Ok guys, my fantasy NBA draft is coming up soon and every year I always make sure I have a Rocket player on my roster. These year I'm in a quandry as to who to pick up as a first level player. Last year I was able to get Yao in the first round but his injury season end hurt me bad. Going by Yahoo's rankings from last season this is how our players stacked according to actual rank: Shane Battier (48), Yao Ming (56), Ron Artest (69), Rafer Alston (99), and T-Mac (127). Disappointing results for Yao and T-mac who were pre-ranked very high. So here's the question, who will be this year's best fantasy player if you had to choose only one with player health being an issue? My gut instinct tells me it will be Ron Artest who I will target in the 3rd round. Yao would be #1 but I'm not sure if he can stay healthy and for sure I know T-mac won't be. 07-08 Statistical Strengths: Artest: FG%, PTS, ST Yao: FG%, FT%, PTS, BL, RB T-Mac: PTS, AST Rafer: 3PTM, AST, ST Battier: 3PTM, ST
I picked up Artest in the 4th Round. Which I believe is a steal. My main guys are Chris Paul, Iguodala, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose.
What are the categories used in your league and is it H2H or rotisserie? Also, how many weeks are in your fantasy season and when does it start?
Yao is GREAT for fantasy... but of course, you have to consider his health. Tracy has negative impact w/ bad FG and FT% and also has health concerns. So, unless its in the late rounds, I'd avoid him. Shane Battier is GREAT for fantasy roto. He gets everything and a buncha 3's. BUT, I'm sure the addition of Ron Artest + his injury affects his fantasy impact... I think Artest will be your best bet... targeting him in the 3rd or 4th round sounds about right. The only Rocket I have in my 15-man league this year is picking up Carl Landry as one of my bench players. Let's see how he does as the first big man off the bench...
CP would be my first overall choice if I can get him. My top Round 2 choice would be either Kevin Martin or Jason Richardson. I'm going for Artest Round 3.
i think yao will have the best stats ... AT LEAST 20+pts, 9+rebs, and 1-3 blocks a game. artest and tmac will average lower than they're used to but i still think tmac will be fairly good ... artest will be good but i have a feeling his scoreboard wont show all his worth ...
Week 1 of opening night playing through full regular season. I don't know how many weeks that totals.
Got it. I would say go for Yao, especially in a H2H format. He will help you with FG%, FT%, PTS, REB and BLK. If he goes down to injury later in the season, it won't hurt you as much as it might in a rotisserie league. You will still have benefited in your H2H matchups up to that point. With McGrady, you have the same injury concerns as well as significantly lower FG% and FT%. The cats where McGrady will have the edge are obviously 3PT, AST and STL, maybe a slight edge in PTS (maybe not though). The areas where Yao is better are more significant than vice versa, in my opinion. Yao will bring slightly higher TO but I wouldn't worry about that too much. Artest may see a decline in production playing on a deeper roster and with Battier already established as a significant contributor at SF. At the same time, if there are injuries, Artest's value goes up a lot. I still say Yao is the no-brainer choice if you can get him, even with the risk of injury, especially if you have good PGs and shooters to complement him.
I don't what would happen this reason, but I can help u out based on my last reason's experience from using rockets players. -Yao, number 1 pick if he's available. drop him if he's injured for long period of time. great for FT% -Tmac - pick him if there is no better options. I would at 5th or 6th round. his shooting percentage sucks for his status. -Artest - pick him before tmac because he will give you steals and rebounds -scola - i would avoid til the 12th round pick -landry- he was great as 9th or 10th pick. could be higher this year given his improved skills -alston - not bad for backup pg for assist, but his percentage shooting will kill ya barry - good for 3pt% and shots deke - great if as last two spots for rebounds. and blocks shane - ok stats, usually better options out there. rest avoid.
From a fantasy perspective, there are only two reasons I would pick up Artest before McGrady. Rebounding is definitely not one of them. McGrady is the better rebounder. I would expect them to be about a wash in this category or for McGrady to have a slight edge. Artest's clear advantages are steals and durability. I know Artest has had his share of suspensions and injuries but I think it is obvious that he has the best chance of being the more durable player. Still, I would have McGrady higher than Artest in my draft list for what he brings to the table when healthy.
Part of my decision making process is that there is already word Adelman will control playing time so as to not burn out his star players meaning Yao and T-Mac. Artest will get significant playing time even if he comes in to spell T-Mac or Battier. The second factor is that both T-Mac and Battier come into this season recovering from serious injuries which increases the odds of them either getting hurt again or playing less and Artest will be the benefactor of those minutes. The one thing Artest has been throughout his career is durable and dependable to step up both offensively and defensively when needed. Yao is a stat monster when healthy but in not convinced he'll finish as a top 25 player worthy of a round 1-2 pick. Most likely someone else in will have picked him up already in those rounds.
It sounds like you've already made up your mind to go with Artest. There is good logic in your reasoning but personally, I would still go with Yao if he is available. If Yao is not available and your are focused on picking a Rocket in the 3rd or 4th rounds, I would go with McGrady over Artest and take the chance that he stays relatively healthy. All these decisions are highly contingent on what you do with your other picks but my ordering of Rockets players, with all factors considered, still goes Yao, McGrady, Artest.
If health was not an issue, I'd also rank Yao, T-mac, Artest. But as a Fantasy Daryl Morey, I must try to consider all relevant factors to recruit a winning team. You make good points though that I will still think about until draft time.
