DYNASTY!!

I did it! Another year, another title. That makes 3 in a row. 3 years ago my good friends and I started a fantasy basketball league. For 3 years I have come out on top. My excellent blend of insight on trades and pickups have assured my dominance. I am not hear to brag however (well sort of) But more importantly I just want to be able to reminisce on a great year and explain my thoughts and actions. To explain how I ended up with only three of my original players drafted at the end of the year. To explain my completed and failed trades and my creative fantasy team names. Take notes people. Enjoy the pictures as well.

Here was my original draft ( I had the 8^th pick)

1.     Russell Westbrook 23 PPG 5 AST- I really didn’t even want him in the first place, but had no choice because none of the players I targeted slipped to number 8. I ended up trading him after a week. He just doesn’t assist like a fantasy PG should.

2.     Blake Griffin 20 PPG 10.8 REB- One of the two players I kept on my team all year. Free Throw % was tough, but he was consistent and healthy all year long. In this injury crazed lockout season I couldn’t have asked for more.

3.     Andre Iguodola 5.5 AST 1.7 STL- I ended up trading him due to deficiencies in scoring and %'s but he did well for him while I had him.

         Voted the 3 Worst Fantasy Basketball Owners 2012, Look Familiar?

4.     Kyle Lowry 17 PPG 7 AST 2 STL (Pre-Injury)- I was SUPER excited about landing Lowry. I had him the previous year and knew he was due for a breakout season. Unfortunately a groin injury and then a infection ended his season prematurely.

5.     Andrew Bynum 18 PPG 11.8 REB- Bynum slipped in the draft do to durability issues. I took a huge RISK drafting him, but it paid HUGE dividends as he had an outstanding year. I still hate him though.

6.     Wesley Matthews 13 PPG 1.7 STL- Kind of a disappointment, he didn’t build of the success he had last year until it was too late in the year and I had already dropped him.

7.     Elton Brand 11 PPG 7 REB- Felt forced into picking him, as I needed a big man at the point in the draft, I ended up thankfully trading him.

8.     Jarret Jack 15 PPG 6 APG- I made a great pick with Jack as he took over as a starting PG for the departed Chris Paul. Luckily I traded him at the right time, before a knee injury took him out for most of the year.

9.     JJ Hickson 17 PPG 10.5 RPG(Last 9 games of the year)- I expected big things from Hickson in Sacramento! FAIL! I was able to pick him back up during his run with the Blazers though.

10.  Ricky Rubio 10 PPG 8 APG 2 STL- STUD!! Except for FG % So exciting to watch him play, unfortunately he joined Lowry in the injury department.

11.   Jared Dudley- Should have hung onto him longer. He got off to a slow start, but turned into a nice player for the Suns.

12.  Darko Milicic- Don’t ask

13.  Brendan Haywood-  No Comment

This was the Team that I ended with. It was quite different that the team I started with: Klay Thompson, Ty Lawson, Mo Williams, Blake Griffin, Danillo Gallinari, Marc Gasol, JJ Barea, JJ Hickson, Andrew Bynum, Luol Deng, Marcus Camby, Patrick Mills

                 2012 Fantasy Basketball Championship Team

Trades: 

I was able to complete two trades during the course of the season, both early on.

#1 Russell Westbrook, Elton Brand for Ty Lawson 16 PPG 6 APG and Luol Deng 15 PPG 6 RPG

-I wanted to get younger, Brand was too much of an injury risk for me. I also thought Russell Westbrook was overrated especially in our league where we count A/TO and TO’s as a category. I knew Lawson had a lot of potential to get better and liked Luol Deng because he was solid in most categories.

#2 Andre Igoudola, Jarret Jack, OJ Mayo for Marc Gasol 9 RPG 2 BPG

-Most people thought I gave up too much in this trade, which was true. I knew I was giving up too much, but it was worth it to me because I knew that I was capable of making good pickups the rest of the way. Also Gasol contributes in multiple categories across the board. Even in categories that most centers don’t contribute in.

                                                            Get to keep the ring for another year

#3 Didn’t Go Through   Wes Matthews and Jameer Nelson for James Harden

-I was heavily scrutinized for this trade. However I stand buy it. Brian was in desperate need of a PG and Jameer was improving the 2^nd half of the season. Wes also played much better the latter half of the season. Harden’s production was capped by his “6^th man” status where as I knew that Wes and Jameer had a would only improve. I ended up vetoing it myself because I didn’t want any sort of controversy if I were to win the League.

