fBasketballBlog

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Houston Rockets

Jason — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:00:52 +0000

Lin and Asik are the two new faces in Houston to get excited about. They also look kinda funny next to each other.

Depth chart:

PG:	Jeremy Lin	Toney Douglas	Scott Machado	Shaun Livingston
SG:	Kevin Martin	Jeremy Lamb	Kyle Fogg	Demetri McCamey
SF:	Chandler Parsons	Carlos Delfino	Terrence Jones	Gary Forbes
PF:	Patrick Patterson	Royce White	Marcus Morris	JaJuan Johnson
C:	Omer Asik	Donatas Motiejunas	Greg Smith	Jon Brockman

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Jeremy Lin	PG	5	43%	80%	1.0	19.3	3.5	8.3	2.0	0.3	3.7
Kevin Martin	SG	7	43%	90%	2.2	17.0	2.3	2.5	1.0	0.1	2.2
Omer Asik	C	7	50%	50%	-	7.0	10.0	1.5	1.5	2.0	2.0
Chandler Parsons	SF/PF	9	45%	65%	1.3	10.0	4.7	2.5	1.5	0.5	1.5
Carlos Delfino	SG/SF	10	40%	75%	1.5	8.0	3.0	2.0	1.3	0.2	1.0
Patrick Patterson	C/PF	11+	45%	70%	-	8.3	5.7	0.7	0.5	0.8	0.8
Jeremy Lamb	SG/SF	11+	45%	80%	1.0	7.5	2.7	0.7	0.5	0.3	1.0

Most likely to surprise:
Asik

Sleeper:
Parsons

Most likely to disappoint:
Martin

Category specialists:
Threes: Martin, Delfino
Steals: Lin, Asik, Parsons
Blocks: Asik

Storylines:
- how Lin and his knee fare in a full season as the leader of a team
- who gets the lion’s share of minutes at SG, SF and PF

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 9th
- FGM: T-6th
- FGA: 3rd
- FG%: 14th
- FT%: T-3rd
- 3PTM: T-9th
- Reb: 15th
- Ast: 12th
- TO: T-14th
- Stl: T-16th
- Blk: T-20th
- Pace: 11th
- Offensive Efficiency: T-12th
- Defensive Efficiency: 15th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B-

Bonus:
Jeremy Lin’s summer, animated:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Golden State Warriors

Jason — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:40:00 +0000

Mr. Curry’s ability to regain his status as a fantasy basketball stud rests on that bothersome ankle of his.

Depth chart:

PG:	Stephen Curry	Jarrett Jack	Charles Jenkins
SG:	Klay Thompson	Kent Bazemore
SF:	Brandon Rush	Harrison Barnes	Richard Jefferson	Draymond Green
PF:	David Lee	Carl Landry
C:	Andrew Bogut	Festus Ezeli	Jeremy Tyler	Andris Biedrins

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Stephen Curry	PG	2	48%	90%	2.0	19.0	3.5	6.0	1.5	0.3	2.8
Klay Thompson	SG/SF	5	45%	85%	2.0	17.7	3.0	3.0	1.0	0.5	2.5
David Lee	C/PF	6	50%	78%	-	16.0	8.5	3.0	1.0	0.3	2.5
Andrew Bogut	C	8	50%	60%	-	12.3	8.0	2.3	0.7	2.0	2.0
Brandon Rush	SG/SF	10	45%	75%	1.3	10.0	3.0	1.3	0.7	0.7	1.0
Harrison Barnes	SF	11+	45%	75%	0.5	7.3	2.0	0.3	0.5	0.2	0.8

Most likely to surprise:
Thompson

Sleeper:
Barnes

Most likely to disappoint:
Lee

Category specialists:
Threes: Curry, Thompson
Steals: Curry
Blocks: Bogut

Storylines:
- health, health, health for Curry and Bogut
- who wins the battle between Rush and Barnes for the starting SF job

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: T-11th
- FGM: T-6th
- FGA: T-9th
- FG%: 7th
- FT%: 11th
- 3PTM: 3rd
- Reb: 28th
- Ast: 9th
- TO: 4th
- Stl: T-11th
- Blk: T-5th
- Pace: 10th
- Offensive Efficiency: 11th
- Defensive Efficiency: T-26th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B

Bonus:
The Warriors (sans players) take on “Gangnam Style”:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Detroit Pistons

Jason — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 14:00:08 +0000

Greg Monroe should break into double-double territory this season.

