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On the Heat and gambling

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

By Dalton Del Don

During a trip to Las Vegas over baseball’s All-Star break, my friend and I stumbled upon a prop bet offered at The Mirage that we both thought was too good to be true (which usually means a trap bet, but still, this was ridiculous). It placed the over/under on strikeouts for the All-Star game at 11. Huh? Eleven? ONE team could easily surpass that. After all, these are the best pitchers in the game often facing hitters for the first time ever (advantage pitcher). And just because the hitters made the All-Star team, doesn’t mean they strike out less (in fact, people typically vote in sluggers who rack up HR and RBI and might even have a higher K rate than the average hitter). Also, it stands to reason starters who are under the national spotlight now asked to throw only one inning will see their velocity increase, probably by a decent amount too. Anyway, after the first inning ended with zero Ks combined, I was a bit worried, but ultimately, the teams combined for 18 strikeouts.

This little story has more meaning than me bragging, as it appears Vegas is once again giving away money. The M, which seems to offer the most futures bets (including every single game of the 2010 NFL season. As in you can bet on the Week 11 matchup between the Colts and Patriots right now) currently has the over/under for Heat wins this season at 64.5. To put this into perspective, the Cavaliers averaged 63.5 wins over the past two years. Umm, ya, I think LeBron James and his slightly improved cast will best that mark – and the kicker is the under is actually favored (-125)!

But that’s nowhere near my favorite futures bet, which is a Lakers/Heat final at +240. There’s one major caveat picking the Heat to win it all this year – and that’s them having to beat the Lakers in the Finals. This takes away that problem altogether. Name one Western Conference team that seriously has a chance of overtaking Los Angeles this season. Maybe Oklahoma City, but Phoenix lost Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash is 37. Carmelo Anthony is sure to get traded from Denver (this might become a problem if he goes to a team such as Dallas, admittedly). As for the East? Come on, Miami is going to dominate. This isn’t the NFL we are talking about here, where unknowns should not only be considered but expected. I’d make this bet at even odds, but at +240, it almost feels like robbery – count me in for a couple bills, and thank you Las Vegas for still providing some loopholes.

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The Scoop

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

By Dalton Del Don

Before we get started, check out my latest podcast, there’s baseball talk over the first half for those who won’t be interested in this NFL-centric “The Scoop,” and the second half consists all of football with guest Mike Salfino, who definitely knows his stuff. This looks to be a regular gig now, airing live on blogtalkradio every Wednesday from 1-2 PST. But more conveniently, they can be downloaded through iTunes at your leisure right here. Also, while I continue to appear on satellite radio every Friday at 9:30 am PST, the channel has changed. It’s now XM #147 and Sirius #211 – even if you don’t give a shit about my weekly appearance, that new channel is now full blown all fantasy content. Not only will Maurice Jones-Drew host his own show once a week come football season, but Steve Phillips currently has his own daily show! Seriously, there’s some pretty decent content on there. So check it out.

Judging from drafts I’ve seen and the general consensus among rankings, I seem to like Jamaal Charles a lot more than most. First, the negatives; he’s never proven he can carry a full workload, has a history of fumbling problems, underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason, plays for what appears to be a very bad Chiefs team and will have to fight Thomas Jones for touches. Now, onto the positives; Charles had the most rushing yards over the final four games of a season in the history of the NFL last year, had a 5.9 YPC mark that tied for the NFL lead while also leading the league with a 6.6 YPC mark during the fourth quarter. Charles turned a greater percentage of his carries into first downs (54/190) than any other back in football while also averaging an amazing 3.6 YPC after first contact – a number that easily led the NFL. New OC Charlie Weis should improve an offense that has the benefit of facing the NFC West this season, and while Jones will surely take away carries and is a major threat to steal them at the goal line, he’s 32 years old, has averaged 308 carries over the past five seasons and faded badly down the stretch last year. There will be safer picks than Charles, but none will have more upside at that stage of the draft. In fact, Charles is the only running back in the history of the NFL to have a season with 5.9 YPC or higher, 1,000 rushing yards and 40 catches. He did that with just 190 carries last year – imagine if he approaches 300 touches in 2010.

During an interview to possibly become the next head coach of the Raiders, Sean Payton recently recounted how Al Davis invited him to dinner by asking “You like cheeseburgers?” They later dined on McDonald’s burgers and KFC coleslaw in the owner’s office. You can’t make this stuff up…Speaking of Oakland, I actually think they are a bit underrated and want to pick them to finish second in the AFC West, but the loss of JaMarcus Russell was a pretty big blow.

Vincent Jackson is not only suspended for the first three games of the season, but the threat of him holding out the first 10 games is becoming a legitimate concern. And if he’s traded, it will almost certainly be to a worse situation than in San Diego, where he more than makes up for a lack of targets by having Philip Rivers throwing him the ball. Floyd didn’t exactly light it up after Chris Chambers was traded last season, gaining a modest 504 receiving yards with zero touchdowns during nine starts. However, he was quite effective if you look deeper, as he got a whopping 10.5 YPA, and the low TD total screams fluke, since he’s 6-5, 225 lbs and saw seven targets from inside the 10 in limited action. Floyd may actually be a safer pick than Jackson, who will cost a much higher draft pick with a looming holdout. Moreover, if Floyd becomes the No. 1 WR in San Diego, he has the upside to finish as a top-10 fantasy receiver.

I’m actually semi-bullish on Alex Smith, but I found this former scout’s take on the 49ers’ QB situation worth reading.

Shonn Greene has yet to start a single regular season game in the NFL, but after exploding for 304 yards (5.4 YPC) and two touchdowns over 2.5 games in the playoffs, he’s anything but a fantasy sleeper entering 2010. In fact, he’s without a doubt a deserving top-10 pick. Of course, it would be nice to see him carry a full workload and remain healthy, as injuries have proven to be a problem even while in a committee. Moreover, the fact he offers so little as a receiver definitely limits his upside. Still, Greene is strong (5-11, 226 lbs) with surprising speed and the unquestionable best back on a roster that features an elite defense and possibly the best offensive line in all of football. LaDainian Tomlinson was signed, and maybe he can somehow secure the third down role and steal some goal-line carries over another 16 games, but this is a back who now has 2,880 career rushing attempts and averaged 3.3 YPC last year while causing the fewest missed tackles and producing the lowest number of yards after contact among all starting running backs in the NFL. Besides, the Jets ran the ball 607 times last year – that’s 108 more carries than any other team, so there will be plenty of attempts to go around. With Braylon Edwards and eventually Santonio Holmes out wide and with a year under Mark Sanchez’s belt, maybe New York throws more in 2010, but defenses will also be unable to load the box in an effort to stop the run. Barring health, would it be all that surprising if Greene was a unanimous top-three fantasy pick in 2011?

