Fantasy Basketball Haiku:

How The West Was Won (Chapter 3)

By Muntradamus

BEAST DOME NATION.

We are entering a new stage of the NBA season.  This is when the players know their roles, and teams are starting to figure out which direction they are heading for the 2012-2013 season.  Hopefully by the next time this Haiku comes out, Andrew Bynum and Danny Granger both return to the court.  These are the last of the two NBA stars to play a NBA game.  Since we are also at the midway point of the NBA season, below I will give my Predictions for the remained of the season.

LIVE CHAT With Muntradamus

MONDAY-FRIDAY 3:30pm PST

SUNDAY NIGHT 8:00pm PST

 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS AND FINAL RANKINGS WITHIN EXPERTS

 

 

FIRST HALF FANTASY AWARDS

 

All Sleeper Team

(Best Value for Draft Pick Per Position)

PG: Damian Lillard – POR
SG: O.J. Mayo – DAL
SF: Paul George – IND
PF: David Lee  – GSW
C: Joakim Noah – CHI

All Waiver Wire Team

(Players Ranked outside of the Top 35 By Experts Preseason in Position)

PG: Jarrett Jack  – GSW
SG: Jamal Crawford – LAC
SF: Metta World Peace – LAL
PF: Ed Davis – TOR
C: Omer Asik – HOU

All Bust Team

(Players Picked Higher than they are performing. Not counting injuries)

PG: Deron Williams – BRK
SG: Marcus Thornton – SAC
SF: Gerald Wallace – BRK
PF: Paul Millsap – UTA
C: Pau Gasol – LAL

All Beast Team

(The Best of The Best. All-Star Team In Fantasy Basketball)

EAST

PG: Kyrie Irving – CLE
SG: Dwayne Wade – MIA
SF: LeBron James – MIA
PF: Josh Smith – ATL
C: Joakim Noah – CHI

6th Man: Jrue Holiday – PHI

WEST

PG: Russell Westbrook – OKC
SG: Kobe Bryant – LAL
SF: Kevin Durant – OKC
PF: David Lee – GSW
C: DeMarcus Cousins – SAC

6th Man: James Harden – HOU

Predicting Remaining 2012-2013 Season

EAST

1) Miami
2) New York Knicks
3) Indiana
4) Chicago
5) Brooklyn
6) Milwaukee
7) Philadelphia
8) Toronto

First Round

Miami defeat Toronto.
NYK defeat Philadelphia
Indiana defeat Milwaukee
Brooklyn defeat Chicago

Conference Semi-Finals

Miami defeat Brooklyn
Indiana defeat New York Knicks

Conference Finals

Miami defeats Indiana

WEST

1) Oklahoma City
2) San Antonio
3) LA Clippers
4) Denver
5) Golden State
6) Los Angeles Lakers
7) Dallas Mavericks
8) Portland Trail Blazers

First Round

OKC defeat Portland
Dallas defeat San Antonio
Lakers defeat Clippers
Golden State defeat Denver

Conference Semi-Finals

Golden State defeat OKC
Lakers defeat Dallas

Conference Finals

Lakers defeat Golden State

NBA FINALS

Lakers defeat Miami

WHY THE LAKERS WILL WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

 

Basketball is a game where the best teams are the ones that win games.  Yes team chemistry plays a huge factor, but if you cannot guard certain players.  Your team has no chance of winning.

While the Lakers have Team Chemistry like a group of players that have never played with each other before.  They are now finally getting the rhythm that they have been looking for all season.  Injuries to Pau Gasol/Dwight Howard/and Steve Nash at all different times of the season has led to the confidence building of Metta World Peace/Earl Clark/and Antawn Jamison.  All of these players can step up with big games to carry a weak link.  Kobe does not have to be a 3×2 machine for the Lakers to win games, but clearly when he gets out of his Tracy McGrady (I can score everything) mindset, he makes this team full of talent one of the most dangerous ones we have seen in some time.

The team chemistry is only going to get stronger, and the team that is a +3900 Odds to win the NBA championship, is a team that will likely take it down.  Nobody wants to face this team in the Playoffs, their offense is only going to get stronger.  When their offense gets stronger, there will be less transition defense, which will strengthen their weakness.  Defense.

Everyone including Dwight Howard joined this Lakers squad and came into camp with one goal in mind.  To win a Championship.  Once they all play with that mindset, they will be unstoppable.  We are starting to see the first stages of this.

Once Dwight gets use to being a Laker and has won over every Fans heart.  There is no telling how quickly this team can explode to a Favorite again in the NBA.