Depth chart:

PG:	Brandon Knight	Will Bynum
SG:	Rodney Stuckey	Kim English
SF:	Tayshaun Prince	Corey Maggette	Austin Daye	Kyle Singler	Khris Middleton
PF:	Jonas Jerebko	Jason Maxiell	Andre Drummond	Charlie Villanueva
C:	Greg Monroe	Vyacheslav Kravtsov

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Greg Monroe	C	3	55%	75%	-	16.5	10.3	2.5	1.3	1.0	2.7
Rodney Stuckey	PG/SG	9	42%	85%	0.7	16.5	3.3	4.7	1.2	0.2	2.3
Brandon Knight	PG/SG	11+	43%	77%	1.5	14.0	3.0	4.3	0.8	0.2	2.7
Tayshaun Prince	SF/PF	12+	44%	70%	0.5	11.0	4.3	2.2	0.4	0.5	1.2
Corey Maggette	SF/PF	12+	40%	85%	0.5	12.0	3.5	1.0	0.5	0.1	1.5
Jason Maxiell	PF	12+	50%	55%	-	7.3	5.5	0.5	0.5	1.0	1.3
Jonas Jerebko	SF/PF	12+	48%	80%	0.5	9.0	5.0	0.5	0.5	0.5	1.0

Most likely to surprise:
Stuckey

Sleeper:
Maxiell

Most likely to disappoint:
Knight

Category specialists:
Threes: Knight

Storylines:
- if the backcourt is more fantasy-friendly this season, and what that could mean for Stuckey and Knight
- how minutes at SF and PF are distributed

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 27th
- FGM: 25th
- FGA: 24th
- FG%: 25th
- FT%: 18th
- 3PTM: 26th
- Reb: T-26th
- Ast: 28th
- TO: 28th
- Stl: 23rd
- Blk: T-26th
- Pace: 27th
- Offensive Efficiency: T-28th
- Defensive Efficiency: 25th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: C-

Bonus:
Kobe hates on the Pistons:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Denver Nuggets

Jason — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:00:36 +0000

The Manimal will be the Nugget to watch this season. (Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

PG:	Ty Lawson	Andre Miller
SG:	Andre Iguodala	Corey Brewer	Evan Fournier	Julyan Stone
SF:	Danilo Gallinari	Wilson Chandler	Jordan Hamilton	Quincy Miller
PF:	Kenneth Faried	Anthony Randolph
C:	JaVale McGee	Kosta Koufos	Timofey Mozgov

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Ty Lawson	PG	2	50%	80%	1.3	18.0	4.0	7.2	1.5	0.1	2.6
Danilo Gallinari	SF	4	42%	88%	1.5	15.7	5.0	2.5	1.0	0.5	1.8
Andre Iguodala	SG/SF	5	45%	72%	1.0	11.7	6.0	4.7	1.5	0.8	2.2
Kenneth Faried	PF	5	55%	67%	-	13.3	9.0	1.0	1.0	1.5	1.3
JaVale McGee	C	6	55%	50%	-	11.5	7.7	0.5	0.5	2.5	1.5
Wilson Chandler	SG/SF	11+	42%	80%	0.5	9.5	4.5	1.5	0.5	0.7	1.3

Most likely to surprise:
McGee

Sleeper:
Faried

Most likely to disappoint:
Gallinari

Category specialists:
Threes: Gallinari
Steals: Lawson, Iguodala
Blocks: Faried, McGee

Storylines:
- the continued growth of Faried
- McGee’s more prominent role
- how Iguodala fits in

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 1st
- FGM: 2nd
- FGA: 15th
- FG%: 2nd
- FT%: 25th
- 3PTM: T-15th
- Reb: 8th
- Ast: 1st
- TO: T-25th
- Stl: 9th
- Blk: 16th
- Pace: 2nd
- Offensive Efficiency: 3rd
- Defensive Efficiency: 19th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: A

Bonus:
JaVale McGee, basketball genius:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Dallas Mavericks

Jason — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:00:57 +0000

A Kaveman resides in Dallas this season. (Flickr/gamerscoreblog)

Depth chart:

