Sunday, June 26, 2011

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume IV, Issue XXV

Welcome to our 138th edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. Our archive of past editions is available right here on The FantasyDrafthelp.com Blog and specific links to past editions are available at FantasyDrafthelp.com.

This week, we bring you the NBA Draft winners and losers.

2011 NBA Draft Winners

1 Cleveland – Less than 12 months after He Who Shall Not Be Named booked, the next franchise player is in place? Unbelievable. And yes, draft “experts,” Kyrie Irving is a franchise player. Tristan Thompson is not a horrible pick, but he raises questions in terms of his offensive game and the team’s (temporary?) logjam at the 4.

2 Detroit – Joe Dumars gets saved from himself, just as Michael Jordan did with his second pick. Dear Romey, Hall of Fame players are can’t-miss drafters. Sincerely, Elgin Baylor.

3 Miami – We’ll skip the “Norris Cole … talents to South Beach” layup and simply note that he’s already a more legitimate 1 than anyone Miami had last year.

4 Denver – Sure picked up some nice forwards.

5T Houston – The flip side of our Phoenix assessment!

5T Washington – They picked up some nice complementary pieces for John Wall, not least of which a nice value in Chris Singleton.

2011 NBA Draft Losers

1 Sacramento – Kings could have had Jimmer at 7; instead they traded down three spots so they could pick up John Salmons’ bloated contract. Whatevs.

2 Phoenix – You took the wrong Morris!

3 Utah – Sorry, Utah, a soft Euro’s not going to help you more than Brandon Knight would have.

4 Charlotte – LOVE LOVE LOVE Kemba Walker, but Bismack Biyombo at 7? He’s Mutombo without the offense.

5 Portland – Why reach for Nolan Smith? Trade down, young fella.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

PRO HOOPS DRAFTOLOGY 2011 is available!

Courtesy of The 21st Century Media Alliance – specifically The FDH Lounge, FantasyDrafthelp.com, Sportsology and Card Corner ClubPRO HOOPS DRAFTOLOGY 2011 is now available. Check out these contents:

Page 1: Guide overview, Talent overview

Page 2: Flashback: Card Corner Club covers the 2010 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot

Page 3: The last great Dr.J-David Thompson ABA clash, Strength of draft by position, Links to highlight videos of top players

Pages 4, 8: Jason Jones domestic top player rankings/analysis

Page 5: The FDH Lounge Top 30 players in the NBA, Team needs, Blank mock draft sheet

Page 6: Jason Jones Euro player analysis

Page 7: Rick Morris Euro player analysis

Page 8: Jason Jones international top player rankings/analysis

Page 9: Rick Morris mock draft

Page 10: Correlation of top players to NBA titles

ENJOY!

PRO HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY 2011 is available!

Courtesy of The 21st Century Media Alliance – specifically The FDH Lounge, FantasyDrafthelp.com, Sportsology and Card Corner ClubPRO HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY 2011 is available on your virtual doorstep. Here’s what it’s got inside:

Page 1: HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY Overview

Pages 2-4: Mock Draft/Scouting Report of Top 30

Page 4: Links to top prospect videos, FDH Lounge NHL Awards picks, NHL

free agency overview

Page 5: Rocco Grimaldi: The draft’s most interesting player?

Page 6: St. John’s Fab Four could heat up the NHL Draft, Seth Ambroz &

Scott Mayfield audio interview links

Page 7: The Memorial Cup Experience

Page 8: The FDH Lounge Top 30 players in the NHL & Sportsology analysis

Page 9: Importance of top-level players

Page 10: Preview of ultimate fantasy hockey stat for ‘10-11 season

ENJOY!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume IV, Issue XXIV

Welcome to our 137th edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. Our archive of past editions is available right here on The FantasyDrafthelp.com Blog and specific links to past editions are available at FantasyDrafthelp.com.

This week, we serialize some features from our forthcoming draft guide PRO HOOPS DRAFTOLOGY 2011.

