Screen Capture courtesy of NBA/YouTube.
My first official draft is in the books. It’s a 12-man, head to head league, against no less than some of the industry’s top fantasy basketball minds. It’s the “Triple Crown Hoops Challenge,” an annual league (since 2009) organized by Dave Gawron of eXperLeagues.com. I’ve participated in it in four of the last five years. I won the league back in the 2011-12 fantasy season and am hungry for another gold trophy to add to my make-believe trophy case in Yahoo!
Draft order was randomly determined a week ahead of time, so I knew I was picking ninth coming into the draft. It was all good fun, with a solid turnout if 11-of-12 managers present for the live online draft.
Here are the participants and the draft order:
Will Overton, RotoProfessor
Damian Schaab, Formerly of Baller Mind Frame (absent)
Randy Dean, eXpertLeagues
The Hectorious One, independent (Team AutoDraft)
Tom Lorenzo, SB Nation
Mark Kaplan, Fantasy Alarm
Allen Tippy, Fantasy Basketball Daily
Ryan Knaus, Rotoworld
Me, Baller Mind Frame
Daniel Dobish, RotoExperts
Kyle McKeown, DailyFantasyBasketballPodcast.com
Justin Fensterman, Fantasy Score
Kyle McKeown live-casted the draft. Here is the YouTube video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Round 1
Pick
Player
Team
1
Anthony Davis (NO – PF,C)
RotoProfessor Overton
2
Stephen Curry (GS – PG,SG)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
3
Chris Paul (LAC – PG)
eXpertLeagues Dean
4
James Harden (Hou – SG,SF)
Team Autodraft
5
Kevin Durant (OKC – SF,PF)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
6
LeBron James (Cle – SF,PF)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
7
Russell Westbrook (OKC – PG)
FantasyBasketballDaily
8
Kawhi Leonard (SA – SG,SF)
Rotoworld Knaus
9
DeMarcus Cousins (Sac – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Ong
10
Al Horford (Atl – PF,C)
RotoExperts Dobish
11
Paul George (Ind – SG,SF,PF)
RotoKyleNBA
12
Carmelo Anthony (NY – SF,PF)
FantasyScore Fensterman
There were very little surprises here in Round 1. That third-overall Chris Paul pick by Dean is intriguing. I personally would have preferred that move in a league with a rotisserie format. Hector had trouble logging in with his co-manager’s account or something and the system selected James Harden for him in the first round, which prompted him to rename his team to “Team AutoDraft.” I think was aiming for Durant, but was “OK” with the Bearded One in the first round, nonetheless.
I was happy to get DeMarcus Cousins ninth overall. I got a Tier 1 center to build my team around and I figured I could go for a solid point guard or shooting guard at bounce.
Round 2
Pick
Player
Team
13
LaMarcus Aldridge (SA – PF,C)
FantasyScore Fensterman
14
John Wall (Was – PG)
RotoKyleNBA
15
Paul Millsap (Atl – PF,C)
RotoExperts Dobish
16
Damian Lillard (Por – PG)
BallerMindFrame Ong
17
Jimmy Butler (Chi – SG,SF)
Rotoworld Knaus
18
Klay Thompson (GS – SG,SF)
FantasyBasketballDaily
19
Blake Griffin (LAC – PF,C)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
20
Rudy Gobert (Uta – C)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
21
Serge Ibaka (OKC – PF,C)
Team Autodraft
22
Kevin Love (Cle – PF,C)
eXpertLeagues Dean
23
Nikola Vucevic (Orl – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
24
Draymond Green (GS – SF,PF)
RotoProfessor Overton
Part of me felt a bit sad to Paul Millsap go before my pick. He’s been one of my consistent pet picks in the second round in most of my mock drafts. I narrowed my choice to Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard, both of whom I expect to go bonkers in fantasy this season. I decided to go for Lillard, because who isn’t on the Portland Trail Blazers Fantasy Hype Train?
What surprised me in Round 2 was that no one went for the now-slimmed down Kyle Lowry. His getting gassed in the second half of last season might have played a factor. The most eye-popping 1-2 combo I liked was Anthony Davis and Draymond Green. Less assists and treys, both guys combine as solid core for seven of the nine categories contested!
