Higher Level Basketball Thinking

Fantasy Fix

2008-03-03T00:30:00.002-05:00

Drew highlights a few hoops players and fantasy trends based on this past week’s games.Devin Harris – Not a shabby start to Harris’s career as a New Jersey Net. He has notched 42 pts, seven threes, seven assists, six rebounds in only 57 minutes in his first two games. The only red flag is the quantity of three pointers – he only averaged .6 threes per game in Dallas, and now all of the sudden

Pitt vs. Duke Recap (as Seen on nbadraft.net)

2007-12-24T14:09:00.000-05:00

By Drew Wolin NBADraft.net 12/21/07The Pittsburgh Panthers tied a school record by overcoming a twelve point halftime deficit and defeated the previously unbeaten Duke Blue Devils 65-64 at Madison Square Garden. Pittsburgh's Brooklyn-bred guard Levance Fields came up big in his homecoming, hitting

Dejuan Blair Scouting Report (as Seen on nbadraft.net)

2007-12-24T14:06:00.000-05:00

NBA Comparison: Craig Smith Strengths: Blair is a man with great girth … He does what he looks like he should do – bang on the inside, grab rebounds, and with his 7'3" wingspan, anchor his team's interior defense ... Very soft hands … Generally stays out of foul trouble, something especially impressive for someone of his size and propensity for contact … Very competitive and eager to improve,

Fantasy Catch-Up Week 5

2007-12-24T14:05:00.001-05:00

Jose Calderon -- A not so sturdy Ford broke down in Toronto, which made way for this import to crack the starting lineup and become the driving force behind the Raptors. Calderon has led the Raptors to a 4-2 record in his six games as a starter, the last two of which Ford has been active for. Calderon has dished out 10+ assists in all but one of his six

Fantasy Catch-Up Week 4

2007-12-24T14:03:00.000-05:00

Goodbye, Gilbert Gilbert Arenas owners, take a seat before proceeding with the reading. Your franchise fantasy player may be done for the season, according to one NBA news source (other sources have yet to confirm). Arenas is going to be extra cautious with his problematic knee and only come back once he is 111% sure that he is ready to lace ‘em up and go to work. Essentially, what this

Fantasy Catch-Up Week 3

2007-12-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delayed post, this is from the third week of the fantasy season Fantasy Fake or For Real? Jamario Moon -- Tell me what college Jamario went to without looking it up and I will give you a prize. The mystery man with the strange name has simultaneously earned the respect of the Raptors’ coaching staff and the hatred of Andrea Bargnani owners. Moon, a small forward, stole

Fantasy NBA: Week 3 (11/4-11/11)

2007-11-12T02:20:00.001-05:00

Just two weeks into the fantasy season, there are already some incredible things happening in the NBA (see Freaky Friday). Find out who’s hot in the wonderful world of fantasy basketball.Freaky Friday: I have never seen anything quite like what happened on the night of Friday the 9th. 25 Players had double figure rebound games. Shawn Marion, Emeka Okafor, and Dwight Howard grabbed 20+

Fantasy NBA: Week 2 (10/29-11/4)

2007-11-06T10:38:00.000-05:00

The first week of the 2007-2008 fantasy season has officially come to an end. Do not freak out if the number of field goal attempts by your first and second round picks equals their field goal percentage (yes, you, Gilbert and Vince owners), and most importantly, take advantage of those who do! Buy low and sell high. Perhaps you should think about shipping some of the following players out to

Fantasy Preview for the 2007-08 NBA Season

2007-10-28T23:42:00.000-04:00

Articles will be written weekly, and all readers are encouraged to e-mail me any questions regarding the fantasy NBA season @ dwolin@gmail.com. The article is designed to guide you through your draft.Early Rounds:Ron Artest - The Tru Warier is in a contract year. His second career as a rapper has not worked out too well thus far, and the man will need to feed his family somehow. Though he may

Insidehoops Article: Optimistic Knicks

2007-07-13T17:45:00.000-04:00

Visit:http://www.insidehoops.com/blogs/?p=51

2007 NBA Draft

2007-07-02T12:41:00.000-04:00

The 2007 NBA draft was one of the most top-heavy drafts in the history of professional basketball. At this point in time, even the most conservative of NBA fans would have no problem with saying that both #1 draft choice Greg Oden and #2 draft choice Kevin Durant are future all-stars. It is a staunch pessimist that will not admit that at least one of the two will be in the Hall of Fame -- first

High School: St. Patrick's vs. Huntington on ESPN2 Tonight

2007-02-22T17:13:00.000-05:00

Top ranked St. Patrick's High School of New Jersey will be squaring off against 6th ranked Huntington High School of West Virginia tonight at 7:00 on ESPN2. Best believe I will be sitting in my comfy chair tuned in to the station that those on ESPN affectionately refer to as "the Deuce." The game will boast a few future NBA players (possible all-stars), and multiple high Division One players.*

NBA Dunk Contest: MJ's Still the Best

2007-02-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

The NBA decided to change the rules for the dunk contest, yet again. Unlike the past two years, when dunkers had an infinite amount of time to complete their dunks (which we can thank for travesties like this - click here), 2007 dunk contest participants were given two minutes to complete each dunk. If time ran out, they got two more tries. Thankfully, the rule was pushed to its limit only

Arenas the Anomaly: A Breath of Fresh Air?

