasted since New Years and still continues to this day through the playoffs… Just like Love, the upside is tremendous but who knows how Rose will perform with a knee injury that continues to plague him more than a year from surgery?  I think his decision to sit out is great for fantasy owners looking to invest in Rose, but at the same time there still are some lingering questions keeping him out of the top 10.

13. Kyrie Irving - Rose and Irving are neck-and-neck for me, but I am putting Irving one spot behind Rose.  Improvements in virtually all aspects of his game, Irving was fantastic in 2012-2013, but the injury bug plagued the young point guard as well.  And don’t forget he was hurt almost his entire college career (season) at Duke as well.  New (old) coach Mike Brown is a welcome sign for the Cavs and the budding superstar, only helping Irving continue to grow and I’m excited for a big season.

14. Paul George - Listen, Paul George was on almost all my teams last year with a 3rd round or early 4th round pick and led me to some nice fantasy promised lands.  Most rankings will have him a 1st round pick, but I just don’t think he’s there yet.  A fantasy swiss army knife, George does it all, but actually saw his FG% drop slightly with the increased load in shots along with his 3PT%.  I know that’s not exactly any sort of red flag considering he had to shoot much more with the opposing team’s defense centered on him, but he had some down games and I don’t think he’s a fantasy superstar yet.  And don’t forget Danny Granger will return next year and may take a few of those shots.

15. Brook Lopez - Who led NBA centers in scoring?  Ok I probably gave it away by saying that right next to Lopez’s name, but whatever!  Lopez increased his FG% from 2010-2011 (injured almost all of 2011-2012) while also significantly increasing his blocks and rebounds a game despite playing fewer minutes per.  Every Nets game I watched had Lopez just owning down low, and I am expecting a huge season from the only useful Lopez twin.

16. Ricky Rubio - After returning from ACL surgery in December, Rubio was solid but not exactly the huge breakout a lot of people were expecting.  Obviously the return from a major knee injury tempered expectations, so maybe he was right about where people thought, but I think Rubio is as solid a mid 2nd-rounder as it gets.  2nd in the league in steals and can get a triple-double on any given night, but we’d just like to see a little better 3-point shooting and more consistent scoring.

17. Dwyane Wade - Lost in the LeBron MVP 4-peat was the amazing season by Dwyane Wade.  A career-high FG%, still a 20+ PPG scorer, and contributing across all categories like he has his whole career, it was a fantastic season. Not much more to say than feel great about your mid-2nd round pick if you land Wade.

18. Damien Lillard - One of the more dominant rookie seasons in recent memory, Lillard really exceeded his huge preseason hype.  I think his iffy FG% is only going to increase along with his other stats and become a 22-23 PPG player.  If Lillard does indeed improve on his rookie season like many expect, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a top-20 pick.

19. Carmelo Anthony - The NBA’s leading scorer needed a sizzling final month-and-half of the season to lock up the award, but Anthony doesn’t really do enough of anything else to warrant a higher ranking.  I do like the uptick in rebounds and he shot his best 3PT% of his career, but he doesn’t get enough steals or blocks for me to want to rank him higher.  I think the scoring goes down and Anthony will disappoint owners who take him much higher than this.

20. Josh Smith - Disclaimer alert!  I’m not a huge J Smoove fan.  No real reason for it, he just isn’t my favorite to watch while he’s on the floor so probably won’t end up on any of my teams.  But the statistical impact is there with a big man who can dish, steal, block, hit a few threes and of course board and score.  A FT% that’s gone from 72.5 to 63.0 to 51.7% in the past three years is just mind-bogglingly weird, and there’s still the question of where he’ll end up.  I have a feeling he’s out of ATL which will of course impact his ranking further down the line, but for now he rounds out my top 20.

Just out: Nicolas Batum, Dirk Nowitzki and Anthony Davis all barely miss the cut.  I’m especially big on Davis who I think has a huge breakout in his sophomore season.  Both Big Al’s (Horford and Jefferson) also deserve some consideration.

But don’t worry!  All of those guys will certainly be in the top 100, which will come out early next week.  If you have any daily league questions through the playoffs or through the offseason, shoot below and happy (almost) Summer!