Round 3
Pick
Player
Team
25
Kyle Lowry (Tor – PG)
RotoProfessor Overton
26
Nerlens Noel (Phi – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
27
Marc Gasol (Mem – C)
eXpertLeagues Dean
28
Pau Gasol (Chi – PF,C)
Team Autodraft
29
Kyrie Irving (Cle – PG,SG)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
30
Eric Bledsoe (Pho – PG,SG)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
31
Chris Bosh (Mia – PF,C)
FantasyBasketballDaily
32
DeAndre Jordan (LAC – C)
Rotoworld Knaus
33
Victor Oladipo (Orl – PG,SG)
BallerMindFrame Ong
34
Mike Conley (Mem – PG)
RotoExperts Dobish
35
Andre Drummond (Det – PF,C)
RotoKyleNBA
36
Jeff Teague (Atl – PG)
FantasyScore Fensterman
OK, Overton has a mean core of Davis-DrayGreen-Lowry now. Sick!
As expected, the Gasol brothers get picked in quick succession at this point. I’m iffy about picking Kyrie in the third. I know he’s a top-tier PG and all, but his injury makes me wary and was glad he was off the table. I kind of wanted DeAndre, but felt I wanted to grab some support for Lillard ASAP. It was down to Jeff Teague and Victor Oladipo. In the end, I went for Dipo because of his SG-eligibility. I wanted to lock down a solid shooting guard and at the same time improve on my steals. Victor was the best available 2nd-tier shooting guard, who also happens to have the upside to crack the higher tiers.
Mental note: Most of the quality big men go off the board by Round 3.
Round 4
Pick
Player
Team
37
Al Jefferson (Cha – PF,C)
FantasyScore Fensterman
38
Gordon Hayward (Uta – SG,SF)
RotoKyleNBA
39
Rudy Gay (Sac – SF,PF)
RotoExperts Dobish
40
Nicolas Batum (Cha – SG,SF)
BallerMindFrame Ong
41
Hassan Whiteside (Mia – C)
Rotoworld Knaus
42
Derrick Favors (Uta – PF,C)
FantasyBasketballDaily
43
Reggie Jackson (Det – PG,SG)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
44
Brook Lopez (Bkn – C)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
45
Dirk Nowitzki (Dal – PF,C)
Team Autodraft
46
Andrew Wiggins (Min – SG,SF)
eXpertLeagues Dean
47
Trevor Ariza (Hou – SG,SF)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
48
Dwyane Wade (Mia – PG,SG)
RotoProfessor Overton
Ok, you got me. I’m high on Nicolas Batum having a bounce-back season with Charlotte, and yes, I am willing to reach for him to secure his services for my fantasy team. I kind of feel bad that Trevor Ariza fell that far down. I’d think he’d be a consideration as a pick ahead of Batum for sure.
Round 5
Pick
Player
Team
49
Danny Green (SA – SG,SF)
RotoProfessor Overton
50
Marcin Gortat (Was – C)
BallerMindFrame Ong
51
Goran Dragic (Mia – PG,SG)
eXpertLeagues Dean
52
Isaiah Thomas (Bos – PG)
Team Autodraft
53
Tobias Harris (Orl – SF,PF)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
54
DeMar DeRozan (Tor – SG,SF)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
55
Monta Ellis (Ind – PG,SG)
FantasyBasketballDaily
56
Brandon Knight (Pho – PG,SG)
Rotoworld Knaus
57
Tim Duncan (SA – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
58
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil – SF,PF)
RotoExperts Dobish
59
Nikola Mirotic (Chi – SF,PF)
RotoKyleNBA
60
Greg Monroe (Mil – PF,C)
FantasyScore Fensterman
After my grab for Batum in the previous round, I realized that the move forced me to pass up on some solid big men like Derrick Favors, Marcin Gortat, and even Brook Lopez. So, I kind of panicked. Just a little. I knew Cousins needed some help and looked to Tim Duncan for those boards and blocks. Greg Monroe probably has a higher upside given his new team, but he doesn’t block shots. Duncan’s passing ability was a huge plus as well.
Round 6
Pick
Player
Team
61
Elfrid Payton (Orl – PG)
FantasyScore Fensterman
62
Karl-Anthony Towns (Min – C)
RotoKyleNBA
63
Dwight Howard (Hou – PF,C)
RotoExperts Dobish
64
Tyreke Evans (NO – PG,SG)
BallerMindFrame Ong
65
Kemba Walker (Cha – PG)
Rotoworld Knaus
66
Jonas Valanciunas (Tor – C)
FantasyBasketballDaily
67
Zach Randolph (Mem – PF,C)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
68
Danilo Gallinari (Den – SF)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
69
Robert Covington (Phi – SG,SF)
Team Autodraft
70
Kyle Korver (Atl – SG,SF)
eXpertLeagues Dean
71
Kenneth Faried (Den – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
72
Chandler Parsons (Dal – SF,PF)
RotoProfessor Overton
I totally had Karl-Anthony Towns all queued up. Thanks RotoKyle! Argh! So here we have another pet pick of mine this season. Tyreke offers assists and rebounds at the same time. I am counting on having guards that rebound well to offset the fact that Cousins and Duncan are my only bigs so far. Interesting that I opted to reach for Reke with Kemba still on the board. My concern with Walker is that I think that Batum and Lin could cramp his style this season. That said, I could be totally wrong here and Kemba would be the better pick. Again, as I’ve stated, this is a biased pet-pick grab on my part.
