Welcome and First Round Rankings

Welcome to the first post of Rob's Fantasy Basketball Column. I'll come up with a better name when I get around to it. First, let's get you locked in to the most current fantasy basketball advice.

One of the biggest problems I have with fantasy columns is that they don't speak to their context. In my articles, I will be looking at the standard 9 category fantasy basketball league (Field Goal Percentage (FG%), Free Throw Percentage (FT%), Three Points Made (3PT), Points (PTS), Rebounds (RB), Steals (ST), Blocks (BL), and Turnovers (TO). I will also be specifying how players abilities will be an advantage or disadvantage to each the rotisserie (roto) and head to head (h2h) leagues.

Your first round pick sets up the foundation by which you can build a team. Unlike fantasy football, you aren't screwed if you don't get the first 3 picks, as you can build a solid core to build on even with the last round pick. This opening column is written to give you a feel for how you can set your team up. In later posts, I will tell you what kind of strategies and common pitfalls people make when drafting teams.

With that said - let's begin with my rankings for the first round picks:

1) Marion, Shawn - I suppose I will draw a lot of flack for not taking Lebron #1 overall. Here's why I take Marion here - he is the most consistent fantasy player year in, year out, and he contributes to EVERY category and doesn't hurt you in any. Every single one, even in hard to get cats like blocks and steals. Don't count on Amare's return having any relevance to his stats declining. Amare's gimpy knees are back for a second season, and even if he does play, his explosiveness is gone.

2) Garnett, Kevin - Garnett has held the top spots in fantasy basketball for years now. He is extremely consistent and also doesn't hurt you in any category. His major two differences from Marion are he has more assists but virtually no 3s. I heard a rumor KG is working on adding a three point shot, but I'm not sure how that will play into the Minnesota offensive strategy. He also has more TOs than Marion, though not significantly more. Some comments are saying now that he's surrounded by a stronger cast in Minnesota, he'll be more motivated but Mike James who just got his with a fat contract, and Randy Foye who may not be NBA ready doesn't impress me much. Plus, Ricky Davis the cancer still plays for them.

3) James, Lebron - Okay, now here's where Lebron comes in. Not much has to be said about the King, except he will be huge in many categories as well - great boards, assists, points and steals. However, what drops him to #3 is he hurts you in TOs really badly, and his FT% (.738) is not elite for someone in his position. I think he could be much better if he had a better crew to work with, but I think that factor is fantasy-irrelevant.

4) Nowitzki, Dirk - I love Dirk. I loved Dirk more when he was C-elligible, but he's still a player who you can build a team around. Although his 3s have been better in the past, he's still a decent 3-pt shooter, great points, great boards, and low TOs. I struggle with .480 from a PF, but I'm willling to overlook it when you consider he will help win you the FT% cat with the third best in the league. Also, for a 7'0 guy, he's not going to give you a lot of blocks, but he'll contribute some. He's proved himself with the Mavs and familiar with the offense so look for another solid year.

5) Wade, Dwyane - Wade is a beast - pure and simple. The 58 blocks he gives you at a guard position is phenomenal. His biggest faults are 3s - which this year he is reportedly working a 3pt shot into his arsenal - and TOs - which won't get better. Also, that near .500 FG% will fall drastically with a 3pt shot. You can't complain with the boards and assists you get from him here though. Also, although the NBA will make sure Wade wins another most FTA award this season, his .783 isn't enough to win it for you - not excellent for a guard position. Same team as last year says you can probably expect the same general performance.

6) Bryant, Kobe - I don't like Kobe as a person, but that's not why he falls to #6. Let's be honest - Kobe wins you points almost by yourself, and helps you with FT% significantly, but he doesn't do much else for who else can be had at this point. Low FG% and high TOs are my biggest concerns here. The knee issue worries me a little, but it's Kobe's show to run so once he gets healthy I don't suspect a big change from last year.

7) Brand, Elton - I almost feel bad putting Brand this low, because here is another player who won't hurt you anywhere. Brand is one of the key pieces you need to win blocks. Tack onto that great points, strong boards, great percentages (the luxury of this good a FT% from a big man is priceless) and you have a pretty good option at the end of the round. Clip Show is still the same essential crew, even with question marks surrounding the PG situation, but I doubt it will dramatically affect Brand's performance.

8) Arenas, Gilbert - I like Arenas, because he's another fast-paced guard who will pay off huge in 3s, points, FT%, assists and steals. But I also hate Arenas because he KILLS you with almost 4 TOs per game and the relatively low FG%. You've already lost TOs if you draft Arenas. Again, same general crew in Washington, and Arenas is their #1 scoring option, so no big changes expected here.

9) Ming, Yao - Since Amare's blowup, Yao is considered THE elite center of the game. Great percentages, good points and blocks make him the prototype. Nevertheless, the toe issues he experienced last year are apparently STILL an issue, so I worry about his health a little bit. It's still the Yao and T-Mac show, and health issues surrounding T-Mac are much more significant than Yao's, so he could see an uptick in points this season.

10) Nash, Steve - I bump the two-time MVP up a little bit because he's still the king of assists. However, I expect a decline this year in assists and increase in TOs from some of the preseason games I have seen. The passes are not as crisp as they once were, and I'm wondering if some kind of Samson effect is taking place. Still great 3s, decent pts and excellent percentages go along w/ assists to keeps him top 10, despite really high TOs. I've already aired my Amare woes, so I don't think him coming back will have as drastic effect on performance as everyone else seems to expect.

11) Iverson, Allen - If the question is points, assists, steals and FT%, then yes, AI is the Answer. Not a bad acquisition for the end of the round. If the question is FG%, and TOs, however...Same crew in Philly, and still AI's show to run. No big changes here.

12) Allen, Ray - I love Ray-Ray. Although his FG% isn't perfect, you could do worse at the guard position, and he wins you threes. Pair him with another decent 3pt shooter and you've won the cat outright. Great points from his 3s, great FT%, decent steals, but pretty nominal among other cats. TOs aren't too bad. Depending how the PG situation shakes out between Ridnour and Watson could decrease Ray-Ray's output a little, but I don't see it being that significant.