I went with a group of 10 people who all disagreed and also judging by the critics I appear to be the only one, but I didn’t really like “Inception.” I’m just going to go ahead and say it – Christopher Nolan is overrated.

Even as Jay Cutler’s biggest apologist, it was impossible not to be critical of his play last year, as he continued to make bad decisions and turn the ball over at an unacceptable rate. Chicago’s poor offensive line was partially to blame, but Cutler’s YPA dropped for a second straight season, bottoming out at 6.6, and a huge final two games (when he tossed eight touchdowns) made an otherwise horrible season look better – remember, he entered Week 16 with a 19:25 TD:INT ratio. Still, while it’s hardly a secret, the Mike Martz factor cannot be understated. With a poor running game and a defense continuing to decline, Cutler is going to be throwing a ton, and while he’s learning a new system, year two with his teammates should bring natural improvement. The receiving group might be more talented than the names suggest, and all are developing while entering their primes. Anyone playing in leagues where interceptions are heavily punished (say anything more than -1 point) can’t aggressively target Cutler, but those who are in different formats should absolutely grab him, especially since the perception of him has probably never been lower.

I made a Tweet about this (shameless plug: follow me here) – but it’s well worth mentioning again. Watch “Louie” on FX. Great show.

Regarding those three Bears’ receivers, my advice is to select the one who comes cheapest. At least one and probably even two of those guys are going to emerge as weekly starters. I originally liked Devin Aromashodu the most, but forced to pick one, I’d probably take Johnny Knox right now, which probably means Devin Hester will end up having the most value. Again, take who falls the furthest in your draft. And yes, avoid Greg Olsen.

I’m not saying it deserves the Pulitzer Prize, but this article has been my favorite so far from 2010. But then again, I’ve always been a sucker for The Price Is Right.

Ryan Grant is an extremely boring pick with limited upside and an inability to contribute as a receiver. Still, he’s also pretty safe. Despite lacking a pedigree (undrafted), he’s the undisputed main ballcarrier in one of the best offenses in football. He converted six of his seven carries inside the three-yard line last year into touchdowns, which was the best percentage in the league, and in Green Bay’s offense, plenty of goal-line opportunities should be in store. Grant got 5.9 YPC and scored six touchdowns over the final four games last season, as the Packers’ offensive line improved immensely over the second half of the year and also added Bryan Bulaga, who somehow fell to pick No. 23 of the draft. Grant is far from the most exciting pick, but I’d sure prefer him to Cedric Benson.

Tim Lincecum redefines the term “wild pitch.”

While I was in Las Vegas last week, The Mirage had the Panthers’ odds to win the Super Bowl at 60-1, which was by far the best long shot bet on the board as far as I could tell (for comparison’s sake, the Bengals were 30/1, the Broncos, Raiders and Seahawks were all 50/1, and for some insane reason, the Bears were 10/1). The fact the NFC South has never had a repeat division winner really doesn’t matter for 2010 in reality, and don’t get me wrong, not only do I obviously like the Saints, but I expect the Falcons to be major contenders as well. Still, the NFL is a reshuffle league, and Carolina gets to play the NFC West and a third-place schedule. Carolina lost Julius Peppers to the Bears and Thomas Davis to injury, but their secondary allowed 6.6 YPA and a 14:22 TD:INT ratio last season. Steve Smith’s injury could be a blessing in that it helps the young receivers develop faster during training camp, and what if Matt Moore is good? Stranger things have happened, and he did post a 7.8 YPA mark with an 8:0 TD:INT ratio over the final four games last season. And while it’s a less important aspect, the Panthers’ running game is among the best in football. Remember, this is a team that won its final three games last year against the Vikings, Giants and Saints (who admittedly sat their starters) by a combined score of 90-26.

Random prediction: Wesley Johnson over DeMarcus Cousins will go down as one of the biggest draft blunders in the history of the NBA…Whenever I’m in a wedding, I inevitably wuss out when it comes to speech time. Maybe it’s because I don’t have something as profound to say as Chris Paul…I too was shocked LeBron James didn’t choose to join the Celtics.

Mike Wallace is hardly a sleeper, but that doesn’t mean he’s still not being undervalued. He caught more than four balls during just one game last season, but he was a WR3 and averaged a ridiculous 19.4 yards per catch as a rookie while also scoring six TDs. The loss of Ben Roethlisberger over the first four games of the season certainly hurts, but Wallace could really thrive afterward with the trade of Santonio Holmes. Pittsburgh wants to get back to its smashmouth roots, but at 34 years old, coming off back-to-back seasons in which he played 16 games and as physical as ever, Hines Ward still seems like an injury waiting to happen. Wallace is already the Steelers’ most physically gifted WR, and what he was able to do as a rookie at a position hard to learn right out of the gate shouldn’t be underestimated, so once Roethlisberger is back under center, big numbers could follow. One caveat should be noted, however, as it appears Pittsburgh drew the group of death during the fantasy playoffs, at least against the pass; although they are the only team who gets three straight home games during that span, they face the Bengals, Jets and Panthers in Weeks 14-16, which certainly looks tough on paper entering the year.

If the Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao fight doesn’t happen soon, it will go down as one of the biggest disappointments in sports of my generation. As if boxing wasn’t in trouble anyway, come on fellas, make it happen!

Maybe Justin Forsett will prove unable to stay healthy while getting 300 touches, but I see absolutely no reason why the Seahawks’ staff wouldn’t give him the opportunity to see if he can. He weighs nearly 200 lbs and got 305 carries during his senior year at Cal, so I’m hoping the other Pac 10 alum (Pete Carroll) doesn’t make the same mistake as other coaches have by wasting carries on the far inferior Julius Jones. Forsett somehow totaled 969 yards last season despite given just 114 carries – 45th in the NFL. While the team in general still looks shaky, Seattle plays in the worst division in football, and the additions of LT Russell Okung and WR Golden Tate should immediately improve the offense. Forsett averaged 5.4 YPC last year, is a threat as a receiver and is also an above average blocker, so there’s really no need to take him off the field, especially on a team with few other options in the backfield (unless Leon Washington can somehow return to 100 percent with a metal rod in his leg after a gruesome compound fracture). It’s worth noting Carroll typically used backfields by committee at USC, but Forsett has a bunch of upside if he can establish himself as the lead back.