 

“I have always been a seasonal Fantasy Player.  I was a V.I.P with Munt for Football and decided to take a chance on him with Daily NBA.  After winning the first three days of the one week plan, I have decided that I’m going to ride out the Munt wave until the end of the season. The man lives/sleeps/drinks/eats Fantasy Sports.  I would take his advice 100/100 times.”

-BLEHAIRNOW
E-Mail: [email protected] if interested in trying out the VIP service.

 

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR.

Analyzing Your Players.
Seeing which players to Sell High/Buy Low.
What Free Agents are better than the Players I own.

Free Content Coming Daily To Help You Win The Championship!

 

More Fantasy Basketball Content ahead this week.  Don’t forget to help each other out in the BEAST DOME NATION CHAMPIONSHIP JOURNEY.

 

 

*THE PLAYERS LISTED ARE PLAYERS TO CONSIDER FOR SEASONAL FORMATS*

CHAPTER 3 RECAP HAIKUS

 

TORONTO RAPTORS

Jose Calderon still has the keys to the offense, but Kyle Lowry hurts his consistency.
DeMar DeRozan is still the Franchise player, but Alan Anderson and Terrence Ross are making noise off the bench.
Landry Fields is too inconsistent to trust in Fantasy leagues.
Ed Davis is enjoying his last days of dominance before Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Brother return.
Amir Johnson is in the same boat, but no reason Jonas should play for Amir.

BOSTON CELTICS

Rajon Rondo is out for the season.
Jason Terry will need to revert to his 14 PPG self with intangibles.
Avery Bradley is going to be a more consistent Tony Allen.
Courtney Lee is good, but inconsistency has always been a problem.
Paul Pierce is going to be a MVP.
Kevin Garnett is going to have to continuously dominate if Boston wants a chance.
Jared Sullinger will need to score, but Jeff Green will step on his shoes.

PHILADELPHIA 76ers

Jrue Holiday is having a Fantasy MVP caliber season.
Nick Young will be a solid spot-starter until Jason Richardson returns.
Evan Turner has the potential to dominate, with the 76ers thin he should step up.
Thaddeus Young should be a 20/10 guy every night with this team.  Eventually he will get there.
Spencer Hawes has to make the most of his short-term starting spot.

BROOKLYN NETS

Deron Williams is not playing anything like a 1st round pick.  His value can only go up.
Joe Johnson will need to score 20 a game for the Nets to have a chance.
Gerald Wallace is far from the player he was with Charlotte.
Reggie Evans and Kris Humphries is a situation that will flip flop all year.
Brook Lopez is the #1/#2 option on this team, one of the best centers.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Raymond Felton is back to run the show for the Knicks. 8-10 Assists a night should be automatic.
J.R. Smith is getting harder to trust with Jason Kidd and Iman Shumpert starting at the SG/SF role. And Amar’e  is healthy.
Carmelo Anthony is still a scoring BEAST.
Amar’e is back to his vintage self. 20 Points/10 Rebound potential nightly.  Off the bench.
Tyson Chandler will not be shooting the ball often in this offense. Value takes a drop thanks to Amar’e.

DETROIT PISTONS

Besides Greg Monroe, no Piston can be trusted on a nightly basis in Fantasy.
Andre Drummond will be grabbing consistent double/doubles towards the end of the season.
Brandon Knight will have a big night every blue moon, consistency has always been his downfall.
Tayshaun Prince can be owned in the deepest leagues, not very start worthy.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Kyrie Irving is the Heart and Sould of this team.
Dion Waiters is back to starting at SG, should be owned in most leagues as his potential is #3 G worthy.
Alonzo Gee does not do enough to warrant starting in nothing but Deep Leagues.
Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller will take a small hit with Marreese Speights joining the team.

INDIANA PACERS

George Hill is returning to ELITE form since injuries.
Lance Stephenson is enjoying his last days as starting and being an impact player.
Before Danny Granger returns.
Which will decrease the value of Paul George who will not shoot as often.
As well as David West who has 20/10 BEAST potential, but more like 14/8 when Granger is healthy.
Roy Hibbert is starting to get it together slowly.