Jason Jones Euro Player Analysis

NOTE: After the recent NBA Draft lottery, TheFDHLounge.com had a chat on the site examining the state of European players and the NBA Draft process. Here are the thoughts expressed on various aspects of the subject by FDH Senior Editor Jason Jones.

^ Not one of these Euros belongs in the top ten. Not one. There has never been a Euro worth top ten projection, ever. Dirk, Manu, Pau, may be good players, but [they] weren't worth a top ten pick. Furthermore, there has not been a non-American collegiate worth a top ten pick in the last decade. Look it up again. Euro upside is not worth the risk. [The Cavs need] two absolute starters in these first two picks, not projects with upside. To believe the contrary is short-sighted and irresponsible. That includes any GM that would take one in the top ten, let alone the top five.

^ Scouts that cover these Euros do so for ten years, in some cases. That's all they do. In some regard, there is a clear understanding of the pulse of the game over there. Any scout doing his job has seen ridiculous amounts of game action; they've done their homework. The apples-to-apples thing may be the most important part. Maybe they've sincerely considered that in the evaluation. All of their efforts are there and calculated, which leaves one major factor left to consider...NONE OF THAT IS NEW. This has been the process. Every year, we hear about narrowing the gap in talent and every year these scouts and GMs are wrong. Someday that might be the case. It might even be this year. This issue is one of draft strategy. Are there really 5-10 NBA teams that are willing to throw their lottery pick on the roulette wheel in the hopes that this is the year that their scouts are right? There is a physically missing. There is a mental aptitude missing. There is a speed element missing. There are too many variables to consider when one takes the final evaluation out of the Euro fishtank and moves it to the NBA fishtank. And we are really starting to lose track of the expectations when I'm trying to be convinced that a Euro who can give 10 and 7 immediately means a damn thing. 10 and 7 is a mid-second rounder. That's [a] fourth-tier free agent signing. That's "let the other guy draft him and if he pans out, then we'll consider pursuing him as a free agent.” In the lottery, whether he can start or not is not very high on the evaluation scale. Take any of the guys over 6'10. I bet most of them could start in Golden State or some team desperate for a big. The question becomes: is an adequate Euro big man better than a dynamic NCAA guard who could be a cornerstone? Yeah, they could start tomorrow but so what, that doesn't carry as much weight with me.

^ NO ONE is grading Derrick Williams on his tournament performance. Williams is and has been the number one guy dating back to the preseason camps of last year. In most cases, tournament or not, Williams has never not been out of the top two. There is an apples-to-apples [element] with him, physically and mentally. Teams know exactly what they will get from him. He may be built like Lebron, but no one is making the mistake [of thinking] that he is [as good as him]. However, he is athletic, powerful, tenacious, has a high ceiling and has the type of measurables on offense that fit the type of player he is. He's not going to shoot well from outside of 17', but that's not his game. Scouts didn't like Griffin because he has a good sky book or shoots the three well. They liked him because he gets after it physically, which is why every scout in the world has Williams in the top three and most in the top two. "[The criticism of] passing out of the double team?” Are you serious? That's like criticizing Kyrie Irving because he doesn't register many blocked shots, or [saying] Kemba Walker won't be able to box out seven-footers. Skill, strength, intelligence, tenacity, NBA IQ, the ability to make the transition: these Euros may possess some of those things, but they lack the physical ability. They can shoot and pass and rebound (in a relative vacuum), but it’s everything else that [causes concern]. Remember, during these extensive evaluations, everyone on the planet who knew anything said Darko was that guy. He was Dirk, if Dirk actually played center. They said Darko could take guys off the dribble, post up, defend swingmen, hit threes like a SG and even win the opening tipoff. I saw the footage and agreed. I saw what he did over there and sincerely believed he, Melo and LeBron were on a tier by themselves. As it turned out, Darko was so physically inadequate that we would never get to see the rest unfold. If Yao was 6'10, he'd be a bust. Does anyone really believe that Rubio isn't here because he'll only play in a large market? One last thought. American players own European players unconditionally...until they change the rules. In Olympic play, they adopted some European aspects, rules, and nuances and the American players suffered. The NBA is not going to change the rules to suit the non American players yet people still expect them to perform on the same level with the American players when they make [the] move to playing the NBA game. Make no mistake about it, there is a basket and a ball, but the European game and the NBA game are significantly different games.