The Season

            It was obvious from the get go that Blake and I would eventually meet in the Finals. Our Week 1 match up went down to the wire tying 5-5-1. We might have met in the finals last year had not for some unfortunate late injuries for Blake. I got off to a great start and was #1 or #2 seed throughout the year. I started to tail off toward the end of the year as I was hit with a string of injuries including: Kyle Lowry, Ricky Rubio, Jeremy Lin, and Gallanari. However I recovered and got hot when I needed to thanks to some key pickups: Klay Thompson, JJ Barea and JJ Hickson, and Marcus Camby.

 My lowest point of the year was when I had just lost 7-4. On top of that I learned that Kyle Lowry would not return and I was unable to pick up Goran Dragic 18 PPG 8 APG 2 STL(As a starter) because I had used up all my pickups for the week.

However I didn’t give up. In fact I think my final match up vs Blake was my finest hour. I knew that a lot of teams would rest key players down the stretch so I kept my eye on the NBA standings and made sure I got in as many starts as I could early in the match up so I could maximize all 63 starts. I used all 63 and even had to bench 5 players on the last day to avoid going over. Also some choices I made earlier in the year were rewarded. For example I had the opportunity to pick up Anderson Varejao and Eric Gordon earlier in the year and with my lead in standings I could have afforded to do so, but I chose not to. My instinct told me that even if these players were able to return they would be severally limited or even benched all together with the slightest injury. This allowed me more roster sports for later pick-ups. Varejao ended up not coming back and Gordon only for a few games. So my instinct was correct.

                                Fantasy Basketball League Owners 2012

Overall another fun year of Fantasy Basketball with some of the most competitive basketball enthusiasts I know. We always have several quarrels during the year about trades or pick ups or what not, but in the end I had a lot of fun. Just want to say thanks to everybody in the league who participated and got really into it because the more competitive the better. And thanks for nothing Matt Wild(ABSOLUTE BUST)

Last but not least here are the fantasy team names I used throughout the year that I can remember

1.     Gasoft Gets GaSlammed

2.     Klay Dough

3.     Going for a 3-peat

4.     Micheal Kidd Gildick

5.     Kia’s revenge on Griffin

6.     Linderella Story

Special Thanks to our Commissioner Blake Richardson

"Hate the player not the game" Or "Hate the game not the player?"

It’s a cold and snowy night on January 19, 2002. Over 68,000 people braved the conditions and packed themselves into Gillete Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. There are 1:47 seconds left in the game, 2^nd and 10 on the Raiders 42 yard line, Raiders leading by 3. Brady takes the snap out of shotgun. Before he can even get through his progressions he is hit on his blind side, and the ball is jarred lose. Raiders recover, game over… or is it? Officials convene and call it an incomplete pass based on the “Tuck Rule”. Patriots go on to tie the game in regulation and win in overtime.

            Thus began the unwarranted hatred for Tom Brady. Did the Pats get a lucky call….Yes. Was it Brady’s fault…NO.  It makes no sense for people to loathe Brady for this. He simply went with the call that was on the field and continued playing, just like anybody else would do. Was he supposed to go to the refs and tell them, “hey guys I think I fumbled it”. NO, nobody would. And if you would do something like that, remind me to never pick you for any sports team ever!

            The year is 2008 and it is the 1^st week of the NFL Regular Season. The Patriots first game is against the Kansas City Chiefs. On their first possession Brady drops back in the pocket. He eyes Randy Moss down the sideline and steps into his throw. As he releases Bernard Pollard of the Chiefs, in desperation, dives at Brady’s legs. Brady unable to protect himself takes a hit from a 224 pound man coming full speed at him. His legs buckle like a lawn chair. He has torn both his ACL and MCL and is out for the year. Before 2009 season the NFL adopts what’s known as the “Brady Rule” which means a defender on the ground cant lunge at the legs of a quarterback.

            Thank Goodness somebody made this rule! It ticks me off to see these idiot defenders dive at a QB’s legs because they are too lazy or just suck too much to actually pressure the QB. These injuries can be DEVESTATING (see Carson Palmer vs. Steelers). The QB has absolutely no chance to protect himself because he is looking downfield and is usually planting and stepping into a throw. A lot of people were happy that Brady got hurt and I was like WTF? Are you kidding me? What is your deal? Brady produced the most exciting year of football I had ever watched the previous season with 50 TD passes and a perfect regular season. So let me get this straight. You’re happy the best and most exciting player in football is out for the year by some cheap shot from a lazy defender? I would like to see a 224-pound person smash into your legs when they are planted and watch as you roll on the ground in pain and realize that your way to make an income might have disintegrated along with your ligaments. It makes me SICK!! Anybody who is a real fan of football would not be happy.( However I don’t have the same sympathy for a player who causes injuries to other players and then gets hurt himself, just to clarify. cough cough Hines Ward I hope you never play another down again)

Another reason people dislike Brady is because he is a so-called “pretty boy” Haha jealous much. People who say that sound like they wish they had a hot wife and made millions, too bad you are still working at McDonalds like the rest of us. You don’t become one of the greatest Quarterbacks in NFL history by being a “Pretty Boy”.