PG:	Darren Collison	Delonte West	Rodrigue Beaubois	Jared Cunningham
SG:	O.J. Mayo	Dahntay Jones	Dominique Jones
SF:	Shawn Marion	Vince Carter	Jae Crowder
PF:	Dirk Nowitzki	Brandan Wright
C:	Chris Kaman	Elton Brand	Bernard James

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Dirk Nowitzki	PF	1	47%	90%	1.0	20.0	6.5	2.5	0.7	0.5	1.7
Chris Kaman	C/PF	7	45%	75%	-	14.5	7.5	2.0	0.5	1.5	2.5
O.J. Mayo	SG	7	44%	75%	1.6	15.5	3.5	3.0	1.3	0.2	2.0
Darren Collison	PG	8	45%	85%	0.5	12.0	2.7	5.5	1.0	0.2	2.8
Elton Brand	C/PF	10	50%	75%	-	9.5	6.5	1.2	0.7	0.8	1.2
Shawn Marion	SF/PF	11+	45%	80%	0.2	10.0	7.0	1.5	1.0	0.7	1.4

Most likely to surprise:
Kaman

Sleeper:
Collison

Most likely to disappoint:
Mayo

Category specialists:
Threes: Mayo
Blocks: Kaman

Storylines:
- how all the new faces fare in Dallas
- if Mayo can finally make good on his perceived potential

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 19th
- FGM: 19th
- FGA: 14th
- FG%: 19th
- FT%: 9th
- 3PTM: T-7th
- Reb: 11th
- Ast: T-14th
- TO: T-5th
- Stl: 4th
- Blk: T-14th
- Pace: T-16th
- Offensive Efficiency: T-20th
- Defensive Efficiency: 8th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B-

Bonus:
Mavericks in “Like Mike”:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Cleveland Cavaliers

Jason — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:00:06 +0000

Kyrie Irving is about to shake up the list of truly elite fantasy basketball players.

Depth chart:

PG:	Kyrie Irving	Donald Sloan	Jeremy Pargo
SG:	Dion Waiters	Daniel Gibson	Kelenna Azubuike
SF:	Alonzo Gee	C.J. Miles	Omri Casspi	Luke Walton
PF:	Tristan Thompson	Samardo Samuels	Luke Harangody	Kevin Jones
C:	Anderson Varejao	Jon Leuer	Tyler Zeller	Michael Eric

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Kyrie Irving	PG	2	48%	88%	1.4	20.0	3.5	6.2	1.3	0.4	3.3
Anderson Varejao	C/PF	6	54%	66%	-	10.0	9.0	1.5	1.3	1.0	1.7
Tristan Thompson	C/PF	9	48%	55%	-	9.3	7.3	0.5	0.7	1.3	1.5
Alonzo Gee	SG/SF	10	43%	78%	0.8	11.0	5.0	1.2	1.4	0.5	1.3
C.J. Miles	SG/SF	11+	40%	80%	1.3	8.5	2.0	1.0	1.0	0.3	1.2
Dion Waiters	SG	12+	45%	75%	0.6	8.3	2.0	1.5	1.0	0.2	1.5

Most likely to surprise:
Thompson

Sleeper:
Gee

Most likely to disappoint:
Miles

Category specialists:
None

Storylines:
- how high Uncle Drew’s ceiling is
- if Miles can challenge Gee for sufficient minutes at SF
- how Thompson and Varejao mesh in the frontcourt

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 25th
- FGM: T-28th
- FGA:18th
- FG%: 29th
- FT%: 28th
- 3PTM: T-13th
- Reb: 14th
- Ast: 23rd
- TO: T-25th
- Stl: 22nd
- Blk: 29th
- Pace: 12th
- Offensive Efficiency: 27th
- Defensive Efficiency: T-26th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B

Bonus:
Uncle Drew, of course:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Chicago Bulls

Jason — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:00:35 +0000

Taj Gibson has a chance to do big things this season, and without Mr. Rose around, he’s the most exciting part of the Bulls in 2012-13. (Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

PG:	Kirk Hinrich	Nate Robinson	Marquis Teague	Derrick Rose
SG:	Richard Hamilton	Marco Belinelli
SF:	Luol Deng	Jimmy Butler
PF:	Carlos Boozer	Taj Gibson	Vladimir Radmanovic
C:	Joakim Noah	Nazr Mohammed