While the NBA Playoffs enter their second round, there are still the huge events of free agency and the NBA Draft to shake things up, but let’s take an early look, nay, a way too early look, into where I am going to start ranking players for the 2013-2014 season:

1. LeBron James - Every owner who crashed in the last week(s) of the playoffs are throwing things at their computers right now.  Have a more well-rounded team then!  I was able to pull off a winner in one league where I was lucky enough to have the first pick in James, and James got me there.  I have a feeling Durant is going to get the majority of the first place nods on other lists, but I think one of the biggest arguments will be Durant didn’t sit late and that could easily flip flop next year.  What if the Heat have to play for that #1 seed and the Thunder are up 10 games with a few weeks left?  It’s razor close, but I sticking LeBron at #1.

2. Kevin Durant - I’m going to have to spend all offseason explaining why I’m down on Durant now, huh? Well, I’m not OK!  I expect another great season from KD.  The only real gap I’m exploiting between the two superstars is an extra 3 Asts a game LeBron brought to the table.  Durant does some other things better, but you have to nit pick at something and I’ll take the dimes.

3. James Harden - I bet Brian Wilson formerly of the San Francisco Giants has called Harden asking for some beard mojo.  An incredible season for Harden, who became a star virtually right away once swapping teams, and I think follows up even stronger.  The Rockets are an exceedingly young team that will have an offseason to gel, and I think it’s easily forgotten Harden was traded less than a week before the season started.  If you have an early pick that isn’t #1 or #2 you could go with any of the next few guys, but Harden is my pick at #3.

4. Russell Westbrook - I think I will have Westbrook ahead of most other rankers – love the guy’s game and I think he takes another baby step forward to break into the top half of the top 10 next year.  He had marginal improvements in rebounding and 3-point shooting, but I love the Ast to TO ratio going from 5.5:3.6 in 2011-2012 to 7.4:3.3 last year.  He’s the best in the business in attacking the basket, and if he can either score or dish with increased success like that, it’s going to be a huge season.  This meniscus tear in the playoffs shouldn’t have any bearing on him for next year.

5. Stephen Curry - If not for all the ankle injuries, Curry would be ahead of Westbrook for me, but those issues still linger.  Playing his college ball less than a mile from where I grew up, I’m a huge Curry fan as he showed improvements virtually across the board.  He’s just gotta stay healthy, and while he did play 78 games last year, Westbrook played all 82.  Definitely nit picking, but what you have to do here.

6. Chris Paul - Paul is going to be in the top 5 for most rankers, but I’m slightly down on him.  First issue right now is he might not return to the Clippers.  I think the popular belief is that he will, which may boost him a spot, but for right now I’m keeping him at #6.  He just seems to disappear some nights, the scoring went down a good margin, and he had some injury issues.  Just a few too many minor detracting signals for me to want him in the top 5 as of right now.

7. Serge Ibaka - The league leader in blocks for the second year in a row also took huge strides forward in his offensive game, increasing his scoring by over 4 Pts a game, hitting a handful of threes, shooting a better FG% and better FT%.  He is a little paltry when it comes to boards, but when the Thunder have two other top-ten players it’s tough to rebound made shots!  I’ll supplant additional boards later in the draft and not have to worry about blocks.

8. Marc Gasol - I love Marc Gasol for next year, and this is probably my boldest ranking right now.  He does everything so well, it’s like he’s the best well-rounded center since that donut I just ate.  After a little scoring lull  in December and January (12.9 PPG and 12.8, respectively), Gasol picked it up after Rudy Gay got shipped off scoring 13.9 in February and 17.2 in March.  With a full offseason to prepare for a little more scoring, plus I think a boost in a few other categories, has me seeing Gasol as a late first-rounder.

9. Deron Williams - I bet Deron Williams owners last year won’t be back after a rough stretch to start the year, but in the last month Williams went off including a sizzling April.  There’s a few murmurs that Jerry Sloan might have interest in the Nets, which would be a great reunion for the former Jazz pair.  We’ll see what the Nets do in the offseason, but right now I’m optimistic Williams has a big season next year and worth a first round pricetag.