Freakin awesome video:
Modest Mouse – Little Motel

Modest Mouse | MySpace Music Videos

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Game 7 Thoughts

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

By Dalton Del Don

It was ugly, but it sure was intense and highly competitive, and while I’m not a fan of either team (although I did bet on the Celtics +150 to win the series), I must say, I probably haven’t gotten this into an NBA game since Michael Jordan retired. Did you see the Lakers’ emotional reactions afterward? Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher were legitimately crying. Kobe Bryant turned into a different person (more on that in a bit), and even Phil Jackson was less surly, looked genuinely happy and for the first time ever, wasn’t condescending. Every player is happy right after winning a championship, but my theory (and this might seem obvious), is that winning a close, hard-fought battle like that (in Game 7 no less), is more rewarding than if L.A. won by 20.

Since Ray Allen set a Finals record with eight three-pointers in Game 2, he shot 30.6 percent from the field (19-for-62), including a dreadful 3-for-16 in Game 7, even missing his first free throw of the series as well. Even worse, a lot of those were wide open looks, and as far as offense goes, I blame him for Boston’s loss. However, Allen’s terrific defense on Bryant outweighed his poor shooting. Bryant certainly attempted some questionable shots, but Allen deserves a ton of credit. He really D’d up.

Rasheed Wallace is a poor rebounder, but he’s a solid defender, and when he posts up, he can still be effective on offense. Those bank shots were impressive. So was his clutch three. Anyone who followed the regular season closely and then watched Wallace play a big part in Game 7 of the Finals and Fisher also hit a huge three-pointer would have a hard time believing it.

There were some questionable calls here and there, but at least the refs weren’t the story of the game, an all too often occurrence in the NBA. Love how they let the teams play, especially over the first three quarters.

Lamar Odom has a bunch of talent, but he’s really not all that valuable of a basketball player, rendered essentially moot during this series. He can’t shoot – both from the outside and from the line. Boston fans definitely rooted for him to try to score when the ball was in his hands, even more so than Artest. It’s great Odom can handle the ball like a point guard at 6-10, but he averaged 7.6 points and 1.3 assists this series.

I’m a big Rajon Rondo fan, and he’s definitely the most valuable fantasy player on the Celtics (and will be soon in real life as well), but right now, Paul Pierce is Boston’s best player – he’s really the only guy on the team who can create his own shot and score in a set offense. His FG% wasn’t great with Ron Artest playing such good defense, but for what it’s worth, Pierce was the only Celtics player who posted a positive in the +/- category on Thursday (admittedly, a flawed stat).

I loved when Jeff Van Gundy (by far the best color commentator in any sport) mocked Brian Scalabrine, referring to him as a “lockdown defender.” That was almost as funny as Jordan’s son posting this tweet.

Pretty crazy the Lakers were able to win with Bryant shooting 6-of-24 from the field, also missing four free throws and posting a 2:4 assist:turnover ratio. Has a team ever clinched a championship while shooting 32.5 percent from the field and 67.6 percent from the line? I doubt it. Anyway, watching Bryant’s postgame interview (the one with all the reporters) was eye opening. I really can’t explain how good he was. Smart, funny, affable, even admitting he was lying when he previously said the whole Boston/L.A. history stuff didn’t matter to him as well as taking full responsibility for his disappointing performance in Game 7. Asked what having five titles meant to him, Bryant responded, “I got one more than Shaq.” Brought the house down.

But speaking of interviews, Bryant’s paled in comparison to Artest’s, which was the best ever in the history of sports (especially factoring in the moment). Addressing zero of the questions Doris Burke asked him, Artest emphatically thanked his psychiatrist, the hood and implored all of us to buy his new single that just dropped. I had high expectations leading into this exchange, but it’s safe to say Artest blew even those away.

Pau Gasol is better than Dwight Howard. That is all.

Posted in BASKETBALL | 6 Comments »

Twitter

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

I haven’t told anyone this yet, but I decided to try out Twitter. Check me out (and by that I mean become my first follower!) if you’re into that kind of thing.

Posted in BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Playoff Predictions (and more!)

Friday, April 16th, 2010

By Dalton Del Don

ROUND ONE

Cavs over Bulls 4-0

Magic over Bobcats 4-1

Hawks over Bucks 4-1

Celtics over Heat 4-3

Lakers over Thunder 4-1

Spurs over Mavericks 4-2

Suns over Trail Blazers 4-1

Nuggets over Jazz 4-3

Comments: Cleveland and Orlando should have no problem, each of those series are more likely to be sweeps than go six games…I originally had the Hawks/Bucks series’ going seven games, but the loss of Andrew Bogut really hurts, and it doesn’t make a ton of sense picking a team with homecourt advantage to win 4-2…The Celtics/Heat matchup looks like the best in the East, while the Nuggets/Jazz series should be the one to watch in the West. Only the Andrei Kirilenko (and Carlos Boozer) injury prevented me from backing Utah…Speaking of injuries, the loss of Brandon Roy is a horrible blow to both Portland and anyone who follows the NBA. Suns should roll now…The Spurs are dogs (around +150), but I don’t see it. I like that bet. Count on the upset.

ROUND TWO

Cavs over Celtics 4-1

Magic over Hawks 4-2

Lakers over Denver 4-3

Spurs over Suns 4-2

CONFERENCE FINALS

Cavs over Magic 4-3

Lakers over Spurs 4-3

FINALS

Lakers over Cavs 4-3

Comments: Clearly, I consider the Spurs dangerous, but ultimately, the obvious Finals matchup happens. I’ll personally be rooting for Cleveland, but Los Angeles is simply the best team in the NBA. Right now at Pinnaclesports, the odds of L.A. winning the Western Conference is +118, which feels like they are giving away money.