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Joakim Noah	C/PF	5	50%	75%	-	12.0	10.0	2.5	1.0	1.5	1.8
Luol Deng	SF	5	43%	77%	1.4	18.3	6.7	3.0	1.0	0.7	2.2
Carlos Boozer	C/PF	6	55%	70%	-	17.0	8.7	2.0	1.0	0.3	1.8
Marco Belinelli	SG	10	42%	80%	1.5	10.0	2.0	1.3	0.5	0.1	1.2
Taj Gibson	PF	11+	50%	65%	-	9.0	7.2	1.0	0.5	1.5	1.5
Nate Robinson	PG/SG	11+	42%	80%	1.3	8.7	1.7	3.0	0.7	-	1.3
Kirk Hinrich	PG/SG	11+	45%	80%	1.2	7.5	2.0	4.5	0.7	0.2	2.0
Marquis Teague	PG	12+	40%	70%	0.3	5.3	1.0	2.3	0.5	0.2	1.5
Richard Hamilton	SG	12+	40%	85%	0.5	8.7	1.5	2.5	0.3	-	1.5
Derrick Rose	PG	12+	44%	80%	1.3	17.0	3.0	6.0	0.6	0.3	3.2

Most likely to surprise:

Belinelli

Sleeper:
Gibson

Most likely to disappoint:
Deng

Category specialists:
- Threes: Belinelli
- Blocks: Noah, Gibson

Storylines:
- how minutes are doled out for the backcourt
- if Gibson’s emergence eats into Boozer’s value
- Rose’s progress and eventual return late in the regular season

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 18th
- FGM: T-9th
- FGA: T-7th
- FG%: 12th
- FT%: 27th
- 3PTM: 17th
- Reb: 1st
- Ast: 5th
- TO: T-5th
- Stl: 24th
- Blk: 3rd
- Pace: T-25th
- Offensive Efficiency: 5th
- Defensive Efficiency: 1st

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B

Bonus:
Damn, love this dude:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Charlotte Bobcats

Jason — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:00:10 +0000

Yep, this is about as exciting as it gets for the Bobcats.

Depth chart:

PG:	Kemba Walker	Ramon Sessions
SG:	Gerald Henderson	Ben Gordon	Matt Carroll
SF:	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Reggie Williams	Jeffery Taylor
PF:	Byron Mullens	Tyrus Thomas
C:	Bismack Biyombo	Brendan Haywood	DeSagana Diop

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Kemba Walker	PG	10	40%	80%	1.0	14.5	4.0	4.5	1.2	0.3	2.7
Ben Gordon	SG	10	42%	85%	1.3	13.0	2.0	2.5	0.7	0.1	2.3
Bismack Biyombo	C/PF	11+	48%	50%	-	7.0	7.3	0.5	0.5	2.2	1.3
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	SF	11+	45%	75%	0.2	9.5	4.5	0.7	1.2	0.7	1.8
Gerald Henderson	SG/SF	12+	45%	77%	0.1	14.0	4.0	2.0	0.8	0.4	1.7
Ramon Sessions	PG/SG	12+	0.45	80%	0.5	10.0	2.7	4.3	0.5	-	1.7

Most likely to surprise:

Kidd-Gilchrist

Sleeper:
Biyombo

Most likely to disappoint:
Walker

Category specialists:
- Blocks: Biyombo

Storylines:
- if Sessions can play himself into a timeshare with Walker
- if Tyrus Thomas can do anything worth mentioning

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 30th
- FGM: 30th
- FGA: 23rd
- FG%: 30th
- FT%: 20th
- 3PTM: 29th
- Reb: 29th
- Ast: T-18th
- TO: T-14th
- Stl: 29th
- Blk: T-5th
- Pace: T-16th
- Offensive Efficiency: 30th
- Defensive Efficiency: 30th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: F

Bonus:
The Charlotte Bobcats’ top 10 plays of last season (no, this is not a joke):

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Brooklyn Nets

Jason — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:00:30 +0000

Brook Lopez is about as exciting as that hat. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