CHICAGO BULLS

With Luol Deng out, Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson are asked to score more.
RIP Hamilton is showing that he is over the hill.
Jimmy Butler is a great spot-start when Luol Deng is out.
Luol Deng will be an ELITE fantasy option again in no time.
Carlos Boozer is going through a slump after his dominance.  As Predicted.
Joakim Noah is dominating and playing like an All-Star, a honor he just received for the first time.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Brandon Jennings is starting to play like a #1 Guard again after inconsistency.
Monta Ellis continues to show his G #1 potential.
The Duo is probably the best guard combo in the league.
Luc Richard is not consistent enough to start. Low-End double double potential or Waiver Wire worthy.
Ersan Ilyasova is back to playing like a Fantasy MVP.  Should be more than a week span.
Larry Sanders is slowly returning to his BEAST form. Potential is through the roof.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

John Wall is getting close to being a #1 Guard again in Fantasy.  Still dominates.
Bradley Beal and Jordan Crawford are beginning their decline.
Martell Webster and Trevor Ariza are beginning their decline.
Nene Hilario looks to be past the foot injury. Playing great.
Emeka Okafor is enjoying one of this best seasons as a pro.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Jameer Nelson is playing like a #1 Quality Guard.  Assists/Steals/3PTM even some rebounding.
J.J. Redick is doing great as a starter. Must-Start in Fantasy.
Arron Afflalo is having trouble finding his consistency since Glen Davis returned.
Glen Davis is back to full strength and taking 22 Shots a game.
Yet Nikola Vucevic continues to be a force with his rebounding and low double digit scoring.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Kemba Walker is still the present and future of the Bobcats.
Gerald Henderson has been consistent, but not a Must-Start option.
Thanks to Ramon Sessions who continuously sees over 28 Minutes of action.
Ben Gordon also gets hot off the bench more often than not.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist takes the biggest hit as his offensive game is inconsistent.
Byron Mullens returns soon, which should impact all the PF’s as well as Bismack Biyombo.

ATLANTA HAWKS

Jeff Teague will have to step as the teams MVP if they want a chance.
Devin Harris not impressing anyone yet. The opportunities will be there.
Kyle Korver is shooting more and more with Lou out.
Josh Smith is reverting back to his Fantasy MVP self.
Al Horford is now a consistent 20/10 option for Atlanta.

MIAMI HEAT

Dwayne Wade is shooting the ball and scoring at his best rate this season.
Lebron is getting his 3×2 potential nearly every night.
Chris Bosh is going to be closer to his 20/10 self than his bad month of Jan.
Mario Chalmers is too inconsistent to trust in Fantasy.
No other Heat player is worth mentioning.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Ricky Rubio is a week away from being Must-Start in Fantasy Leagues.
Luke Ridnour will lose value when Alexey Shved returns.
J.J. Barea may be tough to own, but worth stashing.
Andrei Kirlenko has to do everything for this team, especially with Pek out.
Derrick Williams has potential, but is likely to get dealt.
Nikola Pekovic has 20/10 Potential every night when healthy.

UTAH JAZZ

Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson are in a time-share until Mo returns.
Gordon Hayward and Randy Foye will eat eachothers consistency. Hayward is much better.
Marvin Williams is not worth owning in Fantasy due to inconsistency.
Paul Millsap needs to be traded.  Derrick Favors kills his value.
Al Jefferson will always be safe, but Enes Kanter does eat more minutes than Jefferson owners want.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Blazers a 5 man squad.
Damian Lillard is probably the best Fantasy Sleeper of the season.
Wesley Matthews is a consistent 18 Points a game with intangibles.
J.J. Hickson is a double-double machine. As long as he gets minutes, start him.
Nicolas Batum is finally reaching the potential we all know he has.
LaMarcus Aldridge has yet to play his best basketball of the 2012-2013 season.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Russell Westbrook is still the best guard in Fantasy Basketball.
Kevin Martin is inconsistent, the potential is still there for a good option.
Kevin Durant is arguably the best Fantasy Player in the game right now.
Serge Ibaka not throwing block parties like he used to. Even 8 Blocks in one game would be amazing at this point.
Kendrick Perkins is not worth owning.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

IT2. Isiah Thomas Jr. is going to be an inconsistent great player.  Some nights Aaron Brooks will be better.
Other nights Tyreke Evans will be a ball hog.  The time to Sell him is winding down quickly.
Marcus Thornton is losing value quickly. I would grab him in deep leagues if on the Wire.
Jason Thompson is battling with Thomas Robinson for consistent PT.
DeMarcus Cousins is going through a rough patch. These happen, but his BEAST production will return.