2007-02-13T23:27:00.000-05:00

Crazy? Debatable.Different? Most definitely.Selfish? Some would say so.Good for the game? Well...Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas is known as much for his off-court antics as his offensive aptitude on the hardwood. For every one of his 40+ point games, there is a news story which details his quirkiness. Gilbert Scores 54, Admits to Trading Signed Shoes for a Box of All-Star Ballots.

The Debut of Greg Oden

2006-12-03T13:25:00.000-05:00

The top ranked freshman in the country, Greg Oden, made an earlier than expected debut for the Ohio State Buckeyes yesterday. What happens when a team who was ranked #1 in the country sans the #1 freshman in the country squares off against a mid-major with the help of its aforementioned Diaper Dandy? Well, in Ohio State's case, it meant a 20 point victory over Valparaiso.The 7 foot, 250 pound

Quick Tech's: Two Thumbs Down

2006-11-03T14:33:00.001-05:00

From last night's Knick game against the Hawks:Nate Robinson contested a Hawks player's shot, and was whistled for a foul. It was a very questionable call; Nate felt that he had a clean block. After the whistle, Nate jumped up and down - not to show up the official, he simply was not happy with the outcome of the play. It was not the least bit surprising - saying that Nate plays with emotion is

HLBT Daily: It's Finally Here!

2006-10-31T20:42:00.000-05:00

I have spent the past week doing all sorts of fantasy basketball prep - the draft for my league took place yesterday (Sunday) morning. I encourage you to ask me any fantasy basketball questions you may have. I would love to help you win your league (so long as you aren't in mine), and trust me, my advice will help you win your league.---So... tonight is Opening Night of the NBA! Here are some

Has the Business Side of the NBA Taken the Fun out of the Game? Arvydas Macijauskas Thinks so...

2006-10-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets signed Lithuanian shooting guard Arvydas Macijauskas in August, 2005. Multiple DNP, Coach's Decisions later, Arvydas requested a trade. The Hornets eventually released him from their roster.Perhaps still bitter from his not-so-eventful stint with the Hornets, Arvydas had this to say about The League: "The NBA isn't fun. Teams are not teams, there's no true

HLBT Daily: "Lebron Ruined my Childhood"

2006-10-20T18:56:00.001-04:00

The Cavaliers recently played a pre-season game in Rochester, NY. Roughly a five+ hour drive from Madison Square Garden, the inhabitants of the cold city in upstate New York seldom get the opportunity to see NBA basketball live. The last time the city hosted an NBA game, Gloria James had not yet given birth to the child we now know as Lebron.So when promoter’s touted Lebron as the event's main

HLBT Daily: David Stern - Chief of the Fashion Police, Cuban's Physicists

2006-10-18T20:54:00.000-04:00

Commissioner David Stern is turning into Chief of the Fashion Police Force. Not only has he given himself the power to dictate what "his" players wear off the court, though he now mandates that players take off their warm-ups in front of the bench, rather than in front of the press table. 99% of the players in the league undress in front of the table; some are even still ripping off their

HLBT Daily: Welcome Houston Chronicle, My Knicks' First Preseason Game

2006-10-14T09:32:00.000-04:00

I would like to thank all readers from the Houston Chronicle for stopping by. Make yourself at home. And of course, to all the regulars, thanks for the support.Yesterday I watched the Knicks' first preseason game. Their opponent was a Kidd & Carter-less Nets squad.I subscribe to the belief that the outcome of a preseason game matters less than the all-star weekend celebrity game, though for

HLBT Daily: Kings Chemistry Called into Question

2006-10-11T22:21:00.001-04:00

The Sacbee recently put out an article which explains the strained relationship between Sacramento King forwards Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas. Writer Martin McNeal tells, "[they] squared off briefly Monday during practice." The two are battling to claim duties as a starting forward, though do not believe for a second that a starting spot was the only inspiration for the spar. "The two

HLBT Daily: Greetings to Houston Chronicle, The Transmogrification of Robert Swift

2006-10-10T19:06:00.000-04:00

I'd like to thank all of the readers from the Houston Chronicle (chron.com) for stopping by. Make yourself at home...Fans across the league are still wondering whether or not it was a smart move for Rockets' GM Carroll Dawson to ship high flying Stromile Swift and possible future star Rudy Gay to Memphis for the solid but unexciting Shane Battier. Coincidentally, the trading partners faced off

HLBT Daily: It's Close... I can Smell it

2006-10-07T09:51:00.000-04:00

Let's start things off nice and messy...Stephon Marbury sounded off, yet again, on Larry Brown. "I didn't listen to anything he said last year after he lied to me the first time," Marbury told reporters following the Knicks' training session at the College of Charleston. "To me everything was up in the air. If it landed on its feet, it landed. After he lied the first time I pretty much didn't

HLBT Daily: When Owner/Player Relationship Goes too Far

2006-10-01T14:03:00.000-04:00

Wyc Grousbeck, owner of the Boston Celtics, on one of his players' new slimmed down physique: "Al Jefferson looks like Jessica Simpson." With all due respect, Mr. Grousbeck, I disagree.Doc Rivers, one of my favorite people in the NBA, took a more... normal... approach to commenting on Jefferson's offseason pound shedding. "We felt that he needed to get in better shape... He committed himself to