It was nothing more than a running joke between my buddies and myself.  Being from Cleveland, local players (regardless of the sport) came at a premium in our various fantasy leagues.  Heck, Kellen Winslow, Jr. went in the fourth round of our fantasy draft a few years ago only to have his season ended by a fluke knee injury early on in the season.  If you know anything about fantasy football, it’s to never gamble on a tight end early in the draft, as their production drops off very little after top tier.  Either way, that didn’t stop some of us from going all “homer” in our drafts. 

Where am I going with this, you ask?

Well, this week when news broke out that Eric Snow would not be the Cavaliers starting point guard for the upcoming games, and one Daniel Gibson would be, how many Eric Snow owners out there felt the brunt of this coaching move? 

Per ESPN , only 0.2% of the fantasy universe did.  None of which were in any league that I’m a part of – including those that feature fellow Cleveland fans.  If players like Sasha Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao and Damon Jones can be on rosters (all players who receive under 20 minutes a game), how can 27 minutes of Eric Snow not have a home?

Playing time typically means increased fantasy production – but please, allow me to introduce you to the Fantasy Basketball aberration. 

Leandro Barbosa.  Chucky Atkins.  Earl Boykins.  Luther Head.  Brent Barry.  Delonte West.  Monta Ellis.  Shaun Livingston.  Derek Fisher.  Earl Watson.  Jannero Pargo.  Tony Allen.  Antonio Daniels.  Juan Dixon.  Randy Foye.  Jordan Farmar.  Darrell Armstrong.  Tyronn Lue.  Marko Jaric.  Steve Francis.  Steve Blake.  Nate Robinson.  Sarunas Jasikevicius.  Marcus Williams.  Sergio Rodriguez.  Sasha Vujacic.  Keyon Dooling.  Carlos Arroyo.  Rajon Rondo.  Gary Payton.  Speedy Claxton.  Bobby Jackson.

All of the abovementioned are not only point guard eligible, but they also were not the slated starting point guards for their respective teams and typically average less time per game this year than Eric Snow, yet have somehow have outproduced him on a fantasy level (per Yahoo! Standard league “ranks”).  I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I saw Keyon Dooling play in an actual game.  And Speedy Claxton has been injured more games than not – yet he’s still produced more this season than “E Snow.”

In most cases regarding the above group, they got their playing time due to an injury (like Atkins, Pargo, etc).  Others got their burn due simple rotation moves (like Barbosa, Earl Watson, etc), or even suspensions (Boykins, Blake, etc).  What I guess I’m getting at here is that very few of these players got their shot simply because the guy ahead of them was playing poorly – as Daniel Gibson is.  What I’m also getting at is that there are over 30 point guard eligible players in the NBA that have performed better than the starting point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers – which I think is absolutely ridiculous.  Granted, it’s a little closer to home than most situations, but I’m also showing that playing time at the beginning of the season does not guarantee future results of any kind.  Yes, it usually will – which is why certain players excel when given the chance.  However, if something were to happen to Daniel Gibson, I can pretty much guarantee you that fantasy heads around the world will not be rushing to pick up Eric Snow. 

And for good reason.

Does this mean that there are actually 60-something point guards in the league that are better than Eric Snow?  Or is it simply a product of the Cavaliers offense where Snow is simply a non-factor? 

My main question is this:  Is there one player in the NBA that starts for his team that is worse (or more irrelevant) than Eric Snow?  Last season, I complained that Jared Jeffries should in NO way start over Caron Butler.  This year, Butler gets the start…and he’s an All-Star.  If Snow played on any other team – actually, let me rephrase that.  If Snow was a member of any other team, would he even play?  By this account, he’s no better than the first or second string point guards on many teams in the league. 

Feel free to comment below if you think that there is anyone else in the NBA that wouldn’t be getting minutes – let alone starting – if he was on a different franchise.  I’m sure I’m overlooking someone, but that’s what happens when you live in Cleveland.  You tend to just smell what’s right under your nose…and in this case, the Cavaliers point guard has not been pleasant…