Round 7
Pick
Player
Team
73
Jahlil Okafor (Phi – C)
RotoProfessor Overton
74
DeMarre Carroll (Tor – SF,PF)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
75
Khris Middleton (Mil – SG,SF)
eXpertLeagues Dean
76
Al-Farouq Aminu (Por – SF,PF)
Team Autodraft
77
Jrue Holiday (NO – PG)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
78
Michael Carter-Williams (Mil – PG)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
79
Joakim Noah (Chi – PF,C)
FantasyBasketballDaily
80
Thaddeus Young (Bkn – SF,PF)
Rotoworld Knaus
81
Tyson Chandler (Pho – C)
BallerMindFrame Ong
82
Kobe Bryant (LAL – SG,SF)
RotoExperts Dobish
83
Ricky Rubio (Min – PG)
RotoKyleNBA
84
Bradley Beal (Was – SG)
FantasyScore Fensterman
Thaddeus Young got sniped right off the top of my draft queue. Like I always say, “It’s not a competitive league if someone you want isn’t sniped off your queue in the draft.” Well played, Mr. Knaus, well played. Seeing that Duncan might need to handle my team’s power forward position for now, I went off and got the most reliable, really old guy available and took Ty Chandler. Not the prettiest pick, but I like his situation in Phoenix this season. That is, if his back (and everything else) will hold up with all of that running. Now, I can add rebounds to the list of categories my team is competitive in. In hindsight, I probably should have gone after Robin Lopez instead.
Round 8
Pick
Player
Team
85
George Hill (Ind – PG,SG)
FantasyScore Fensterman
86
Emmanuel Mudiay (Den – PG)
RotoKyleNBA
87
Derrick Rose (Chi – PG)
RotoExperts Dobish
88
Stanley Johnson (Det – SF)
BallerMindFrame Ong
89
Terrence Jones (Hou – SF,PF)
Rotoworld Knaus
90
Ty Lawson (Hou – PG)
FantasyBasketballDaily
91
Roy Hibbert (LAL – C)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
92
Wesley Matthews (Dal – SG,SF)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
93
John Henson (Mil – PF,C)
Team Autodraft
94
Gorgui Dieng (Min – PF,C)
eXpertLeagues Dean
95
Deron Williams (Dal – PG)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
96
Jarrett Jack (Bkn – PG,SG)
RotoProfessor Overton
I have little to say about my pick in this round, other than that I am a full-fledged, card-carrying member of the “Stanley Johnson Fan Club.” Reach? Perhaps. I had a funny feeling that he wasn’t going to be there on my next pass at the player pool, so I did what I had to do.
Round 9
Pick
Player
Team
97
Jabari Parker (Mil – SF,PF)
RotoProfessor Overton
98
J.J. Redick (LAC – SG)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
99
C.J. McCollum (Por – PG,SG)
eXpertLeagues Dean
100
David Lee (Bos – PF,C)
Team Autodraft
101
Kevin Martin (Min – SG,SF)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
102
Rajon Rondo (Sac – PG)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
103
Joe Johnson (Bkn – SG,SF)
FantasyBasketballDaily
104
J.R. Smith (Cle – SG,SF)
Rotoworld Knaus
105
Meyers Leonard (Por – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Ong
106
Enes Kanter (OKC – C)
RotoExperts Dobish
107
Mason Plumlee (Por – PF,C)
RotoKyleNBA
108
Ersan Ilyasova (Det – SF,PF)
FantasyScore Fensterman
List me as one of the people impressed by what Meyers Leonard has shown so far in the preseason. Given my team’s theme so far, I felt grabbing a stretch-four was a good move. Leonard supports the line I’ve taken and comes with a bit of that magical Trail-Blazer upside.
