Wow. I just saw the Unofficial NBA.COM Philippines recap and I still can't get over the fact that I took in Kevin Love. Besides wishful thinking, the reason why I took Love at sixth is that there are only five players that I want in the first round – Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. If Love returns in December, and is still awesome, then I'll have a big-time rebounder who can hit triples. This is why I beefed up my roster with Marcin Gortat, Kenneth Faried, Patrick Patterson and Nikola Vucevic. At least with a bunch of big rebounding studs, I can own the big man categories.
Fantasy's Finest: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Chris Paul. (AP)
I also have on my team Mike Conley, Lou Williams, Bradley Beal, Shawn Marion and Wesley Johnson. I have since replaced Johnson with Richard Hamilton. Hopefully I'll have a tolerable lead as I wait for Love.
Anyway, I have this segment on my sydrified.org website where I list down the best players in the PBA of that particular conference. It's not fabricated and it's based solely on my equation but it could have been helpful if there's still a PBA fantasy game (why on earth would you destroy PBFantasy if you're not going to replace it).
This is why I decided to make my NBA Fantasy Power Rankings.
Game starts now.
(Stats are fresh as of November 6, 2012)
20 - Josh Smith / Atlanta Hawks
18.0ppg • 10.0rpg • 2.0apg • 3.0bpg
Without Joe Johnson, J-Smoove is the uncontested leader of Hotlanta.
19 - Deron Williams / Brooklyn Nets
18.5ppg • 1.5rpg • 11.0apg • 2.0TPM
With a pretty beefed-up roster, the last thing on D-Will's mind is not making the playoffs.
18 - Joakim Noah / Chicago Bulls
16.0ppg • 8.8rpg • 2.8apg • 2.0spg • 2.5bpg
I think I'm finally seeing the guy I saw play in the 2007 NCAA Finals.
17 - LaMarcus Aldridge / Portland Trail Blazers
22.0ppg • 9.0rpg • 2.8apg • 1.3bpg
No one is giving Portland a playoff chance but LA is saying otherwise.
16 - Glen Davis / Orlando Magic
22.3ppg • 9.3rpg • 2.0apg • 1.0spg
Who needs Superman when Orlando has the Big Baby on his breakout season?
15 - Marc Gasol / Memphis Grizzlies
21.0ppg • 7.0rpg • 6.0apg • 1.7bpg
Pau's younger bro's rebounds are kind of lacking but check out his assists!
14 - Jrue Holiday / Philadelphia 76ers
19.3ppg • 3.7rpg • 8.7apg • 1.7spg • 2.7TPM
Jrue is trying to hold the Philly port as they wait for the debut of Andrew Bynum.
13 - Carmelo Anthony / New York Knicks
26.0ppg • 7.3rpg • 1.7apg • 1.0spg • 1.0bpg • 2.0TPM
Linsanity was forgotten when Melo showed the Big Apple why he's an All-Star.
12 - Kyle Lowry / Toronto Raptors
18.3ppg • 5.8rpg • 6.3apg • 3.0spg • 2.0TPM
It such a shame that Lowry got his ankle injured because he was playing so well.
11 - Zach Randolph / Memphis Grizzlies
15.3ppg • 16.0rpg • 1.3apg • 1.0spg
Yes, there are two Grizzlies in the rankings and Z-Bo here is greedying up on the boards.
10 - Anderson Varejao / Cleveland Cavaliers
14.0ppg • 15.1rpg • 3.0apg • 1.0spg
Why is he here? Try scoring 9 points, 9 assists and 23 rebounds in one game.
9 - Dwight Howard / Los Angeles Lakers
23.3ppg • 9.8rpg • 2.3apg • 2.5bpg
No Kobe on the rankings this week but check out the guy having those Shaq-like numbers.
8 - Tim Duncan / San Antonio Spurs
19.3ppg • 10.3rpg • 2.0apg • 1.3spg • 2.5bpg
This is NOT how an old player's stats should look like. With Manu struggling, Duncan is turning back time.
7 - Mike Dunleavy / Milwaukee Bucks
18.0ppg • 9.0rpg • 4.0apg • 2.0spg • 3.5TPM
Shocked? So am I. Now this looks like the third pick overall in the 2002 NBA Draft after Yao Ming and Jay Williams.
6 - Rajon Rondo / Boston Celtics
15.3ppg • 5.4rpg • 12.0apg • 1.7spg
Ragin' Rondo is making people realize that Boston is his team now. The loss of Ray Allen may be big but I'm sure has plans to make up for it.
5 - Brandon Jennings / Milwaukee Bucks
17.0ppg • 3.0rpg • 13.0apg • 4.0spg • 1.0TPM
Two Bucks in the Top 20 sounds a bit farfetched. If Milwaukee plays more games with the same results, then Jennings and Dunleavy need to be on your team.
4 - LeBron James / Miami Heat
23.0ppg • 9.3rpg • 5.0apg • 1.3spg • 1.5TPM
For some insane reason, it feels like ‘Bron is not giving it his all. But if this is the result of King James' "slacking" then teams should fear the moment when he becomes serious.
3 - Chris Paul / Los Angeles Clippers
18.5ppg • 4.3rpg • 11.5apg • 2.3spg • 1.0TPM
When you have Paul in your roster, then this is the stats he would give. For the third consecutive season, CP3 has been the perfect source when it comes to points and assists.
2 - Kevin Durant / Oklahoma City Thunder
20.8ppg • 12.3rpg • 5.8apg • 1.8spg • 1.0bpg • 1.0TPM
His scoring is kinda lacking especially with the caliber of Durant. But check out his rebounds and assists numbers. He is an all-around magnet... which is why I said that he's the guy to keep if you get the top pick of your league draft.
1 - James Harden / Houston Rockets
35.3ppg • 6.3rpg • 6.3apg • 1.7spg • 2.3TPM
Is he pure hype or is his agent right on the money by declining 52 million dollars? Harden emerged in Houston as the team's go-to-guy and he is not disappointing anyone. Imagine if he can continue delivering these numbers. Harden... and his beard... could be chanelling a player that used to play for the Chicago Bulls with the way his stats are looking now.
***
Don't get mad at me. First up, this a fantasy-based power rankings (preferably useful for the head-to-head leagues) so the names you see on the list are either getting raves from their owners or getting curses for the owner's enemies.
Also, the NBA season is more than a week old. Who knows what will happen next? The names of Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Pau Gasol, Kyrie Irving, and many others have yet to show up and that's just a matter of time.
Before I leave you, I'll just have to say this: I've been loving OKC's Hasheem Thabeet's game for some time now. While critics will consider him as a bust, he is a helpful find in the waiver wire for the reason of blocks. Also, Scott Brooks is known for using Serge Ibaka – who is a Thabeet much better play-alike if you look at it. For deep leagues with 12 or more players, he is a good fantasy option for blocks in head-to-head leagues.
Follow my blog at www.sydrified.org!
Game over!