Brady is one of the fiercest competitors in the NFL. You can see it in his face during games and in the preparation he puts in. I love seeing him butt helmets with his offensive line when he is jacked during games. Oh and not to mention that “Pretty Boy” is the Patriots defacto goal line running back now.

The final reason why people dislike Brady is because he is good…. Wait what?  Whoa hold up…. People don’t like him because he is too good? Wow that’s sad, I guess people aren’t fans of watching good football.

These reasons listed above are why I believe there is a huge lack of support/ pure hatred for Tom Brady. Here are some reasons why he is one of my favorite athletes ever…

1.     He has an unbelievable story of his rise to greatness. From being overlooked out of high school, to being 7^th on the depth chart at Michigan* and having to fight for his job junior and senior year against a “more talented athlete” Drew Henson. He literally had to fight for every second of playing time. His senior season he would play the 1st qtr. Then Henson would play the 2nd qtr. And whichever QB played better would play the 2nd half. Then had to wait to be drafted until the 6^th round, and started as a 4^th string in New England, to taking over the starting job and leading his team to a Super Bowl Victory that same year, to win two more Super Bowls, to tear his knee ligaments and sit out for a whole year, then finally to return and lead his team to the brink of another Super Bowl is INCREDIBLE.

*http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1193473/index.htm
(Brady on left, Henson on right)

2.      But what I love about Brady the most, his humbleness. Many people just assume because he is a rich quarterback with a hot wife that he must be a total arrogant jerk. Now I don’t know him personally, but from all the interviews and sound bites I have heard from Brady has shown me that he is confident in his abilities (you kinda have to be that way if you want to be an NFL QB) yet humble. He gives credit to his teammates, coaches and the opposing teams win or lose. He also always praises the next opponent.  Watch one of his press conferences; you will see what I mean.

One last interesting story, which I think, really speaks to Brady’s character. He was asked to be in a Visa commercial in 2007, but he refused to be in it unless it included his offensive linemen. They obliged. 

So….. when your rooting for a Super Bowl team this Sunday and you’re like most of America and are like (in a whiny voive), “I’m rooting for the Giants because I hate Brady and the Pats”. Think to yourself for a moment, would you either root for a guy like Brady or would you rather root for a guy like Eli Manning? The same Eli Manning who has had everything handed to him on a silver platter. The same Eli whose dad was an NFL QB and has coached him since birth. Not to mention a pretty good older brother who he can go to for help. The same Eli who refused to be drafted by the Chargers and had his DADDY tell the Chargers he would refuse to play for them. Are you kidding me? This kid hadn’t played a snap in the NFL and he is arrogant enough to think he can make those kinds of demands. And he isn’t even man enough to demand himself. He had to have DADDY do it. Listen Kid, and yes I’m calling you a kid even though I am only 19.  You play for the team that picks you and earn your stripes. Then you can talk and complain. Just because your DADDY was a QB and your brother is a QB doesn’t mean you’re automatically better than everyone else. I don’t know how he can command veterans respect in the locker room after pulling a stunt like that. And people think Brady is the “Pretty Boy”. Unbelievable.

Now I know these are just the QB of both teams. There are other players, and coaches etc. But QB’s are the faces of franchises. So who do you think represents their franchise the best not only as a man, but also as a player? Yeah I’m going with Brady. And in the words of Grant Napier, “If you got a brain in your head” then you should too.

I would go into more detail about why I LOVE the organization of the Patriots and why Bill Belicheck is an excellent coach, but I will save that for another time. I believe this interview below of Robert Kraft (Owner of the Patriots) truly shows his character and the character of the Patriots. Kraft took over as the Patriots owner in 1994 and has been in 6 Super Bowls since. He has molded the Patriots organization into a model franchise and one that others should try and emulate and root for. Take a look. You might rethink why you are rooting against the Patriots this weekend. LETS GO PATS, WIN THIS ONE FOR MHK!!!!!!!!!!

