The Kobe Show is OVER in HoleyDonut Land

I give Kobe and David West to get Jason Richardson and Yao Ming. (The stats shown in the matchup above do not reflect the games played on November 29, 2005. But, the Cliff's notes of those games is that Yao was big with TMac back and Kobe chucked a lot).

I started the season complaining to no end about my Kobe pick, and now - #8 is off my team. Wow, I wish I had taken DWade in Round 1... but I'll settle for this trade without any regrets for the future of my club.

Yes, Kobe is the league's leading scorer. Yes, Kobe is money from the FT line. But no, things are not turning out well for Kobe in Los Angeles.

Kobe's team (ouch, that sounds painful to type) got nuked by the Spurs out of the gate tonight. The Spurs were shooting about 80% after the first quarter. But, the Lakers managed to rally back (I have no clue how). Manu even blew two critical free throws in the waning minutes and the Spurs were only up by 5 and the Lakers had the ball. But, then the Kobe Show happened. Kobe chucked from downtown - and again - and again... he hit nothing. Seeing him blow three separate 3 point attempts in the final minute of a game against the Spurs to lower his FG% to the depths of the MLB Mendoza line is just too much. Sure, he will proably blow up for 56 next time out, but man, I just can't stomach these types of games from him.

There weren't many other SG options that I was considering... I was thinking about reaching for Paul Pierce, but that guy is a critical component of a team that is undeservingly muddled in the middle of the Fanball League. Curry Pork's team would easily be top 5 if he had the favorable matchups of the managers who are currently leading this league. I did offer Kobe for Wade straight up (but I really didn't think this offer would be taken seriously).

Yes, JRich has played 3 more games than Kobe and Yao has played 2 more games than West. Yes, Yao's FG% tanks hard whenever TMac is out. Yes, I am hurting my FT% a lot in large doses with this trade. Yes, I now have two separate Guard/Center pairs of players on the same team. Yes, I now lack a first round pick on my team. Yes, my team's chemistry is all jacked up. But no, I have no regrets :)

Week4: Rob Babcock boosts to the top because Creek is still AWOL

If you match up with Creek, you win big (he still has Sura on his team)... so in spite of a mediocre week from Rob's squad, he takes a big win. The Fantasy Gods have been good to Rob. He's been matched up against cellar-dweller teams for the last two weeks (but not my team! because my team is only somewhat sucky).

I think Curry Pork (Pork Attack) is probably extremely pissed off right now. After getting hosed in week 1 - his squad of sleepers has been consistenly dominant. Unfortunately, he's also been matched up against good opponents, so his team remains mired in the middle... and now he has another tough matchup with Gyan next week.

I am also baffled at how Mongol Rampage leads in FG% and is solid in Blocks even without AK47 and when he has no true C (Mongol traded away Ben Wallace before this week started).

Oh, and as a heads up, the team with Amare on it now (Amare was claimed out of the FA pool by Asian Sensation) is in last place. So, maybe there's a connection between Amare and Fantasy Failure this season. Interestingly, Asian Sensation has 2 of my players from the start of the season... Ilgauskas and Ridnour get to butt heads against the GM that traded their sorry butts away; while Bogut and MoWill are destinted for big games this week. Cleveland, Seattle, and Milwuakee each have only 3 games this week, so it'll be fun to see how the trade panned out.

So about my team. Gyan is probably seething that he lost FG% and FT% to my squad by a combined 0.3%... Kobe made just enough of his crazy 500 attempts in 2 games and hit that one extra free throw. I am also shocked that my team went from dead last in threes last week (I had 9 3pm last week) to being first (37 3pm this week) while still being stellar in the FG% department. Kobe + Head = Win.

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL???

Okay, how the heck did I get mixed in with a league full of clairvoyant GM's? If it's not Samens picking up Charlie V. in time for a 20/10 explosion, it is Petro grabbing Jasikevicius off a 7 point 2 assist showing... to land his 17 point effort with 5 3PM!!!

How the bloody hell are you guys doing this? I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if someone grabs Greg Ostertag when he goes off for 40 points and 25 boards with 12 assists sometime in December.

You guys need to hook me up with your Super Bowl pick so I can pay for college...