Round 10
Pick
Player
Team
109
Robin Lopez (NY – C)
FantasyScore Fensterman
110
Marcus Smart (Bos – PG)
RotoKyleNBA
111
D’Angelo Russell (LAL – PG)
RotoExperts Dobish
112
Ryan Anderson (NO – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Ong
113
Markieff Morris (Pho – PF,C)
Rotoworld Knaus
114
Tony Parker (SA – PG)
FantasyBasketballDaily
115
Jordan Clarkson (LAL – PG,SG)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
116
Andrew Bogut (GS – C)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
117
Kristaps Porzingis (NY – PF)
Team Autodraft
118
Eric Gordon (NO – SG)
eXpertLeagues Dean
119
Patrick Patterson (Tor – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
120
Wilson Chandler (Den – SG,SF)
RotoProfessor Overton
At this point in the draft, I like to grab what I call “locking mechanisms.” Between Lillard, Batum, and now Ryan Anderson, I essentially lock down the three-point shooting category. Again, he’s a stretch four and at this stage in the draft, I think he can return some good value. Markieff Morris would stand out as a superior all-around choice, but I was after the high volume of three-pointers made and a part of me is wary about Kieff’s beef/drama with the Suns this off-season. Then again, this could come back to haunt me later on in the season.
Round 11
Pick
Player
Team
121
Jared Sullinger (Bos – PF,C)
RotoProfessor Overton
122
Jae Crowder (Bos – SF,PF)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
123
Luol Deng (Mia – SF,PF)
eXpertLeagues Dean
124
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Det – SG)
Team Autodraft
125
Jusuf Nurkic (Den – C)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
126
Myles Turner (Ind – C)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
127
Otto Porter (Was – SF)
FantasyBasketballDaily
128
Darren Collison (Sac – PG)
Rotoworld Knaus
129
Brandon Jennings (Det – PG)
BallerMindFrame Ong
130
P.J. Tucker (Pho – SG,SF)
RotoExperts Dobish
131
Nik Stauskas (Phi – SG)
RotoKyleNBA
132
Trey Burke (Uta – PG)
FantasyScore Fensterman
This league has a weekly roster changes setting and I decided that I would sit on Brandon Jennings until he’s 100%, with the hopes that he’ll recover and perform well enough in the second half of the season to boost my team’s performance down the stretch. I know that his injury is a scary one, but in the event that he does bounce back to anywhere close to his 2014-15 numbers, I’ve got a gem on my hands. Conversely, if he experiences any setbacks in his recovery and Reggie Jackson locks up the starting PG gig, then I just drafted a lump of coal. Risks and rewards people, risks and rewards.
Round 12
Pick
Player
Team
131
Jose Calderon (NY – PG)
FantasyScore Fensterman
132
Zach LaVine (Min – PG)
RotoKyleNBA
133
Timofey Mozgov (Cle – C)
RotoExperts Dobish
134
Julius Randle (LAL – PF)
BallerMindFrame Ong
135
Brandan Wright (Mem – PF,C)
Rotoworld Knaus
136
Avery Bradley (Bos – PG,SG)
FantasyBasketballDaily
137
Aaron Gordon (Orl – PF)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
138
Tony Allen (Mem – SG,SF)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
139
Jerian Grant (NY – PG)
Team Autodraft
140
Willie Cauley-Stein (Sac – C)
eXpertLeagues Dean
141
Harrison Barnes (GS – SF,PF)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
142
Ben McLemore (Sac – SG)
RotoProfessor Overton
Rounds 12 and 13 in standard sized leagues are normally the spots where I go for upside picks. I like what I’ve seen from Julius Randle so far, and even if he takes the first half of the season to get his groove on I’ve got him stashed on my bench.
Round 13
Pick
Player
Team
143
Isaiah Canaan(Phi – PG)
RotoProfessor Overton
144
Ed Davis(Por – PF,C)
BallerMindFrame Ong
145
Alex Len(Pho – C)
eXpertLeagues Dean
146
Evan Turner(Bos – SG,SF)
Team Autodraft
147
Amir Johnson(Bos – PF,C)
RotoExperts Lorenzo
148
Ian Mahinmi(Ind – C)
FantasyAlarm Kaplan
149
Zaza Pachulia(Dal – C)
FantasyBasketballDaily
150
Rodney Hood(Uta – SG,SF)
Rotoworld Knaus
151
T.J. Warren(Pho – SF)
BallerMindFrame Schaab
152
Arron Afflalo(NY – SG,SF)
RotoExperts Dobish
153
Alec Burks(Uta – PG,SG)
RotoKyleNBA
154
Tyler Zeller(Bos – PF,C)
FantasyScore Fensterman
Speaking of upside picks, TJ Warren will be a solid producer off-the-bench for the Suns, if not outright win the starting SF job, this season. He’s a solid guy who can score and knock down threes. That, and he’s fun to watch.