Rick Morris Euro Player Analysis

NOTE: After the recent NBA Draft lottery, TheFDHLounge.com had a chat on the site examining the state of European players and the NBA Draft process. Here are the thoughts expressed on various aspects of the subject by FDH Managing Partner Rick Morris.

^ With the possible exception of Kantor, I'm not sold on these guys [at the fourth pick]. They seem like risks to me based on the body of work. [Some] see [lots of] upside, I see troubling question marks on a pick that, if it yields a player who can be a legit third or fourth offensive option, could keep [the Cavs] out of lotteries after next year.

^ One of the things that scares me about some of these guys is that there has barely been ANY overseas presence in the lottery for several years now. I was actually taken aback when I looked up the specifics; it was worse than I thought. While I have a lot of trust in the Cavs' organization (my favorite team) and would like nothing better than to believe [the] assertion that they may have an inside track on figuring out who can be worth what, I keep coming back to the difficulty that ALL teams face in calculating the worth of these players given the confusion about so many aspects of Euro play, from what to make of play against the caliber of competition on down. Why are we on track to have possibly more Euros taken in the lottery this year than the last half-decade combined (with Euros for these purposes being defined as those without US college experience)? Is it because talent evaluators are so discounting the college kids that they are figuring the Euros are a better risk? I hope not, because at least a few of the college kids look like good bets for the same alleged upside as the internationals (i.e. Klay Thompson and Marcus Morris). In short, the fact that we have little to go on aside from the physical skills of these players measured in isolation troubles me.

^ The one thing that is inescapable … is that overseas players do not have the apples-to-apples point of comparison with collegiate competition (not that all lottery picks come from power conferences, but they have infinitely more in common with each other regardless of where they played over here in that respect). Even with my heinously sub-par hops, I'm sure there are guys I could still posterize in weak leagues. Now, I'm sure the scouts take these things into consideration when they compose the profiles -- and I'm sure the science of normalizing levels of competition for evaluation's sake is improving all the time. The crux of this issue appears to come down to the historical trends. Again, Euro impact in the lottery has been pretty invisible for years now after receiving a bit of a bump post-Dirk. There are indeed exceptions to every rule. But looking at the law of averages, as I do with most sports topics, I'm left to question whether there are this many exceptions to the law of averages in this draft. I'm not prepared to state categorically right now that there are not. I certainly question that, though.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume IV, Issue XXIII

Welcome to our 136th edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. Our archive of past editions is available right here on The FantasyDrafthelp.com Blog and specific links to past editions are available at FantasyDrafthelp.com.

This week, we serialize some features from our forthcoming draft guide PRO HOOPS DRAFTOLOGY 2011.

2011 NBA Draft Overview

After a truly abysmal NBA Draft in 2010, this year’s edition offers a bit more hope, even if much of it may taste like tangy Euro Kool-Aid.

The consensus top player is Duke PG Kyrie Irving, who lost most of his only NCAA season to a foot injury, but appears fine now. On a tier just below, most analysts slot Arizona PF/SF Derrick Williams, a skilled player who dominated in big games, but who must prove he is not a tweener at the next level. On the final tier before opinions start to wildly diverge are Kentucky PG Brandon Knight and his would-be teammate from 2010-11, PF/C Enes Kanter.

The next tier is very wide-open, but includes UConn’s hero, PG Kemba Walker, San Diego State SF Kawhi Leonard, BYU PG/SG/folk hero Jimmer Fredette, SG Klay Thompson and Big Twelve prospects SF/PF Marcus Morris of Kansas, PG/SG Alec Burks of Colorado and PF Tristan Thompson and SG/SF Jordan Hamilton. There are also some international players in the mix: athletic Czech SF/PF Jan Vesely and Lithuanian PF/Cs Donatas Motiejunas and Jonas Valanciunas. Now, remember this about the Euros: after seeing international players go first in 2002, 2005 and 2006 (Yao Ming, Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani, respectively), lottery representation from this sector has been very sparse since the draft banned high school players in ‘06. Only three international players without college experience have gone in the top ten from 2006-10 and that tally should be matched or beaten with the 2011 class alone.

