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Peja StojakovicOne month of the 2009-2010 NBA season is nearing an end and the rabid excitement of many fantasy basketball team owners has calmed a bit, which is why now is the perfect time to grab those waiver wire steals. There are several factors that can suddenly change the stripes of a fantasy player, including injuries to other players, trades, and other changes in circumstances. Here are players to nab if they’re still available in your league’s waiver wire or free agent listings:

Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans Hornets
Need three-point shooting? Peja’s sunk 15 treys in the last three games. With Chris Paul out for a month, Peja’s trying to be more of a leader and is getting more shots as a result. He barely gets any turnovers and usually shoots solid percentages, so go ahead and grab him if he’s available.

Dahntay Jones, Indiana Pacers
Jones has earned a spot in the starting rotation and the return of Troy Murphy shouldn’t hurt his minutes at all. Murphy’s return will probably have more of a negative effect on center Roy Hibbert’s minutes. Jones is a do-it-all forward, almost like a poor man’s Danny Granger. In the last four games, he’s averaged 19.5 ppg, 4.5 rbpg, 2.0 spg, and 1.8 bspg, while shooting 51% from the field.

Darren Collison, New Orleans Hornets
Collison is a rookie and he hasn’t collected as many threes or steals as one might want in a point guard, but in Chris Paul’s absence, he’s been solid, averaging 15.0 ppg and 7.0 apg with low turnovers, while shooting 94% from the line in four games. He should only get better as he gains more and more confidence as the team’s starting point guard.

Click to continue reading December 2010 NBA Fantasy Waiver Steals


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Roy HalladayThe Roy Halladay Sweepstakes Part Two have just became more interesting.  With rumors swirling that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have both shown interest, joined by reports from the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, it seems like the Toronto Blue Jays – controller of the most sought after non-free agent – may have a tough decision ahead of them this winter. Reports say that the rumors now include the Chicago Cubs. The sad part is that this is not news. Any team with any interest in winning in 2010 is going to be looking at Halladay. The only question to be asked is who can afford him?

Click to continue reading Roy Halladay sweepstakes getting thicker


The Toronto Raptors have hit the road for most of November. My buddy Larry has been fuming over their lack of defense. Ironically he was loudest during a two-game stretch where they held their opponents to under 90 points. Granted, he makes a good point. When only the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks rank below you in opposing team scoring, it should send a message that the D needs to be cranked up.

The Miami Heat came to town riding low on a similar three-game losing streak. These two downward trending teams meeting each other resemble the proverbial unstoppable force against the immovable object, only much less impressive. I had not been to a game since the thrilling season opener win against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are my first-hand impressions of the game, with of course some fantasy spin thrown in when possible.

Click to continue reading First hand review: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors


Joe MauerWith the recent announcement that Tim Lincecum was the National League Cy Young Award winner, it leaves only two more 2009 Major League Baseball award winners to be announced, which will be done this coming Monday. One of those is the American League Most Valuable Player, and, like the NL Cy Young, the AL MVP race couldn’t be closer. With Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, and Joe Mauer in the hunt, the award could go to anybody.

Click to continue reading The top of the AL crop


Albert PujolsThere are only two more awards to be awarded before the books on the 2009 MLB season can be officially closed – one of which is the National League Most Valuable Player. Last year’s winner, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, looks poised to repeat. If he wins, it will be his third NL MVP nod, as he also took home the hardware in 2005 after knocking off Barry Bonds and his four consecutive titles. What makes him the most obvious choice is that he greatly improved on many of his totals from last season.

Click to continue reading Albert Pujols - The clear choice


Jari KurriNHL Hall of Famer Jari Kurri is back in the NHL. Sort of. He is attending games in an attempt to evaluate the play of various Finnish skaters. As the general manager of Team Finland, he is responsible for putting together a winning unit to represent his country at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. While Kurri is one of the most successful hockey players of all-time, he certainly has his work cut out for him as GM.

Click to continue reading Jari Kurri featuring Team Finland


Tim LincecumTim’s done it again. Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants won his second consecutive National League Cy Young Award. Lincecum edged out the pair of St. Louis Cardinals aces, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. He becomes the first pitcher to repeat as the winner since Randy Johnson did so with the Diamondbacks four times from 1999-2002. It makes sense that the number one pitcher of 2008 won again, as while Lincecum’s wins total was down in 2009, he improved in almost every other area.

Click to continue reading NL Cy Young Award winner - Tim Lincecum


Description Many thanks to Bill Belichick whose much-discussed fourth quarter decision against the Indianapolis Colts put the clincher on another 3-2 weekend for me. My season record now runs to 27-19. Belichick has earned the right to make the call he did, but he obviously liked his offense’s chances of getting two yards a lot better than thinking that Indy could be held back. The Cincinnati Bengals pulled the minor upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maurice Jones-Drew went all-universe in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ win over the New York Jets. The Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers took expected victories.

Click to continue reading True Predictions: the Belichick Decision, the Turner Factor, and the Colts Going 10-0


Bud SeligMajor League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has promised some changes to the current format – more specifically the sluggish pace – of the MLB postseason. The argument is pretty clear. The MLB regular season schedule is an every day affair; but the MLB playoffs schedule resembles more of an NBA or NHL schedule. The World Series champion New York Yankees played a 162-game schedule in 180 days then played 15 playoff games in 31 days. That’s a drastic change to what the players and their bodies were used to. The Yankees and the Angels also had four days off between the ALDS and ALCS after each team swept their respective opponents.

Click to continue reading Selig proposes to make changes to MLB postseason


At this early point of the NBA fantasy season, it’s tough to know what to do. Whether to have a fire sale and completely rearrange a team, whether to make a few bold moves, or whether to sit tight. It all depends on the fantasy owner, but there are some rules of thumb to follow. Here are some suggested approaches to various rotisserie fantasy basketball situations. In some cases, the same might be applied to head-to-head.

Getting Crushed in One, Two, or Three Statistical Categories (“Stat Cats”)

At this point in the season, it’s important not to panic. Remember, it’s a long season and fantasy basketball is a marathon, not a sprint. However, if at this point, your team is getting crushed in one to three stat cats, without possibility of remedy (perhaps a player who might help in that category is due back from an injury soon), it might be prudent to try to balance out the team with a trade.  In head-to-head, balance isn’t as important as it is in rotisserie.

Assess the situation. If your team is dominating in one or two categories, identify players on the team who perform well in those categories and make trade offers to teams who struggle in that stat cat. Be persistent. Trades can be tough to pull off, so don’t give up after one or two tries. Also, ensure your team can afford to be without that player. For instance, if a manager tries to trade Chris Bosh because his rebounding isn’t needed, keep in mind that he also scores points and shoots well from the field. 

Click to continue reading NBA Fantasy Basketball Early Season Guide


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