10. John Wall - If you were a Wall owner last year, those last few months has you nodding your head that Wall is a top ten option.  His numbers over the last two months of the season were phenomenal, averaging 22.1 PPG in March and 23.9 in April.  His free throw attempts increased rapidly through the last three months as he began attacking the hole more consistently and his peripherals were solid.  A full, healthy offseason as opposed to bouncing back from a knee issue has me confident Wall is in the top ten right now.

So who does that leave just out?  Carmelo Anthony barely misses the cut as he doesn’t score enough.  Hah, made you re-read that, huh?  All he does is score!  I’m still not ready to put Paul George in the first round as I’m sure most rankings will.  Love the guy, love his game, just don’t first round love it.  Speaking of love, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were also close, but injury concerns will have them second rounders for me as of right now.

Remember these rankings will be subject to change throughout the offseason, but I will keep them updated!  Look for the rounded out top 20 coming out later this week.

Ain’t No Sunshine When It Rains - The winner of this league, and the highest points earner in all of RCL-dom, the commodore of the court, the hero of the hardwood, the baron of basketball, was Slippery Squirrels! Shove some nuts in your mouth, you’ve earned them! Of course, S.S. was only in a 10 team league while others were in 12 team leagues, so like Barry Bonds, he will forever have an asterisk next to his achievement. Slippy benefited from the roto format, as both LeBron James and Nic Batum produced prodigiously during the season before quieting down during the H2H playoffs.  [Shoot JB an email at jb@razzball.com for your prize!]

Anthony Davis Bidding War - Although it was a tight race, JB Time grabbed victory. That’s not our JB, is it [editor's note - nope!]? I smell a scandal! Or maybe that’s just me. JB won the Anthony Davis bidding war and won the league. Coincidence? It’s usually not a coincidence that good players lead teams to victory. JB took some “safe” risks by paying big for James Harden and Davis, and his reward has been earned.

The Unibrow - I don’t know what the Lord’s™ mammaries would look like, except maybe victory, as Big Old God Titties squeaked out a victory by one point. Give me a couple of drops from that lactation station, God! Err, what I mean is, we have another #1 team with LeBron. Where are all the Kevin Durant fantasy teams? Second place? What, too soon?

Wide Eyed Wizardry - Hmm, you know, with the Magic, Wizards, Warriors, Celtics, Cavaliers and Kings, it’s easy to forget that the NBA is not an RPG. Actually, it is pretty easy to remember, but anyway, Team Richard won. Richard the lionhearted, defender of the realm, led his team to victory with Kevin Dur, oh, okay, there he is. Ahem. WEW also enjoyed a Chris-favorite Greivis Vasquez. Yay!

Pocket Full of Suns(shine) – Looking at the final standings, it seems Toronto Craptors finished with a dominant lead, which is basically the only time you will see “Toronto” and “dominant” in the same sentence. The Craptors were yet another team with TheBron, not to mention Anthony Davis. He also had both Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry, showing there’s no shame in having top point guards. You know, in case anyone though there was shame in that 

Kissing Cousins - A neck and neck race for a while, D0nna’s Mate ended up winning the league by a considerable margin. Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis were the only two players on his team with ownership at or above 75%, which demonstrate some considerable fantasy strategy. He also picked up and dropped Andrew Bogut and Andre Drummond more often than a very large fat individual picks up and drops into his gaping maw a hamburger sandwich, ho ho! Forsooth!

TakingOurTalentsToSouthBeach – Finally, this is over…I mean, aww, I can’t believe this is over! Our last league finished with the largest margin of victory yet. In fact, Emilia Clarke passed the 2nd place team by double digit points. So how did Daenerys Targaryen soar to victory? Were there dragons on the team? No! Harden and Davis were on the team, as well as Carmelo Anthony. Do they count? As an aside, at the beginning of the year, I wrote that some people were taking Batum over Melo, and I was going to go with the guy with 15,900 career points. I clearly undervalued Batum, who was a shining star, but I have no regrets going with Melo (especially on one team which finished 1st in an H2H league). The moral of the story is, you should all remember me as the Carmelo Anthony of fantasy basketball blogging.