My MVP Ballot:

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Dwyane Wade
4. Dwight Howard
5. Kobe Bryant
6. Carmelo Anthony
7. Steve Nash
8. Tim Duncan
9. Dirk Nowitzki
10. Pau Gasol

Comments: When on my deathbed, my biggest claim to fame may very well be that I was at James’ first ever NBA game (happened to be in Sacramento). He’s by far the best athlete to ever walk earth. Durant is the youngest player ever to win a scoring title. Wow. What is his ceiling? If Portland ever has the No. 1 pick again and decides to select a center over a promising two or three, well, then that would be funny (almost as funny as when the Raiders take Bruce Campbell in the NFL draft this year). I have no problem if you want to rearrange my #s 3-7. I love Howard, don’t get me wrong, he makes a huge impact on defense, but this is someone who took 10.2 shots per game and made just 59.2 percent of his free throws. Bryant is obviously still one of the three best players in the league, but he dealt with injuries this season, took it easy at times and has a loaded team. Anthony has been the best clutch player in the league for a few years now, and Nash continues to defy the odds.

Rookie of the Year:

1. Tyreke Evans
2. Stephen Curry
3. Darren Collison
4. Brandon Jennings
5. DeJaun Blair

Comments: It was a really tough call between Evans and Curry, but ultimately, I sided with the former, who is less bad defensively and also didn’t benefit from such a conducive offensive system. Evans was also just the fourth rookie ever to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists – the other three being Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Oscar Robertson. Of course, that’s semantics, and if you factor in three-pointers and free throw percentage, Curry was easily the more valuable fantasy player. In fact, he looks like an obvious top-10 fantasy pick next year. And make no mistake, Collison’s rookie year was better than Jennings’.

Posted in BASKETBALL | 3 Comments »

NBA All-Star Weekend

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Just for the hell of it, here are my predictions for Saturday night:

H.O.R.S.E.: Kevin Durant

Skills Challenge: Steve Nash

Three-Point Contest: Stephen Curry

Slam Dunk Contest: Gerald Wallace

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Ranting

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

The following is nothing more than me getting random thoughts off my chest, some about sports, some not.

Can you believe Brian Sabean is the longest tenured GM in baseball? I can’t quite wrap my mind around this. It’s like Nickelback selling the most copies in a year, or “Paranormal Activity” (which was terrible, by the way) killing at the box office – why are we consistently rewarding garbage? I’ve seen some people call his new two-year contract a no-brainer, because the Giants won 88 games this year despite an offense that was in the bottom five in runs scored. Whaatt?! Why do you think the offense sucked? Because Sabean constructed it. You do realize Freddy Sanchez was hurt at the time of last year’s trade, right? This wasn’t bad luck or anything. And how about the Ryan Garko deal? I’ll call it right now: Sabean will give Jason Bay a contract in excess of $60 million. After all, he’s a perfect fit for who Sabean targets: someone coming off (arguably) their career-year, thanks in large part to a hitter’s park during a contract-year. Bay is also more than 30 years old (a huge prerequisite for Sabean) and is one of the two or three worst defensive outfielders in baseball. Jackpot!

I must admit, I’ll miss Steve Phillips on ESPN. It just always fascinated me that a one time general manager for a MLB team with such a high payroll knew so little about baseball. He was always one of my favorite interviews.

It’s safe to say Joe Girardi is a bit of a micromanager. Pinch running for Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning of a one run game for a guy with five SBs on the year with a lefty on the mound has to go down as one of the bigger head-scratchers I have ever witnessed in a baseball game. Above all, I was rooting for an extra innings game with Freddy Guzman up in a crucial situation rather than ARod.

I know you always hear not to judge spring training stats, but I must admit, I’ve let some performances sway my opinion in fantasy drafts. While I still believe those numbers shouldn’t be totally ignored, there won’t be a better example of why to mostly look past them than Zack Greinke in 2009. Do you realize he allowed 29 runs over 28.1 spring training innings? To put that in perspective, he didn’t allow his 29th run in the regular season until mid-July. It was later revealed Greinke was throwing his changeup almost exclusively in spring training, as he was more concerned with working on a new pitch than he was results. Speaking of Greinke, I’ll give my MLB awards later on in this article.

This may be old, but I still can’t get enough of it. Possibly the best moment of the 2009 baseball season.

I was shocked to learn Brad Lidge has the second most saves in postseason history. I mean, I know the stat hasn’t been around forever, and there haven’t been that many dynasties in baseball, and the wild card is relatively new, but still, Brad Lidge?

I know the general consensus is that while Matt Millen was so obviously an awful GM, he is a good TV analyst. And while this may or may not have been true in the past, he seems pretty brutal to me right now. It’s often cringe worthy, actually. Dude has no clue what he’s talking about.

I understand he doesn’t have any ACLs or whatever, but again, how in the hell did DeJuan Blair fall to the seventh pick of the second round? It’s not luck why teams like the Spurs continue to be good for such long stretches, as they don’t try to get cute or overthink things. Blair is a future star in the league, and it’s laughable how many teams passed him up.

The Cavs are off to a slow start, and Mike Brown obviously needs to get fired. But the one variable with Cleveland this season is that with LeBron James’ impending free agency, don’t be surprised if the Cavs go all out at the trade deadline this year. Expect a much different looking team (with a possible added star) come the second half of the year.

With Tim Donaghy’s latest revelation essentially saying the Kings should have beaten the Lakers in 2002, how am I supposed to feel as someone who lives 60 miles from Arco Arena? Seriously, this story has been UNDERRATED. Officials/refs/umpires get things wrong all the time, but name me one other incident in which after the fact it’s been revealed they did so ON PURPOSE. I’m not the type to dwell on the past, but really, this is a travesty. At minimum, David Stern needs to make it up to me by giving all refs this memo – quit calling so many fouls on Greg Oden! After all, he’s on two of my fantasy teams. It would at least be a step in the right direction for redemption.

Did you know that black widows are responsible for about two deaths per year, while mosquitoes are responsible for about two million deaths per year?

Did you know castmembers from “The Hills” make upwards of $90,000 per episode? Where are all those mosquitoes when we need them?

Did you know I was up 31-3 against the spread last week with the Dolphins. And lost.

Hope you’re watching “Modern Family” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” these days – easily two of the funniest shows on television.

My favorite part of the year 2009 so far has to be balloon boy. I’m sure that kid is going to grow up to live a perfectly normal and productive life with his upbringing.

Short, definitive, rash conclusions about football: Sidney Rice and Miles Austin will both be ranked as top-10 fantasy WRs next year…The Cardinals’ defense will be a fantasy difference maker over the rest of the season…Chris Wells will go higher than Matt Forte in fantasy drafts next year…If the over/under for total number of losses for the Saints and Colts combined with the amount of wins for the Bucs was 3.5 this year, I’d take the under.

