“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.” From Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Okay, here comes Round 2. This team’s off to a solid start after taking Ray Allen with its first pick. There are too many good players left to start nit-picking over certain categories. So this pick is like meeting friends for dim sum; there’s enough options for everybody, you might have to look at something before you buy it, and it’s hard to screw up the good time everyone is having. Could it be that a 30 ppg scorer is somehow still on the board? Consider me sold.

Round 2, Pick 1: Allen Iverson

On the plus side…

A.I. has had a great career yet gets a tough rap in fantasy hoops. This often happens to players who have a tragic flaw; in Iverson’s case, everyone knows about his shot selection and subsequent field goal percentage. Perhaps with age his greatness has taken on a more consistent form. Last year he shot 44.7% from the field. This is not going to win you the category, but he is not within shouting distance of the league’s average (45.4% last year). With Allen also shooting about 45%, this team now has two guards that may not hurt your percentages as much as other people think.

What else does Iverson add to this team? He can always be counted on for points. There was a bit of an anomaly last year as three players averaged more than 30 ppg. Two of them were taken amongst the top four in this draft. Allen and Allen (hey remember the old TV show, Simon & Simon? Talk about veering off on a tangent here) stand to be the highest scoring guard combo in this fantasy league.

A.I. also found himself within the top ten in assists and steals last year, something that can be counted on again this season. If Ray Allen is on your team, it is wise to make sure the rest of your backcourt can hit their free throws and drain moneyballs too. Iverson has hit about four treys every three games for his career (or about 1.3 per contest). As always, Iverson is the best at getting to the line and knows how to make those trips count.

On the flip side…

His fans call him courageous and tough. His detractors call him stubborn and injury-prone. Certainly all those forays into the lane while standing “six feet” tall has taken its toll. He is bound to miss at least 5-10 games this season. At least you know that when he is scratched from a game, he is truly injured. Iverson has broken bones and played the next game. Who cannot admire that? Critics, that’s who. I will tell you what, though…I’d rather have him on my team any day of the week than that other guy, what’s his name, used to play for Toronto, wore #15.

In terms of his game, the field goal percentage is still a concern. But fellow dime-dropper, Ron Chow did not single the man out in his article on FG% (click here for that blog entry). He will need to keep it respectable like he did last year. He shot over 46% in his second year of play, so this is not unprecedented territory for him. The other known problem with having him on your team is his tendency to turn over the ball. I’m not sweeping this underneath the sofa. But do yourself a favour and check out the league leaders in turnovers last year; it is littered with all-stars and point guards. Players that have the ball in their hands a lot are going to have their share of turnovers. There are strategies to counter this problem and plan to initiate them often.

The final score…

What’s my feeling on A.I. with the season a few months away? He is currently sitting at home after being snubbed by Team U.S.A. but as his fantasy owner, I’m loving this. With the drama unfolding in Philly and GM Billy King sending mixed signals about his love for the main man in the City of Brotherly Love, A.I. is going to come out with a little extra fire in the belly. I for one look forward to the chance of using that fire to burn my competition. His big game potential will be especially useful in head-to-head or points leagues.

So be not afraid of greatness. It may be “the Answer” to your fantasy woes.

p.s. to check out Ray Allen’s blog entry (i.e. Iverson’s “team mate”), click here.