PHOENIX SUNS

Goran Dragic is starting to play better basketball. He will always be the Suns guy.
Jared Dudley is playing at his peak level right now, ride it out or sell high.
Michael Beasley is making a play to get back into the rotation.
P.J. Tucker and Shannon Brown would take the biggest hit if this came true.
Luis Scola has potential for some big games, but he will throw some terrible clunkers.
Marcin Gortat should be shooting more. He is far from his 20/10 self from a year ago.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Stephen Curry re-tweeked his ankle. You cannot Sell now, his value is too low on the market.
Jarrett Jack becomes Must-Own/Must-Start
Klay Thompson continues to make it rain.
Harrison Barnes has lost a level of consistency.
David Lee continues to be the hottest thing in Fantasy Basketball.  He will take a hit however.
Carl Landry is gasping for his last breath.
This all has to do with the return of Andrew Bogut. Add him in all leagues.

L.A. CLIPPERS

Chris Paul continues to miss time, his knee is a real issue.
Eric Bledsoe is a great spot-start whenever the situation comes up.
Jamal Crawford is starting to lose value with the depth of the Clippers coming alive.
Blake Griffin continues to amaze. No reason to think he will slow down.
DeAndre Jordan is too inconsistent to use in Fantasy Leagues.
Thanks to Lamar Odom who is turning into a force off the bench with vintage numbers.

L.A. LAKERS

The Future NBA Champions of the 2012-2013 season.
Kobe Bryant is playing like a Fantasy MVP.  Triple-Double potential will be there every night.
Steve Nash is getting confidence in his shooting again. When the scoring goes up, everything else will follow.
Metta World Peace is turning into a consistent solid Forward to use in all Fantasy Leagues. Good not ELITE.
Pau Gasol is turning into a weapon off of the bench, consistency will be key moving forward.
Earl Clark is a good utility player with double-double potential and intangibles.
Dwight Howards offensive game has reached a low. Foul Trouble is putting him at a DeMarcus Cousins level of Centers.
Far from what he was last season.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

Greivis Vasquez is slowly declining with the return of Eric Gordon.
Eric Gordon is quietly ruining the value of many Hornets with his demand for offensive touches.
Anthony Davis was the man who took the largest hit as his offensive production is not needed on a nightly basis.
Which meant Al Farouq-Aminu turned into a more important role player for the team. Good player for intangibles.
The biggest problem is Ryan Anderson who is shooting the ball the best he has all season.
Jason Smith and Robin Lopez make the Hornets one of the most loaded front courts.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Jeremy Lin went through his slump.  That ended quickly like predicted.
James Harden is the best SG in Fantasy Basketball this season.
Chandler Parsons is good, but Carlos Delfino takes up a large role that Parsons wants.
Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris split too much time.
Omer Asik is still the rebound champ.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

A team with All-Stars from the 2K decade.
Darren Collison is nothing special at the PG position.
OJ Mayo is getting comfortable with his game, not ELITE because of consistency.
Vince Carter is turning into a real factor playing one of his best seasons in some time.
Shawn Marion is turning back the clock Matrix style.
Dirk Nowitzki is not the 20/10 guy like he was.  Now a 18/7 the team is too deep.
Chris Kaman will have his nights, more waiver wire worthy than anything.
Elton Brand is turning back the clock with low-end 2×2 potential nightly.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Tony Parker still is an ELITE PG.
Danny Green is too inconsistent to trust in any format.
Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson are making life tough for eachother.
Tim Duncan is starting to rack up the DNPs.  Still have another half of the season yet.
Tiago Splitter is worth using with Duncan out, otherwise shaky player in any format with low-end 2×2 potential.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Mike Conley is going to start hitting his downfall thanks to Bayless. Like predicted in my preseason rankings.
Tony Allen is a junk yard block/steal specialist.
Rudy Gay is starting to reach his ELITE potential. Time is running out to Buy him.
Zach Randolph has 20/10 potential every night, good time to Buy Low.
Marc Gasol will have his nights, some nights Randolph will eat more than he does.
Darrell Arthur is a good sleeper in deep leagues.

 

Muntradamus is a Fantasy Sports Expert who specializes in Fantasy Football/Baseball/Basketball. He is currently in his first season as a Pro on FantasyPros where he is the only expert to have Adam Dunn, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, Ian Desmond, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Wilin Rosario in his top 20 at each position. Muntradamus not only leads many to championships with his great advice, and outlooks into the future. He is also consistently on the top of leaderboards in DraftStreet. He was also the #1 Fantasy Football Expert of IDP & Overall Rankings, first time in Fantasy Sports History.  To check his Preseason Fantasy Football Rankings Click Here. He also won a 1,000 person tournament in Fantasy Football to qualify for a trip to Vegas to play for $500,000 in Prizes.