My MLB awards:

AL Cy Young:

1. Zack Greinke
2. Roy Halladay
3. Felix Hernandez
4. Justin Verlander
5. Jon Lester

Greinke is the fairly obvious choice, but Halladay is closer than most think. He faced the tougher schedule (third highest aggregate OPS in MLB), had the superior K:BB ratio (5.94 to 4.75) and the better xFIP (3.24 to 3.36). Still, Greinke’s 203 ERA+ was easily the best in baseball, his K rate was far better than Halladay’s, and he had to deal with the worst defense in the league by a wide margin.

NL Cy Young:

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Chris Carpenter
4. Adam Wainwright
5. Dan Haren

Comments: I’m sure I’ll get criticized for being a homer here, but the stats don’t lie. Lincecum was pretty much better in every conceivable category this year compared to his Cy Young winning campaign last season, and there isn’t exactly a worthy alternative. Timmy’s 10.4 K/9 mark easily led major league baseball, and he also showed improved command. His changeup was the single most effective pitch in all of MLB in 2009, and his ability to limit homers is starting to become a trend rather than fluke. Lincecum held opponents to an MLB-low .561 OPS this year. To put that in perspective, the lowest OPS by a batter (who qualified) this season was Emilio Bonifacio at .611. As for Vazquez, his 2.89 xFIP was actually the best this year, and he dealt with a far inferior defense than the Giants’. Still, he gave up too many homers to take home the hardware. As for Carpenter, despite the modest K rate (6.7/9), he likely would have received my vote if not for his oblique injury. But the fact remains he threw 32.2 fewer innings than Lincecum, which is obviously significant. Wainwright will probably win the award, and while his year was impressive, he was far from the best pitcher in the NL in 2009.

AL MVP

1. Joe Mauer
2. Zack Greinke
3. Ben Zobrist
4. Derek Jeter
5. Roy Halladay

Comments: The easiest pick by far. Mauer finished with the best OPS in the AL by 70 points while playing the toughest position on the field defensively. He led the league in batting average, OBP and slugging percentage. There’s really not even much more to say. I was forced to put two pitchers on this list mainly because of a lack of viable alternatives with hitters. Franklin Gutierrez was a whole lot more valuable than most people probably realize, thanks to some of the best defense from a center fielder you’ll ever see.

NL MVP

1. Albert Pujols
2. Hanley Ramirez
3. Chase Utley
4. Tim Lincecum
5. Troy Tulowitzki

Comments: Pujols is baseball’s best hitter, but it’s worth noting that of the top-five OPSs in the NL this year, all are first baseman. Further, nine of the top-14 OPSs played first base. It’s simply an easy position to find production (unless you’re Brian Sabean). That’s not to take anything from Pujols, who deserves to win because he’s also a fine defender and possibly the best baserunner in the game as well, but Ramirez’s sixth-best OPS (BA heavy, which is more valuable than BB heavy) while playing solid defense at shortstop deserves a ton of credit, especially coming in a pitcher’s park. Utley, meanwhile, not only was productive with the bat, but he was also hands down the best defensive second baseman in baseball.

AL ROY

1. Brett Anderson
2. Andrew Bailey
3. Elvis Andrus
4. Gordon Beckham
5. Nolan Reimold

Comments: Bailey was awesome and one of the best relievers in the game during his rookie season, finishing with a 1.84 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 83.1 innings pitched (a lot for a reliever). He’s deserving, but teammate Anderson was almost as impressive, and he did so as a starter. In fact, Anderson’s xFIP (3.80) ranked in the top-20 in all of baseball – ahead of the likes of CC Sabathia, Clayton Kershaw, John Lackey, Johan Santana and Matt Cain, among many others. And for those who like more traditional stats, Anderson posted a 3.48 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 86 Ks over 88 innings after the All-Star break. Andrus didn’t embarrass himself as a hitter while going 33-for-39 on SB attempts and playing fantastic defense at shortstop. After that, it gets murky. If you want to argue Rick Porcello, Jeff Neimann and/or Ricky Romero over Beckham or Reimold, I’d understand.

NL ROY

1. J.A. Happ
2. Tommy Hanson
3. Chris Coghlan
4. Andrew McCutchen
5. Garrett Jones

Comments: Hanson had the better component stats and is a far better bet moving forward, but the fact remains Happ matched his ERA while throwing 40 more innings. Coghlan was one of the best hitters in MLB during the second half, but his defense in left field was pretty abysmal. Jones had the highest OPS, and his 21 homers over just 314 at-bats were awfully valuable, but he really only put in about a half season’s work, and teammate McCutchen gets the slight edge because he was a league average defender in center field. But this is as deep of a rookie class as I can remember, as Colby Rasmus was the best defensive center fielder in the league this year. Dexter Fowler was also worthy of consideration, and Casey McGehee posted an .859 OPS. Randy Wells was pretty good as well.

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The LeBron Dunk

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Video footage has finally emerged from the infamous facial, and while the quality of this one is much better than TMZ’s version, the dunk itself is hardly worth the hype. LeBron has no one to blame but himself for making this a much bigger deal than it was, as there’s no way the hype would have reached this level had he not gotten Nike to take the footage.

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NBA Mock

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Rounds three, four and five now in the books.

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Mock Draft

Monday, June 29th, 2009

I’m currently doing a mock fantasy basketball draft over at Yahoo’s Roto Arcade. Here are the results of round one.

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NBA Mock Draft

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

1. Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin
2. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet
3. Oklahoma City Thunder – Ricky Rubio
4. Sacramento Kings – Tyreke Evans
5. Minnesota Timberwolves – James Harden
6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Stephen Curry
7. Golden State Warriors – Jordan Hill
8. New York Knicks – Jonny Flynn
9. Toronto Raptors – DeMar DeRozan
10. Milwaukee Bucks – Jrue Holiday
11. New Jersey Nets – Terrence Williams
12. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Henderson
13. Indiana Pacers – DeJuan Blair
14. Phoenix Suns – Earl Clark
15. Detroit Pistons – B.J. Mullens

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Round 2 Predictions

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

Nuggets over Mavs 4-3

Celtics over Magic 4-3

Lakers over Rockets 4-1

Cavs over Hawks 4-0

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NBA Round One Preview

Friday, April 17th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

Cleveland (1) vs. Detroit (8)

Comments: The Cavs won the season series 3-1 and should have no problem dismissing an under .500 Pistons squad – the only such team that made the postseason. It’s safe to say the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade didn’t work out too well for the Pistons. It’s pretty sad he’s unwilling to come off the bench even for a team that made the playoffs. Anyway, Cleveland is rested and healthy and ready to make a deep run in 2009.

