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Woohoo! Fantasy Basketball and the NBA regular season is officially underway. Here are a few notes, stats, and comments on what transpired across the four, first-day games.
The GOOD:
Paul Pierce G/F, Boston Celtics - 23 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST. 2 3PTM, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 90% FT (9-10), 2 TO
Dirk Nowitzki PF. Dallas Mavericks - 34 PTS, 9 REB, 2 3PTM, 2 BLK, 92.3 % FT (12-13), 3 TO
Gilbert Arenas PG, Washington Wizards - 29 PTS, 9 AST,1 3PTM, 47.6% FG (10-21), 88.9% FT (8-9), 3 TO, 38:20 MINS
Kobe Bryant SG, Los Angeles Lakers - 33 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 91.7% FT (11-12), 2 TO
Andrew Bynum C, Los Angeles Lakers - 26 PTS, 13 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 60% FG (9-15), 80% FT (8-10), 2 TO
Lamar Odom F, - Los Angeles Lakers - 16 PTS, 13 REB, 5 AST, 2 3PTM, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 3 TO
Eric Gordon SG, Los Angeles Clippers - 21 PTS, 4 AST, 2 3PTM, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 50% FG (7-14), 3 TO
It was nice to see both Gilbert Arenas and Andrew Bynum play well and stay on the floor for the amount of minutes that they did. This game was Gilbert's first step in redeeming is fantasy value. I am sure his owners are happy with what he did and are crossing their fingers that he will deliver similar production for 81 more games.Not only did Arenas come up with a great performance, his presence on the floor also helped the revitalized Wizards take down the Dallas Mavericks. These Wizards will be an even bigger threat once PF, Antawn Jamison comes back from his shoulder injury in about three weeks.
I don't own Bynum in any of my leagues this season. Sigh. 
Lamar Odom made the most of Pau Gasol's absence due to a strained hamstring and came up with a multi-cat contributing line that reminds everyone of what he is still capable of throwing down. Expect his production to drastically drop once Pau is back in business. For now, ride the Lamar Wave for as long as you can, and enjoy the ride.
Kobe showed fantasy managers why he was a legitimate 4th pick option in the fantasy draft. Vintage Kobe at its finest (more or less).
Dirk was, well, Dirk.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were too much for LeBron James to take on by himself. In spite of LBJ having a huge night for fantasy, Shaquille O'Neal's ho-hum low double-double performance was not enough of an assist to carry the Cavs past the Celts.
Eric Gordon is the man in LAC, he is likely the best player on that team in terms of fantasy basketball. Chris Kaman had a sweet 18-point, 16-rebound night; which is a production that exceeded his fantasy ADP (Average Draft Position)
The MAN:
LeBron James SF, Cleveland Cavaliers - 38 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST, 4 3PTM, 2 STL, 4 BLK, 54.5% FG (12-22), 5 TO
Who cares about the five turnovers! The rest of his line is well worth that petty cost. In the end, it was like LBJ's owners played two lesser players who average 2.5 TO, but had to only use up one slot on their starting lineup! Ka-Boom, baby! Too bad, the Cavs lost. Which is a stern reminder that he cannot do it all for the real-life win, even though he does do it all as far as fantasy basketball is concerned.
The PLEASANT SURPRISES:
Andray Blatche F/C, Washington Wizards - 20 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 57.1% FG (8-14), 100% FT (4-4), 0 TO
Travis Outlaw F, Portland Trail Blazers - 23 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 3PTM, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 64.2% FG (9-14), 1 TO
Try to keep it in your pants with regards to these two. Their games may have been impressive, but Travis Outlaw was only able to shine due to both LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden getting into early and consistent foul trouble throughout the game.
Andray has always been a fantasy tease and this is one of those games. He has moderate 12-man league value while Jamison is hurt and is a must-own in 14-man leagues or deeper. Don't expect this line in the Wizards' box score every night, otherwise you will find yourself scratching your head and muttering "WTF?!?"
The BAD:
Greg Oden C, Portland Trail Blazers - 2 PTS, 12 REB, 1 STL, 5 BLK, 33% FG (1-3), 7 TO
Baron Davis PG, Los Angeles Clippers - 2 PTS, 8 AST, 0 3PTM, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 10% FG (1-10), 2 TO
Ron Artest G/F, Los Angeles Lakers - 10 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 3PTM, 30% FG (3-10), 42.8% FT (3-7), 4 TO
While I do appreciate Greg Oden's 12 boards and five blocks, the seven TOs kind of leave a terribly sour taste in my mouth. It's his first game as his "re-invented self". Let's let this one slide and hope that there will be less bad to have to swallow with the good.
Baron Davis was a mess. Making 1 out of 10 shots from the field is just simply a fantasy team FG% killer. While his two steals were good to see, his lack of successfully made treys were sorely missed by his owners. At this point, however, I would settle for another two to three games of no threes made but with an improved FG%. Attack the frickin' basket, B-Diddy! Or shave that F'n beard, that might actually be messing up your shot...
Ron-Ron, oh Ron-Ron, 4 TOs and crappy shooting percentages just won't do. Keep this up and you might as well consider taking a break and do another rap album. You're supposed to be Kobe's "Scottie Pippen"; stop being a Dennis Rodman, who by the way got his sh*t together on the court, and get your sh*t together...
The FUGLY:
Luis Scola F/C, Houston Rockets - 3 PTS, 4 REBS, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 16.7% FG (1-6), 50% FT (1-2), 3 TO
Relative to draft position and overall expectations, I would say that Luis Scola was the biggest fantays disappointment last night. People were drafting him, visualizing 20-10, and ended up getting a sorry 3-4 at 16.7 FG%... Ouch! Believe me folks, Aaron Brooks is the boy (man) to watch over at Houston. Let's hope that this was just a bad game for Scola and he should get his act together in the Rockets' succeeding games.
Fantasy Advice:
Martell Webster SF, Portland Trail Blazers - Martell looks healthy and is on his way to being "back in business". He dropped 14 PTS, knocked down 2 treys, and chipped in a steal and a block against Houston. This isn't bad for someone who was likely not drafted in your league. If you are in a 14-man league or deeper, I would consider picking him up and see how he improves from here on out.
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