Expert Advice Needed:

Okay, so I'm in another league (it has a few of the guys that did the blog last year; but no elandfried)... and my team is actually pretty good. I'm looking to do a trade, but then I'd like some advice. Obviously, I'm not going to ask Forums.Fanball since people there still think Kurt Thomas is worth a damn. Oh wait, that was ADWCTA and he's part of the Fanball League!!! aaahhhhh :p

Anyway - I'd like to trade Jason Kidd - but I'm biding my time hoping he'll put some decent games together before I ship him out. I've determined that Chris Paul is just a poor man's Jason Kidd with higher FG% (like, I think I could have a higher FG% than Kidd this season). Who would be a good target in eiher a straight up deal or a package? I really like Tony Parker and Ricky Davis, but I think that would have to be a 2 for 2 where I don't get hosed :)

My team... the league is 10 team H2H with weekly lineups. We also have a faux IL where the honor system is used (it was in place before the draft) so we knew what we were getting into. Yes, I need more frontcourt help - having Diogu and Dalembert out has hurt me so far this year.

PG D. Wade (Mia - PG,SG) - - - - - - - - -
PG J. Kidd (NJ - PG) - - - - - - - - -
SG C. Paul (NOK - PG,SG) - - - - - - - - -
SG J. Posey (Mia - SG,SF) - - - - - - - - -
G M. Daniels (Dal - SG,SF) - - - - - - - - -
SF R. Lewis (Sea - SF) - - - - - - - - -
SF T. Prince (Det - SF) - - - - - - - - -
PF C. Bosh (Tor - PF) - - - - - - - - -
PF C. Villanueva (Tor - SF,PF) - - - - - - - - -
F K. Martin (Den - PF) - - - - - - - - -
C Z. Pachulia (Atl - PF,C) - - - - - - - - -
C S. Swift (Hou - PF,C) - - - - - - - - -
UTIL A. Bogut (Mil - PF,C) - - - - - - - - -
Util J. Smith (NOK - SG) - - - - - - - - -
BN D. Fisher (GS - PG) - - - - - - - - -
BN L. Head (Hou - PG,SG) - - - - - - - - -
IL I. Diogu
IL S. Dalembert

Attn: Charlie V... (aka Stamens)

Dude, you've missed 3 layups in the last 2 minutes. What the heck is the matter with you????!!!!!! I own you in 2 of my 3 fantasy leagues, and you're putting up bricks? Get your game in gear!

Updated Week3 Chart...

Sorry ya'll - I just realized I had the wrong numbers listed for the "previous week" numbers in the week 3 chart. I just updated the post with the correct image. Not that it matters much for me since my team is always listed at the top (since I am the most important) with all you losers below me... hahaha... actually, I think my team is the worst; OH NO!!! aaaarrrgghhhh

Week 3: HoleyDonut realizes that his team is worse than the Toronto Raptors...

Oh my god. Now I know how Billy Knight (GM of the Atlanta Hawks) feels. It feels really crappy.

Anyway, my team went 1-8 after my Ilgauskas and Ridnour trade. Sadly, I checked what my stats would have been if I didn't do the trade. I would have lost 0-9 if I held onto Ridnour because I would have 56 turnovers instead of the 47 that I had because of losing Ridnour. Ridnour got passed around twice; who's up for sloppy fourths? I'm sure Asian Sensation is reeling from his 1-8 week as well... and will be moving the Big Z and Ridnour shortly :)

I'm not even going to bother commenting on this week. I'm going to go drown my sorrows in some beer. Kobe only has 2 games in the coming week - so I guess it'll be a 1-8 week again. I wonder if there are moral victories in fantasy basketball.....

OMG, my plan backfired miserably...

Not only did the Bucks get blown out - Bougt and Mo Will sucked it up big time.



Ugh.




I think Iverson XP is going to win this week 9-0

Holeydonut does some trading...

I've traded Big Z and Ridnour to get Bogut and Maurice Williams. Sounds crazy at first, but I hope it works out for my benefit. Click the above image to see the breakdown full size of these 4 players so far this season.