Prediction: Cavs 4-0

Boston (2) vs. Chicago (7)

Comments: Boston went 2-1 against Chicago this year, yet the Bulls’ one win came during their most recent matchup and after Chicago had made its trade for John Salmons and Brad Miller. The Bulls enter playing well, but they are the worst road team in the postseason, posting a 13-28 record this year. The Derrick Rose versus Rajon Rondo matchup should be fun to watch. Obviously, the big story with the defending champs is the loss of KG, but they have persevered without him this season, and while it will eventually catch up to them, they can get past the Bulls regardless.

Prediction: Celtics 4-1

Orlando (3) vs. Philadelphia (6)

Comments: Orlando won the season series 3-0, and although it was impressive the 76ers were able to make the postseason getting nothing from Elton Brand, the team entered the year with much higher expectations. The Brand signing turned out to be an utter disaster. This is yet another lopsided first round matchup in the East.

Prediction: Magic 4-1

Atlanta (4) vs. Miami (5)

Comments: The Hawks won the season series 3-1, although one of the wins came Tuesday when Miami sat Dwyane Wade. After winning just 15 games last season, Miami improved to 43-39 this year. While Atlanta is solid, Michael Beasley is coming on, and Wade will easily be the best player on the court. He’ll be the difference.

Prediction: Heat 4-2

Los Angeles (1) vs. Utah (8)

Comments: The Lakers were 2-1 against Utah this season, and the already underdog Jazz suffered a blow when Mehmet Okur injured his hamstring this week, leaving his status questionable. Utah is certainly no slouch for an eighth seed, but this Lakers team is absolutely loaded and isn’t likely to get pushed in round one.

Prediction: Lakers 4-1

Denver (2) vs. New Orleans (7)

Comments: The teams tied the season series 2-2 this year, and Denver enters as a somewhat vulnerable two seed. The team has been eliminated in the first round in five consecutive seasons, and Carmelo Anthony has never made it to the second round during his career. Still, the team became much improved when it jettisoned Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups.

Prediction: Nuggets 4-3

San Antonio (3) vs. Dallas (6)

Comments: The season series was tied 2-2, but the big news here is Manu Ginobili’s (ankle) absence. Since he’s probably one of the 20 best players in the league, San Antonio’s ceiling dropped significantly, but they still have homecourt advantage over the surging Dallas squad. Moreover, the Spurs have a pretty large coaching edge.

Prediction: Spurs 4-3

Portland (4) vs. Houston (5)

Comments: The Rockets won the season series 2-1, and this figures to be a hotly contested matchup. The Trail Blazers made the playoffs for the first time since 2003, which ended the longest drought in the NBA. Portland enters riding a six-game winning streak, but Houston has been a much better team without Tracy McGrady.

Predictions: Rockets 4-3

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My Bracket

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

MIDWEST

Louisville over Morehead St.
Ohio St. over Siena
Utah over Arizona
Wake Forest over Cleveland St.
West Virginia over Dayton
Kansas over North Dakota St.
USC over Boston College
Michigan St. over Robert Morris

Louisville over Ohio St.
Wake Forest over Utah
West Virginia over Kansas
Michigan St. over USC

Louisville over Wake Forest
West Virginia over Michigan St.

Louisville over West Virginia

WEST

UConn over Chattanooga
BYU over Texas A&M
Purdue over Northern Iowa
Washington over Mississippi St.
Utah St. over Marquette
Missouri over Cornell
Cal over Maryland
Memphis over CSU Northridge

UConn over BYU
Washington over Purdue
Missouri over Utah St.
Memphis over Cal

UConn over Washington
Memphis over Missouri

Memphis over UConn

EAST

Pittsburgh over E. Tennessee
Tennessee over Oklahoma St.
Wisconsin over Florida St.
Xavier over Portland St.
UCLA over VCU
Villanova over American
Texas over Minnesota
Duke over Binghamton

Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Xavier over Wisconsin
UCLA over Villanova
Duke over Texas

Pittsburgh over Xavier
Duke over UCLA

Duke over Pittsburgh

SOUTH

UNC over Radford
Butler over LSU
Illinois over Western Kentucky
Gonzaga over Akron
Arizona St. over Temple
Syracuse over Stephen F. Austin
Clemson over Michigan
Oklahoma over Morgan St.

UNC over Butler
Gonzaga over Illinois
Arizona St. over Syracuse
Oklahoma over Clemson

UNC over Gonzaga
Arizona St. over Oklahoma

UNC over Arizona St.

FINAL FOUR

Louisville over Memphis
UNC over Duke

UNC over Louisville

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Hoops Scoop

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

Patient owners or those who were quick enough to grab Larry Hughes off the waiver wire after getting traded to the Knicks have been nicely rewarded. During seven games this month, he’s averaged 19.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 threes and 2.3 steals. Hughes is even shooting an uncharacteristic 44.3 percent from the field. He’s been a great fit for Mike D’Antoni’s system.

Andrei Kirilenko’s career continues to disappoint. An already lackluster season has gotten even worse since returning from ankle surgery, as the usually pesky defender has totaled just one steal over the past eight games. He’s blocked more than one shot in a game just once since January 12. In fact, his blocked shot numbers have dropped in each of the past four seasons. What has happened to the AK47 we know and love?

With Devin Harris (shoulder) sidelined indefinitely, Keyon Dooling is a must-add. He’s actually been solid when given a chance this year, averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals in seven starts – shooting 52.5 percent over that span. The Nets are in 12th place in the East, so the team has little incentive rushing back its franchise player.

Charlie Villanueva is currently having the best season of his life, which is a bit ironic since it figured his personality would clash with coach Scott Skiles. The highlight of Villanueva’s year occurred Sunday, when he posted a message to his Twitter feed during halftime of a game against the Celtics: “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We’re playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.” That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!

After LeBron James, the Cavs have a roster full of good, not great players, despite Mo Williams’ All-Star outcry. Still, with homecourt all but locked up in the East, Cleveland has to be considered the favorites to win the title. After all, the team is a solid 30-1 at home this year. Williams and Delonte West form an underrated backcourt, and James is far and away the best player in the league. Expect the Cavs to be hoisting the trophy in the end.