This year’s draft will be held in the shadow of a looming lockout. However, you can follow The 21st Century Media Alliance for coverage of this last big event before the ugliness via liveblogging, simulcast at TheFDHLounge.com, OutsideTheBoxScore.blogspot.com and other associated websites as we break down the process as only we can.

Strength of Draft by Position

Outstanding: none

Very Good: Point Guard

Good: Power Forward

Average: none

Not So Good: none

Poor: Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Center

Horrible: none

Team Needs

1 LA Clippers (NOTE 1st-round pick belongs to Cleveland): SF, PG

2 Minnesota: C

3 New Jersey (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Utah): SF, PF, SG

4 Cleveland: SF, C, SG, PG

5 Toronto: SF

6 Washington: SF, C, SG, PF

7 Sacramento: SF, SG

8 Detroit: C, SF, PF, PG, SF

9 Charlotte: PF, C, PG, SF

10 Milwaukee: PF, SF

11 Golden State: C

12 Utah: SF, SG

13 Orlando (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Phoenix): PF, SF

14 Houston: SF, PG, C

15 Indiana: SG, PF, C

16 Philadelphia: C

17 New York: C

18 Atlanta (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Washington): PG, SF, C

19 New Orleans (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Charlotte): SG, C, SF

20 Memphis (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Minnesota): none

21 Portland: C, PG

22 Denver: SF, C

23 Phoenix (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Houston): C, SF

24 Oklahoma City: PF, C

25 Boston: C, SG

26 Dallas: SG, C

27 LA Lakers (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to New Jersey): PG, SF

28 Miami (NOTE: 1st-round pick belongs to Chicago): C, PG

29 San Antonio: C, SF

30 Chicago: SG

Saturday, June 04, 2011

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume IV, Issue XXII

Welcome to our 135th edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. Our archive of past editions is available right here on The FantasyDrafthelp.com Blog and specific links to past editions are available at FantasyDrafthelp.com.

This week, we bring you our Ultimate Quantitative Baseline rankings for fantasy hockey for 2011-12.

UQB Rankings for Fantasy Hockey for 2011-12


Left Wings UQB
1 Daniel Sedin 375
2 Alex Ovechkin 371
3 Milan Lucic 356
4 Alexander Semin 340
5 Ryane Clowe 333
6 Henrik Zetterberg 313
7 Patrick Sharp 310
8 Alexandre Burrows 306
9 Scott Hartnell 300
10 Loui Eriksson 297
11 Thomas Vanek 293
12 Chris Kunitz 292
13T Patrick Marleau 278
13T Jamie Benn 278
13T Alex Tanguay 278
16 Matt Cooke 272
17T Ryan Malone 263
17T Brenden Morrow 263
19 Jussi Jokinen 255
20 Clarke MacArthur 253
21T Nikolai Kulemin 252
21T Ray Whitney 252
23T Michael Cammalleri 251
23T RJ Umberger 251
25 Ville Leino 247


Centers UQB
1 Sidney Crosby 375
2 Henrik Sedin 364
3 Steven Stamkos 351
4 Ryan Getzlaf 347
5 Ryan Kesler 328
6T Pavel Datsyuk 318
6T Anze Kopitar 318
6T Jonathan Toews 318
9 Brad Richards 309
10 Jeff Carter 302
11 Nicklas Backstrom 296
12 Derek Roy 293
13 Andy McDonald 292
14 Eric Staal 289
15 Michael Richards 283
16T David Krejci 282
16T Mikko Koivu 282
18 Joe Pavelski 279
19 Joe Thornton 278
20 Jason Spezza 268
21 Mikhail Grabovski 267
22T Logan Couture 263
22T Tomas Plekanec 263
24T Vincent Lecavalier 262
24T Brandon Dubinsky 262