Okay, so after 2 weeks, I'm already taking some drastic measures on trying to repair a team that is on a crash course towards the crapper. I already felt that I got hosed taking Kobe in Round 1, and things are only getting worse as I realize just how bad my draft is panning out. I made some bad picks beyond my core group of ballers, and my team is just all messed up.

I am basically left with 2 huge concerns. One, is that my theory to to just blow off the FG% and AST needs to be re-assessed. With Kobe taking all these inside shots, I cannot assume that his downtown 3pm will be sufficient to win me that category. That, and Kobe is taking so many shots that I have to assume that if he keeps up a 46% clip, I actually have a chance of making my team a pretty good FG% club. Luckily, I already had a pretty good shooting PG in Terry (he shot over 50% last year), and Artest and Prince generally shoot fairly well. I did not draft these 3 guys because of their shooting prowess - I got them for their all-around stat sheet stuffing. But, as it turns out, I'll have to rely on them now for their shooting.

This basically left me with a problem. Ridnour and big Z are horrible from the field and they both turn the ball over like crazy. Kobe is also a turnover machine, but he's actually not doing so badly considering he touches the ball almost every time down the court. As I mentioned before, I had already given up on Assists... and I had Ridnour on my squad for his steals. Unfortunately, he's just kicking my team's butt with his TOs and low FG%. He's not canning anything from downtown. Last, I really doubt he'll keep up his 100% from the charity stripe.

So, I wanted to find a C that could shoot from the field well and get rebounds, and I wanted a G that could hit some three pointers and not kill me from the charity stripe. My bargaining chips were a Big Z that really was underperforming and a guard that is at risk of losing PT due to his lackluster defense. Yes, they were both starters - but neither was putting up solid numbers and gaining their coach's confidence.

So, I spied what I could possibly get for my chips... and my research landed on Maurice Williams and Bogut. Yes, they are both on the same team, but they both have amazing upside.

About Mo..... TJ Ford and Williams split time at the point - but Maurice is also getting time at the 2. He actually has some range to put up shots - he just hasn't had the chance to in previous years. Damon Jones took most of those shots in 03-04 and fighting for James for PT in 04-05 made Mo less likely to chuck. Desmond Mason also tended to steal the downtown looks in years past as he didn't like to play inside. But, this year, Redd is getting keyed up on, and Simmons is more potent at mid-range compared to Mason. There's a reason that Mason isn't gelling in NOK - and that's because they already have Speedy, Paul, and JR who like to hang out at the perimeter... Mason just isn't fitting in in an evironment with established outside players. For the Bucks in 05-06, I like that Maurice is getting downtown looks, and he's hitting them... which is more than I can say about the poor-shooting Ridnour.

About Bogut...... The guy is a double-double dude waiting to happen (Think Okafor in 04-05); and Bogut should keep a decent percentage from the field since he takes most of his shots at a close range. Yes, 10/10 with some blocks may seem kind of a reach for a guy who has to battle with Joe Smith for PT. But say to yourself "Bogut has to Battle with Joe Smith for playing time." Losing significant PT to Joe Smith doesn't happen unless you're name is Dan Gadzuric or are a washed up Tony Kukoc and your team is losing big time. The Bucks are doing great this year, and Bogut is going to be an integral part of the success of this squad. He will get his minutes unless he stabs somebody at a night club. Big Z is looking pretty bad this year. He's getting his points, but some of his shots are forced. His FG% is suffering horribly and there are stints where the Cav's will even try Gooden at C against smaller teams. Z isn't making good use of his minutes, and I don't like where his season is headed.

Basically, I end up coming out on top in terms of 3PM and FG% and I lose out on Ridnour's steals and assists. I doubt making my team the 11th best in assists versus the 14th team in assits is going to help me much. Everybody who matches up with me will win assists - no question. But, this is the only chance I have of doing a big change on my team without a super-crazy overhaul... and I'm gambling on these Bucks' upside.

Really, I'm not expecting super-grand things out of this trade, but I really had to dump Z and Ridnour before the lose more minutes or get demoted. Yes, I was offered a trade for Big Z which would have gotten me Ben Wallace... but then I would have ahd to give up Tayshaun as well? No way I can do that type of trade. I guess I could have counter-offered with Ridnour in that package, but I think I'm getting more value out of doing 2 trades like this instead of a 2 for 1 with ADWCTA.