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Hoops Scoop

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

Since Marc Lavaroni was fired and Lionel Hollins instituted a much more friendly system for guards, Mike Conley has finally stopped looking like a bust. During February, he’s averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steals. He’s never going to score a bunch of points, but he’s clearly establishing himself as the team’s future at point, something that seemed unlikely when his name repeatedly came up in trade rumors before the coaching change.

Quietly, Ronny Turiaf ranks third in the NBA in blocks, swatting 2.2 per game despite playing just 19:53 mpg. Chris Andersen, AKA The Birdman, ranks fourth with 2.0 bpg while playing just 18:41 mpg. Either would be a monster if Golden State or Denver were to suffer injuries in their respective frontcourts. And really, it would be an upset if Kenyon Martin and Nene Hilario were both able to remain healthy over the course of the season.

Don’t look now, but Tyrus Thomas is finally living up to his massive potential. A Drew Gooden (groin) injury has helped, but there’s no removing the previously inconsistent LSU star from the starting lineup now. After averaging 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks during January, Thomas’ numbers this month are eye-popping: 17.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg and 2.0 bpg. Add in the fact he’s a good free throw shooter (78.4 percent) as a power forward, and you’re looking at a fantasy beast.

Speaking of fantasy assets, you won’t find many with more value than Rajon Rondo, despite his low scoring output (11.2 ppg). The point guard is averaging 8.3 rebounds and 10.9 assists in February. Moreover, his 2.0 spg ranks fourth best in the NBA. He still needs to improve his shooting from the charity stripe, but rare is the point who shoots better than 50 percent from the field. The Celtics’ big-three has officially become a big-four.

Seriously, what has Scott Skiles been thinking this year by holding back Ramon Sessions? It’s fine to be rigid in your ways, but sometimes coaches shoot themselves in the foot with their “doghouses.” Sessions averaged a respectable 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists and 1.7 steals while in the starting five last season, and yet Skiles barely considered him an option entering the year. Skiles has criticized Sessions for not knowing all his assignments, but I’d be shocked if Luke Ridnour is a better defender. Luckily, multiple injuries have forced Skiles’ hand, as Sessions has started the past eight games. During February, all he’s done is average 26.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 2.5 steals on 54.7 percent shooting from the floor. Milwaukee is currently the last seeded playoff team in the Eastern Conference, and it’s a joke Sessions was wasted on the bench for much of the season.

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NBA All-Star Saturday Letdown

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

First off, I almost missed H-O-R-S-E (or more accurately, G-E-I-C-O. I would give this sponsorship a hard time, but that company usually comes correct with its commercials, so I’ll let this one slide), since it occurred in the middle of the day and without much notification. Secondly, if you did miss it, I’m jealous, since it was largely a snooze fest. Come on guys, have some fun with the event. Very lackluster. Although the winning trophy was pretty sweet.

The players involved in the skills competition appeared to be sleep walking. It’s OK to at least feign like you care about winning and are trying guys. Derrick Rose’s reverse dunk to finish off his win was nice, but his time was a full 9.5 seconds behind Steve Nash’s record, 9.2 seconds behind Dwyane Wade two years ago and 4.1 ticks behind Deron Williams in 2008. Pretty significant.

The three-point competition was a bigger joke, featuring some of the more prominent scrubs in the NBA. If you’re not into judging shooting ability by name recognition, the fact no one topped 20 threes in a given round should do the trick. And any supposed drama of an overtime round was ruined when Rashard Lewis went ice cold, tallying a pathetic seven points during the extra period. And your winner? The immortal Daequan Cook! Not that Jason Kapono or even Craig Hodges were exactly studs, but at least give us a show. And as farfetched as it sounds, I’d argue the announcing by Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller was even worse than the shooting performances.

And then there’s the dunk contest, which continued the theme of hopefully you are attached and missed the events while on a Valentine’s Day dinner. Nate Robinson actually used a human to boost him up to make not one, but two of his dunks! Call me Joaquin Phoenix (now officially a synonym for crazy), but shouldn’t you be deducted, not rewarded for that? And not a chance he wins it if Dwight Howard doesn’t help him out. That said, if that rim was 12-feet tall Howard dunked on, I’m Santa Claus. Hopefully LeBron James can help save this catastrophe next year.

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Hoops Scoop

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

Quietly, Shaquille O’Neal is having a very good season. His 17.7 ppg and 1.5 bpg are his highest marks since 2005-06, and his 62.8 percent free throw shooting, although still bad, is his best mark during his 17-year career. He’s gotten stronger as the season has progressed, and Shaq’s turnovers are way down as well. The fact he commonly sits out a game when Phoenix plays back-to-backs hurts him in weekly leagues, but in daily formats, it just keeps him fresh and less likely to get hurt. Entering the year, it seemed obvious he was in a decline, but that’s on hold for now, although Amare Stoudemire owners certainly don’t like it.

One of this year’s biggest busts has to be Samuel Dalembert, who is averaging a miniscule 5.7 ppg. He’s never been a big help in points, but he’s taking nearly half the FG attempts he did last season. In fact, his playing time has decreased during each month this year. Elton Brand’s return should only further derail his incredibly disappointing season.

Boris Diaw has to be the early candidate for pickup of the year in fantasy leagues. Since coming to Charlotte 18 games ago, he’s averaged 13.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 three-pointers. And he’s even eligible at center in some leagues. He’s officially back to his heyday when he played in Phoenix.

Don’t look now, but maybe Andrea Bargnani isn’t a bust, after all. With Jermaine O’Neal out of the lineup, the former No. 1 overall pick has averaged 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers in 11 games during January. He’s never going to be a defensive force, but at least he’s blocked 1.2 shots per game this season as well. He’s also a rare center who shoots free throws well (85.7 percent). O’Neal’s return may cut into Bargnani’s production, but O’Neal has also been rumored in trade discussions and is no lock to stay healthy for more than a game at a time, so this output may be here to stay.

Another young player finally starting to live up to his potential is Randy Foye, who has averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals and a whopping 3.0 three-pointers this month – all while shooting an impressive 49.6 percent from the floor and 90.0 percent from the charity stripe. Some more dimes would be nice, but he’s starting to look more comfortable as a two guard, despite his lack of ideal size for that position. With few scoring options on Minnesota, expect the scoring binge to become a trend by Foye, and hopefully he can finally stay healthy.