Right Wings UQB
1 Corey Perry 375
2 Teemu Selanne 350
3 Danny Briere 344
4 Martin St Louis 342
5 David Backes 332
6 Steve Downie 329
7 Jarome Iginla 327
8 Claude Giroux 325
9T Patrick Kane 316
9T Bobby Ryan 316
11 Nathan Horton 302
12 Drew Stafford 301
13 Shane Doan 298
14 Marian Hossa 297
15 Justin Williams 294
16 Chris Stewart 289
17 Rick Nash 288
18 Dany Heatley 286
19 Ales Hemsky 285
20 Dustin Brown 282
21 Martin Erat 273
22T Ryan Callahan 269
22T Johan Franzen 269
24 Marian Gaborik 263
25 Martin Havlat 256


Defensemen UQB
1 Ryan Whitney 322
2 Lubomir Visnovsky 321
3 Zdeno Chara 311
4 Keith Yandle 306
5 Kris Letang 303
6 Christian Ehrhoff 291
7 Dustin Byfuglien 290
8 Dan Boyle 280
9T Ryan Suter 277
9T Alexander Edler 277
11 Nicklas Lidstrom 271
12T Tobias Enstrom 269
12T Drew Doughty 269
14 Alex Goligoski 268
15 Shea Weber 265
16T P.K. Subban 263
16T Brent Burns 263
18 Mike Green 255
19 Matt Carle 253
20 Alex Pietrangelo 251
21 Dion Phaneuf 249
22 Brent Seabrook 247
23T Andrej Meszaros 246
23T John Carlson 246
23T James Wisniewski 246


Goalies UQB
1 Tim Thomas 375
2 Henrik Lundqvist 325
3 Roberto Luongo 259
4 Carey Price 254
5 Pekka Rinne 209
6 Ilya Bryzgalov 180
7 Cam Ward 165
8T Braden Holtby 162
8T Jonathan Quick 162
10 Miikka Kiprusoff 150
11 Antti Niemi 149
12 Marc-Andre Fleury 145
13 Jimmy Howard 121
14 Ryan Miller 107
15 Corey Crawford 103
16 Kari Lehtonen 97
17 Jaroslav Halak 58
18 Cory Schneider 54
19 Jonas Hiller 47
20 Tomas Vokoun 37
21 Michal Neuvirth 27
22 James Reimer 10
23 Dwayne Roloson 8
24 Brent Johnson 7
25 Sergei Bobrovsky 5


Top 50 Overall UQB
1T Daniel Sedin 375
1T Sidney Crosby 375
1T Corey Perry 375
1T Tim Thomas 375
5 Alex Ovechkin 371
6 Henrik Sedin 364
7 Milan Lucic 356
8 Steven Stamkos 351
9 Teemu Selanne 350
10 Ryan Getzlaf 347
11 Danny Briere 344
12 Martin St Louis 342
13 Alexander Semin 340
14 Ryane Clowe 333
15 David Backes 332
16 Steve Downie 329
17 Ryan Kesler 328

18 Jarome Iginla 327
19T Claude Giroux 325
19T Henrik Lundqvist 325
21 Ryan Whitney 322
22 Lubomir Visnovsky 321
23T Pavel Datsyuk 318
23T Anze Kopitar 318
23T Jonathan Toews 318
26T Patrick Kane 316
26T Bobby Ryan 316
28 Henrik Zetterberg 313
29 Zdeno Chara 311
30 Patrick Sharp 310
31 Brad Richards 309
32T Keith Yandle 306
32T Alexandre Burrows 306
34 Kris Letang 303

35T Nathan Horton 302
35T Jeff Carter 302
37 Drew Stafford 301
38 Scott Hartnell 300
39 Shane Doan 298
40T Marian Hossa 297
40T Loui Eriksson 297
42 Nicklas Backstrom 296
43 Justin Williams 294
44T Thomas Vanek 293
44T Derek Roy 293
46T Chris Kunitz 292
46T Andy McDonald 292
48 Christian Ehrhoff 291
49 Dustin Byfuglien 290
50T Eric Staal 289
50T Chris Stewart 289