Last, if JR Smith comes through with more 3PM, my team has a fighting chance. I'm excited :)

Week 2: 1 Big Trade and Shockwave Still Reigns

(edited because I am dumbs) Again, Shockwave Pulsar's team came out on top and he keeps the best overall record. But, Sakaruba's team may be more powerful since he has the lowest "Average Rank." However, this weeks' matchups didn't have any serious blowouts as experienced in Week 1. I've added a "Last Week" column to the spreadsheet of awesomeness so you can see if a team got better/worse through their moves or injuries.

The biggest gainer was, unfortunately, the manager I was matched up with. Vegibear did absolutely nothing, and his team just boosted up in the rankings. Big games from Troy Murphy and Bosh (he outperformed KG... who also happens to be on his squad) boosted this rankings up big time this week... which means that I lost 6-3 in some very close matchups. With Murphy's bombs, Vegibear snuck by on 3 pointers (by 2) and points (by one lonley and bastardly point), but I managed to sneak out a win in FG% (0.3%) and Turnovers (3 TOs).

The next biggest gainer was Asian Sensation who found a way to overcome injuries to TMac and Boozer to put together an amazing week. He has some killer sleepers in E.Jones, Mike James, and Caron Butler. If he had a few more blocks out of Dampier, this matchup would have been a total blowout.

About the trade. On November 7, Petro gave up Okafor to get Rip and Calderon from IversonXP. Petro was sneaky in this since he already got 1 game out of Okafor before the trade. Interestingly, it hurt both parties involved. Of the two involved teams, the one that dropped the most in the Average Rank this week Petro. Yes, Petro won his matchup, but he seriouslly bagged his team. Petro's squad used to be a killer in rebounds and blocks, but now it's sort of middle of the road in those categories. I guess it's just one week, but hey, I'm not complaining because IversonXP's team also got worse by nearly the same amount, and I'm matched up with him next week :) Now, both Petro and Iverson's teams are about on par with mine - and yes, my team is sorry.

I guess Stamens is cursing himself for drafting Shaq #1 right now. Even with a huge, psychic-powers game from Charlie V, Sakaruba's squad got hammered in its average rank without the the Big Aristotle in his lineup. (sorry, I had originally cited Sakaruba in this paragraph .... it's actually Stamens that has Shaq and Charlie V.)

Oh, did I mention that my team continues to suck? Yes, yes it does.

Asian Sensation - you have a trade proposal :)

OMG, Charlie V. comes up big?!

How the bloody hell did you foresee that he would blow up in this one game? I am in shock and awe at Stamens' psychic powers. I think Charlie is in shock as well.

I want to officially declare that my team sucks...

Really, I think I need to fire my GM of operations (myself) and then go play the free agent market.... ugh. If I owned this bunch of fantasy punks, I'd sell my team or threaten to move the squad to Mexico City.

Week 1 Results.... Shockwave Pulsar is #1

Here's a breakdown of how each team did relative to their direct competitor (you have to click the image above to see it in full size), as well as how they did relative to each other in the league. For each box-score column, a number between 1 and 14 is shown. This is the team's "rank" for that category. In other words, my 0.427 field goal percentage was 12th out of all the participants; while Petro's 0.520 from the field was tops in the league. Yes, I did adjust the TO column to favor less turnovers over more turnovers.

The "Average Rank" column should be the most telling. This one reflects the strength of the team overall. The lower your rank, the better you did overall. So, Shockwave edged out Gyan (even though they both completely beat down their opponent) since Shockwave has a lower Average Rank.


About my team... my ballers are pretty much middle of the road - and I lost most of the categories that I was aiming to lose. I know FG% isn't my strength, and I'm not working on assists. It was unfortunate I got matched up against the 1 other team that was focusing on FT% ... and I lost that category by 0.7%. I really got hammered because of Kobe not putting in a single three point attempt while all my other sharpshooters did a big pile of nothing from downtown. My team needs work in rebounds... but I also need to come up with a plan to fix the "No Threes from Kobe" problem. Ugh.