The Kings were heavily criticized for taking Jason Thompson out of little known Rider with the 12th pick of last year’s draft. However, the early returns have been nothing but positive, as Thompson has been productive in limited minutes and has even earned a starting role already (although in Sacramento that isn’t saying much). He possesses nice potential on the boards and is showing promise as a scorer in the post, even going 14-of-15 from the line during his last game. Moreover, no rookies selected after him have stood out at all thus far, so the Kings’ “reach” isn’t looking that way any longer. Especially playing for a team in a full-blown youth movement, Thompson is a highly valuable keeper commodity.

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Hoops Scoop

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

With LeBron James and Kobe Bryant seeing fewer minutes on loaded teams this year, Dwyane Wade has emerged as the best fantasy player on the planet, although Chris Paul is a close second. Finally back to health, Wade is currently averaging career-highs in points (29.0), steals (2.3) and blocks (1.6) to go along with 5.1 rpg and 7.1 apg. He leads the NBA in scoring, and what guard swats that many shots per game? And because of an increase in attempts, he’s even adding 0.7 three-pointers per contest as well. Durability remains a concern, but at least the Heat are in contention this season. Wade is the No. 1 fantasy commodity.

Utah hasn’t missed Carlos Boozer at all with the emergence of Paul Millsap, who just finished a streak of 19 consecutive double-doubles. He even contributes more in the defensive categories than Boozer, averaging 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks during his 21 starts this season. Since joining the starting lineup, Millsap has been a top-20 fantasy player and has made Utah’s decision whether or not to spend big on the upcoming free agent Boozer this offseason a lot easier.

Don’t look now, but Sebastian Telfair deserves to be rostered in all fantasy leagues. Over the last four games, he’s averaged 12.8 ppg, 7.8 apg and 1.8 spg. His shooting from the field is downright ugly (33.2 percent), but at least he doesn’t take a lot of attempts, and he can knock down free throws (79.5 percent). Telfair looks like the Timberwolves’ new starter at point, and those in need of dimes and steals should look his way.

I’m not sure who misses Mike D’Antoni more, Shawn Marion or Steve Nash. Marion is currently averaging just 11.9 ppg – the lowest since his rookie season. He’s a skilled basketball player, and it’s not like his stats were completely dictated by Phoenix’s uptempo system, but he should have been careful what he wished for, because his skill set clearly works best in certain systems. Marion entered the year a career 34.0 percent shooter from downtown; he’s at 19.4 percent this season. Think he misses all those wide open looks from the corner? And as for Nash, his eventual decline was bound to happen sooner or later, but it’s pretty obvious his suppressed numbers can be directly tied to D’Antoni’s exit. He’s basically back to being the same player he was in Dallas – very good but certainly not in MVP discussions.

After the All-Star break last year, Danny Granger really broke out and revealed a potential superstar. Well, he’s fast developed into a top-5 fantasy player in 2008-09. There might not be another player in the league who contributes so much in every single category, and to think, 16 teams passed him up in the 2005 draft. The scary thing is he’s only getting better. Check out his numbers in January: 32.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.6 bpg and 3.3 3PT – all while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor and 91.8 percent from the line. One gets the feeling Granger will be appearing in a couple of All Star games before all is said and done.

It looks like Russell Westbrook’s late surge up NBA draft boards was well warranted, as the rookie point guard has averaged 15.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.5 apg and 1.3 spg since entering the starting lineup 22 games ago. He’s also drastically improved his shooting, and while the Thunder have experimented with him at shooting guard recently, expect him to settle in at the point long-term. With Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Westbrook, Oklahoma City has quite the talented young nucleus. And since they currently have the worst record in the NBA, expect a fourth blue chipper to be added in next year’s draft. They could be dangerous in two years.

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Hoops Scoop

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

By Dalton Del Don

After a somewhat disappointing first month of the season, Kevin Durant is fast developing into a true superstar, averaging 25.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 15 December games. He even shot 47.2 percent from the field, including 41.9 percent from downtown. The move to small forward has been huge, as his 6-9 frame and rebounding ability were getting largely wasted as a two guard. Since Durant is also such a good free throw shooter and appears to have added the three-pointer to his repertoire, expect him to be a first round pick in fantasy leagues next year.

It’s sad watching Jermaine O’Neal hobble around on one leg. He’s still plenty serviceable in between injuries, but it’s become clear he’ll never be the same player he once was. It’s hard to believe he only just turned 30 years old, but like Tracy McGrady, his body is wearing down prematurely after joining the NBA out of high school…Sticking with the Raptors, do you realize Jose Calderon is a perfect 72-of-72 from the free throw line this season?!

The Celtics, Cavs and Lakers are a combined 53-2 at home this year. That’s pretty good.

It’s far too soon to judge Greg Oden, but the early returns are hardly encouraging. Everyone knew his defensive ability was way ahead of his offensive game, but 8.0 ppg? Foul trouble has really limited his time on the floor (his 3.8 PF per game are the second most in the NBA, but those have come in far fewer mpg than the league-leader, Paul Millsap’s 4.0 PF), which is correctable, but how can someone his size total just two blocks over the past six games? Maybe it’s the injuries that have held him back, and there’s still a ton of potential if he eventually reaches full health, but right now, it appears the Trail Blazers made a massive blunder taking Oden over Kevin Durant. It won’t go down as a Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan catastrophe, but Portland would be legit title contenders if they chose differently.

Speaking of disappointments, I certainly expected a better rookie season from Michael Beasley. It’s not that he’s been terrible, but it’s quite surprising that someone who led college basketball with 12.4 rpg last year took 32 games to reach double-digit boards for the first time in the NBA. Sure, he’s shorter than his 6-10 listed height, but that won’t cut it. Beasley has actually been more efficient since getting moved to the bench, but because of curtailed minutes, his stats don’t show it. After a down December, he makes for a decent buy-low target.

Is there a more maddening player than Tyrus Thomas? After going three straight games without a block and failing to score in double-digits, Thomas drops a massive line in his last game, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds, four assists and a whopping eight blocks. It’s apparent he has a ton of work to do on his offensive game, but anyone who can average 1.1 spg and 1.7 bpg in just 22:23 mpg offers huge upside. Just remember, the only thing consistent with Thomas’ game is his inconsistency.

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