Getcha Popcorn Ready

          The score is 10-0 in favor of the away team. The clock reads 4:34. It’s the 4^th quarter. The home team huddles up, getting ready to run their first play of the drive. The home crowd is eager for their beloved football team to get things going. They have been held scoreless to this point. However no one is worried, the crowd is quiet but surprisingly calm.  The young quarterback has been in this position many times before. The question is, can he do it again? With Ice running through his veins he leads his team down the field like a sergeant leading his troops. He throws, jukes and scrambles for first downs, each one more improbable then the next. The murmuring of the crowd grows after every yard gained. Finally with 2:12 left the quarterback drops back and surveys the field. The pocket breaks down and he is forced to scramble. There is a lane open to use his legs, but knowing every second is precious he holds up. Aware of his running abilities, defenders leave their assignments to make a play. The QB sees this and releases the ball before crossing the line of scrimmage. It’s a dart to the corner of the end zone to a wide-open receiver. The catch is made! BOOM!!  Fireworks shoot up from the scoreboard as the crowd cheers!

Fast forward to overtime. The opposing team has the ball and is approaching field goal range. Their coach takes a safe approach, calling a running play to the left side. The ball is snapped and everything goes as planned. The RB sees an open hole and shoots through; it looks to be a big gain that will seal the game. BUT THEN………… Pandemonium.  The running back is stripped of the ball and its recovered by the home team. The crowd erupts like a Volcano with all the stored up energy released in one moment. People are hugging, high fiving, yelling, staring in disbelief and of course “Tebowing”. I think you know the rest.

These types of moments are what I enjoy most in life. As soon as an exciting sporting event ends whether I’m at the game or watching it on TV; I immediately look towards the next one I can go to or watch. In a world where people are so busy with work, school, jobs, etc. Watching sports is my out. Its how I get away and where I can truly be myself. Unfortunately I cant go back in time to relive these experiences so I find the best way to remember them is to share them with others.

So without further ado, here are my top 5 best sporting events I have ever attended.

1.                    Bears @ Broncos 12/11/11.

Outcome:  Broncos 13 Bears 10

Tim Tebow led the Broncos to comeback victory in 4^th quarter for 6^th straight win. Read Above.

2.                    Red Wings @ Sharks Game 7 Western Conference Semifinals 5/12/2011

Outcome: Sharks 3 Red wings 2

Probably the LOUDEST game I have ever been too. I took video on my phone, but it was so loud that it couldn’t even record the audio. The Wings made a comeback in the 3^rd period with a goal to bring it within 1. There was a scramble in front of the sharks net with less than 10 seconds remaining, but the puck got cleared as time ran out and sent all the fans into complete delirium.

3.                    Clippers @ Kings 2/28/2011

Outcome: Kings 105 Clippers 99

This game had significance for other reasons then just the game itself. This was at the peak of the Kings possible relocation to LA. Tyler, Blake and I along with other Die Hard Kings fans set up a “Here We Stay Night”. We helped sell out the game to make one lass ditch effort to convince the Maloof’s to reconsider moving the Kings. We showed up to the stadium three hours before game time with signs and our faces painted chanting “Here we stay, Not LA” ,among other chants, outside the stadium. We made the cover of the Sacramento Bee as well as in other websites and videos. The game was great too. Blake Griffin was electric and Marcus Thornton scored 16 points in the 4^th quarter for a comeback victory.

4.                    Cavaliers @ Kings 3/13/09

Outcome: Cavs 126 Kings 123

Even though the Kings lost, this game was sick!!  It was my first time getting to see Lebron James play in person (this is before he went to the Heat) Lebron dropped 51 points, 16 of them in the 4^th quarter to lead the Cavs to tie the game. Kevin Martin had a chance to win the game in regulation on a last second shot, but Lebron blocked it. I don’t care what anybody says, Lebron is a beast!

5.                    Patriots @ Packers 11/19/06

Outcome: Pats 35 Packers 0

On the field, this game was awful. Tom Brady and the Patriots ran over the Packers. Brett Favre was knocked out of the game in the 2^nd quarter with an elbow injury, which left a young and inexperienced Aaron Rodgers to play. He couldn’t get much going and his leg was broken on the final play. However aside from the game this was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I got to see my beloved Packers play at Lambeau Field and enjoy the community of Green Bay. We even sat next to an old guy who said he was at the Ice Bowl.  Crazy!

Honorable mention:

Lakers @ Kings 2011: Was thought to be last game for Kings in Sacramento,

NCAAB Arizona @ Cal : Game went into triple OT!,

NCAAF UCLA @ Cal: Saw Desean Jackson and Marshawyn Lynch play for Cal

The best game I never saw

I had tickets to the Kings vs Grizzlies game when Tyreke Evans hit a half court shot at the buzzer to win the game. Unfortunately I was forced to give up my ticket because I was scheduled for a double shift at my work and I couldn’t find anybody to take it for me. I can’t believe I missed one of the most exciting games in Kings history!! I’ll Never live it down!!!!

Use this site to keep track of games you have been too

http://travel.espn.go.com/travel/passport/index

What’s the best sporting event you have ever been too?