PG:	Deron Williams	C.J. Watson	Tyshawn Taylor
SG:	Joe Johnson	MarShon Brooks	Keith Bogans
SF:	Gerald Wallace	Jerry Stackhouse	Tornike Shengelia
PF:	Kris Humphries	Mirza Teletovic
C:	Brook Lopez	Reggie Evans

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Deron Williams	PG	1	47%	80%	1.7	17.5	3.0	10.0	1.3	0.3	3.3
Joe Johnson	SG/SF	3	45%	80%	1.8	17.0	3.7	4.0	0.7	0.2	2.0
Gerald Wallace	SF/PF	4	47%	75%	0.7	12.0	6.0	2.0	1.5	0.7	1.5
Brook Lopez	C	6	50%	80%	-	15.5	7.0	1.3	0.3	1.7	2.0
Kris Humphries	PF	7	48%	70%	-	9.5	9.7	1.0	0.7	1.0	1.5
Mirza Teletovic	SF/PF	12+	48%	70%	1.3	8.0	5.0	0.5	0.3	0.3	0.5
MarShon Brooks	SG/SF	12+	44%	75%	0.5	7.0	2.0	1.5	0.5	0.2	1.3

Sleeper:
Teletovic

Most likely to surprise:
Lopez

Most likely to disappoint:
Wallace

Category specialists:
- Threes: Williams, Johnson
- Steals: Wallace
- Blocks: Lopez

Storylines:
- how long it takes for Lopez to find a groove in that new-look lineup
- how much Williams and Johnson will eat into each other’s shots and scoring
- what place Brooks will have coming off the bench behind Johnson

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 24th
- FGM: T-28th
- FGA: T-21st
- FG%: 28th
- FT%: 6th
- 3PTM: 6th
- Reb: T-26th
- Ast: 22nd
- TO: T-19th
- Stl: T-16th
- Blk: 30th
- Pace: 21st
- Offensive Efficiency: 23rd
- Defensive Efficiency: 29th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B+

Bonus:
Ian Eagle and Mike Fratello get awkward:

Fantasy Basketball Team Preview: 2012-13 Boston Celtics

Jason — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:00:11 +0000

It’s Rondo time. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Depth chart:

PG:	Rajon Rondo	Keyon Dooling
SG:	Courtney Lee	Jason Terry	Avery Bradley	Dionte Christmas	Jamar Smith
SF:	Paul Pierce	Jeff Green	Kris Joseph
PF:	Brandon Bass	Jared Sullinger
C:	Kevin Garnett	Chris Wilcox	Jason Collins	Fab Melo

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

Name:	Position:	PDR:	FG%:	FT%:	3PTM:	Pts:	Reb:	Ast:	Stl:	Blk:	TO:
Rajon Rondo	PG	2	47%	60%	0.2	13.0	5.0	12.0	2.0	0.1	3.3
Kevin Garnett	C/PF	3	50%	85%	-	14.7	8.7	3.0	1.0	1.2	1.7
Paul Pierce	SF	4	45%	85%	1.5	18.0	5.0	3.7	1.0	0.4	2.7
Jason Terry	PG/SG	7	45%	85%	2.0	12.0	1.5	3.0	1.2	0.2	2.0
Brandon Bass	C/PF	8	47%	80%	-	11.5	7.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	1.2
Courtney Lee	SG/SF	10	43%	85%	1.3	8.7	2.5	1.5	1.3	0.3	1.0
Avery Bradley	PG/SG	11+	50%	80%	0.8	8.5	2.3	1.5	1.3	0.2	2.0

Most likely to surprise:
Lee

Sleeper:
Bradley

Most likely to disappoint:
Terry

Category specialists:
- Steals: Rondo
- Threes: Pierce, Terry

Storylines:
- the continued emergence of Rondo, especially with No. 20 out of the picture
- if age will finally slow down Garnett and Pierce
- how Garnett will fare in a full season at center, where he thrived at last season
- how the glut at SG plays out

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2011-12:
- Pts: 26th
- FGM: 23rd
- FGA: 30th
- FG%: 5th
- FT%: 5th
- 3PTM: T-21st
- Reb: 30th
- Ast: 2nd
- TO: 17th
- Stl: T-16th
- Blk: T-5th
- Pace: 22nd
- Offensive Efficiency: 24th
- Defensive Efficiency: 2nd

Fantasy-friendliness for 2012-13: B

Bonus:
Rondo’s post-tip antics: