It’s A Fantasy Christmas 2009
With Christmas upon us, it’s time to talk about fantasy basketball thus far this season with a festive perspective. Let’s pretend that we’re casting NBA players for an ostentatious Christmas play, with many of the typical Christmas characters written into the script. Here are the players that would be good candidates for each role, based on their fantasy performances so far and their anticipated values in 2010.
Elves (they do a lot of important work but rarely get the credit they deserve):
Beno Udrih (PG/SG – Kings)
Carl Landry (SF/PF – Rockets)
Brendan Haywood (C – Wizards)
Jason Thompson (SF/PF/C – Kings)
Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF – Bucks)
Gingerbread men (endearing and tasty, but fragile):
Tim Duncan (PF/C – Spurs)
Marcus Camby (PF/C – Clippers)
Kevin Garnett (PF – Celtics)
Nene (PF/C – Nuggets)
Carlos Boozer (PF/C – Jazz)
Tiny Tim (familiar with crutches, recovered health is their key to triumph):
Kevin Martin (SG – Kings)
Danny Granger (SG/SF/PF – Pacers)
Richard Hamilton (SG/SF – Pistons)
Mike Miller (SG/SF – Wizards)
Tyrus Thomas (SF/PF – Bulls)
Frosty the Snowman (ice cold – shooting, that is):
John Salmons (SG/SF – Bulls)
Stephen Jackson (SG/SF/PF – Bobcats)
Vince Carter (SG/SF – Magic)
Chauncey Billups (PG – Nuggets)
Rasheed Wallace (PF/C – Celtics)
Stocking stuffers (once unloaded, they’ll put smiles on your faces):
DeJuan Blair (SF/PF/C – Spurs)
Tony Allen (SG/SF – Celtics)
Ty Lawson (PG/SG – Nuggets)
Matt Barnes (SG/SF – Magic)
Drew Gooden (PF/C – Mavericks)
Naughty (need more be said?):
Shawn Marion (SF/PF – Mavericks)
Tony Parker (PG – Spurs)
Andre Miller (PG – Blazers)
Richard Jefferson (SF – Spurs)
Jose Calderon (PG – Raptors)
Nice (see above):
Tyreke Evans (PG/SG – Kings)
Marc Gasol (C – Grizzlies)
Troy Murphy (PF/C – Pacers)
Luol Deng (SG/SF – Bulls)
Joakim Noah (PF/C – Bulls)
Santa Claus (the head honcho of the holiday, with countless gifts in tow):
Chris Paul (PG – Hornets)
Dirk Nowitzki (PF – Mavericks)
LeBron James (SF – Cavaliers)
Kobe Bryant (SG – Lakers)
Kevin Durant (SG/SF – Thunder)
What do you think? Are there any other players who should be considered for these roles, or others?
Happy holidays!
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December 25th, 2009 at 9:05 am
oww says:
is that the legendary kobe stopper?
December 25th, 2009 at 9:08 am
nasirnasqb says:
not even mentioning the top scorer…
December 25th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Pig says:
Yes,where’s Melo?
December 25th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
The other Aj says:
agree with #2 & #3
They’re too busy riding kobe & lebron’s jock (like everyone else) to mention melo
December 25th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
Carmelo, Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan were all considerations for “Santa,” but they’re not quite in the top five.
In fantasy terms, points are the most common commodity so bringing up his scoring prowess isn’t worth much in this discussion. He was considered for the “Nice” section too, but his performance this season isn’t as surprising to most owners as the ones in that list.
December 25th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Gunner J. Matthews says:
Greg Oden goes both into the category of Tiny Tim and the Gingerbread man
December 25th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
cdiz says:
Danny Granger needs to be a gingerbread man
December 25th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
quest??? says:
i would have added barea in the elves category.
December 26th, 2009 at 6:34 am
chief youngblood says:
got to put gerald wallace in the nice category
December 26th, 2009 at 6:43 am
chief youngblood says:
oh and lets not forget David Lee
December 26th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Edward says:
Awesome list! Actually made me laugh!
December 26th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Duck says:
Doc! Need your help quick.
Someone dropped Felton. Should I drop Duhon/Gallinari and pick him up?
Thanks.
December 26th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Duck says:
Should I be looking to drop Marion?
He’s not as productive as I thought.
December 27th, 2009 at 12:48 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Duck: I’d rather have Gallo than Felton, but Duhon could be a decent swap for him. Duhon has a higher ceiling though.
It’s tough to drop Marion. Try to deal him first.
December 27th, 2009 at 2:35 am
nike air max 90 says:
i have read your blof for long time. but i never left any words.
just wanna say thank U, and wish you merry christmax and happy new year
December 27th, 2009 at 2:38 am
ejay says:
should i drop marreese speights for corey brewer?
December 27th, 2009 at 3:16 am
dmin says:
definitely need ariza for cold shooter… dude is shooting 37% from the field
December 27th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Chris Ballz says:
Shoulda thrown Shannon brown…… Nowhere
hahaha
Australia rulz
December 27th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@ejay: Brewer is more dynamic, but Speights is still better for FG% and rebounds. If you need threes and steals, Brewer could be a better pickup, but Speights is better and more steady overall.
December 28th, 2009 at 2:48 am
Duck says:
So I’m trying to trade my Duncan/Ellis for someone’s CP3/PGasol. Am I pushing it with this trade? I added up the points and they were even, but I just wanted your opinion on this.
Thanks.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:49 am
the lurker says:
Doc-Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Serge Ibaka? They’re the only 2 centers in my league that look somewhat attractive. Thanks again!
December 28th, 2009 at 10:18 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Duck: Yeah, you’re reaching.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:19 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the lurker: Short-term, Big Z. Long-term this season, Ibaka.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:36 am
DoubleA says:
Doc, Speights fell of the planet last week, where’d he go? Am I better off goin back to Brand or pickin up Yi instead?
December 28th, 2009 at 10:48 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@DoubleA: Brand and Speights will limit each other’s values going forward, so it’s almost a coin flip between them. Yi is promising but he’ll be inconsistent going forward, too.
Once he’s fully got his legs back, Speights will be a steady source of points, boards and shooting percentages.
Brand will get more steals/blocks, and Yi will hit more threes.
It really depends on what stats you’d like most.