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Deron Williams traded to the New Jersey Nets
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, NBA, News, Trades,
The New Jersey Nets pulled off a coup by trading for Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and two first round draft picks. The picks are the Nets' 2011 first round pick and the Golden State Warrior's 2012 first round pick, which the Nets received in the Marcus Williams trade. After a seven-month long serenade of Carmelo Anthony and ultimately failing, the Nets acted quickly in acquiring Williams, the superstar they hope to be the face of the franchise as they move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The hope is that Williams' presence will help lure other superstar free agents, particularly Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic who can opt out of his contract after the 2011-12 season. The Nets hope that Williams is only the first step in many to come.
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Gallery: Deron Williams traded to the New Jersey Nets
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2011 NBA All-Star reserves announced
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Kudos, NBA, News,
Los Angeles Clippers rookie and odds-on favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year honors, Blake Griffin, is being praised about half a season into his NBA career. Griffin was named one of the Western Conference's All-Star reserves, joining the San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol, Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams, and fellow first-time All-Star, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
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2009-2010 NBA Northwest Division Preview
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NBA,
There are plenty of reasons for NBA fans to be interested in the Northwest Division with several captivating stories to pique their interest. For starters, will the Utah Jazz go with Carlos Boozer as its starting power forward, or will it opt for up-and-comer Paul Millsap, thereby making Boozer expendable? Will Chauncey Billups be able to continue the great leadership role he exhibited with the Denver Nuggets last season? Will Greg Oden make strides to becoming a top flight NBA center? Will Al Jefferson and Kevin Love be able to coexist in Minnesota? Will Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder be able to become a true point guard?
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Gallery: 2009-2010 NBA Northwest Division Preview
Fantasy NBA: Analysis of Second Round
The first two picks usually define the direction your fantasy team builds towards. For example, matching Dwight Howard with Jose Calderon would not be the best play for a head-to-head league; although this pairing begins to cover all the various categories, the strengths of these players do not overlap. Punting categories gets too much attention in head-to-head articles; however the art of building up strength in certain categories is a requirement for success. And so, let us now look at the second round based on Yahoo average draft position (ADP) rankings, with some specific attention to how these players might complement certain players taken in the first round.
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Gallery: Fantasy NBA: Analysis of Second Round
One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 2, Pick 5
So who wins the bronze medal in fantasy point guards heading into this season? Chris Paul gets consideration for first pick overall, so calling him the first point guard to be taken comes across as a big understatement. Deron Williams sits solidly in the #2 position. As you prepare for week 1 of the NFL season, keep in mind that NBA teams will open their training camps in just a few weeks. At least four to five point guard-eligible players will come off the board in between the early second round and the beginning of the third round. I always like a point guard who can score as well as shoot the three, plus of course dish the rock in elite fashion. “Mr. Big Shot” took his trade to his home state team in stride and led them to the conference finals last season.
Round 2, Pick 5: Chauncey Billups, PG, Denver Nuggets
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Gallery: One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 2, Pick 5
Fantasy NBA 2009: Mock Draft Master List
This is where you will find links to all the picks made in the mock draft thus far. Remember that this mock draft considers players for a head-to-head league using the standard nine categories (FG%, FT%, three-pointers made, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and turnovers).
1.1 LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
1.2 Chris Paul, PG, New Orleans Hornets
1.3 Dwyane Wade, PG/SG, Miami Heat
1.4 Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
1.5 Kevin Durant, SG/SF, Oklahoma City Thunder
1.6 Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic
1.7 Danny Granger, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers
1.8 Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks
1.9 Amar’e Stoudemire, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
1.10 Brandon Roy, PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers
1.11 Chris Bosh, PF/C, Toronto Raptors
1.12 Deron Williams, PG, Utah Jazz
2.1 Al Jefferson, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves
2.2 Pau Gasol, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers
2.3 Gilbert Arenas, PG, Washington Wizards
2.4 Kevin Garnett, PF, Boston Celtics
2.5 Chauncey Billups, PG, Denver Nuggets
2.6 Steve Nash, PG, Phoenix Suns
2.7 Tim Duncan, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
2.8 Jose Calderon, PG, Toronto Raptors
2.9 Andre Iguodala, SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers
2.10 Joe Johnson, PG/SG, Atlanta Hawks
2.11 Devin Harris, PG, New Jersey Nets
2.12 Caron Butler, SF, Washington Wizards
3.1 Jason Kidd, PG, Dallas Mavericks
Gallery: Fantasy NBA 2009: Mock Draft Master List
One Man Mock Draft: Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 2, Pick 1
The first major injury disclaimer proclaimed in this mock draft, in the 50 games he played last season, this guy delivered. Battling back from an ACL injury can prove to be a tough task indeed, but the word on the street regarding his rehab has been quiet this summer, which hopefully indicates that it has gone well.
Drafting at the turn basically breaks down into two strategies when it comes to the top two picks: 1) Take one guard and one big man so you have the option of tailoring your team depending on what players are available in the later rounds or 2) Stacking two players who have similar strengths in an attempt to become very formidable in a few core categories at the expense of other categories you effectively punt. Generally at the top of a draft, the NBA players are so good that you do not have to give up on a category so early, with the notable exception being Dwight Howard and his free-throw percentage.
A friend of mine we call Dice, tabbed these two guys last year as his top two picks, so in a tribute to him, let’s see how the one guard/one big guy tandem can work out for you.
Round 2, Pick 1: Al Jefferson, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves
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One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 12
Following the all-time leader in assists and steals is a lot of pressure, both for the management who must try to find “the next one” and for the player who must work to fill the shoes of one John Stockton. Plus, the Utah Jazz picked this player over Chris Paul! The Portland Trail Blazers continue to receive ridicule for picking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, but the Houston Rockets generally get a pass because they drafted Hakeem Olajuwon, a player who became a two-time champion and MVP over a hall of fame career. Expect the noise to be as quiet as it was for Hakeem for this player, as he is on track to do almost as well as Paul, moving forward.
Round 1, Pick 12: Deron Williams, PG, Utah Jazz
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Gallery: One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 12
One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 11
Part of the big free agent class of 2010, this next player is one of the three players most mentioned as guys who went off the board after the infamous Darko Milicic pick (Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade are the other two guys). After two playoff appearances, everything went wrong with the Toronto Raptors last year. “CB4” however was a monster in head-to-head playoffs to close last season. In my friends and family league, a three-headed monster of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and this player destroyed my team in the finals.
Round 1, Pick 11: Chris Bosh, PF/C, Toronto Raptors
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Gallery: One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 11
One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 10
Admittedly this next pick is at least in part, a fanboy pick. The old Dropping Dimes staff here at Gear Live Media, including myself, had a man-crush on this guy from the start. His success in the league remains bittersweet, as my hometown team, the Toronto Raptors, passed on him when they had the #1 pick in the draft. Andrea Bargnanimade some steps forward last season, but Roy was rookie of the year, has played in all-star games, and should garner strong consideration for the 2010 Team USA Olympic basketball team i.e. at this stage in their careers, there is no comparison. This summer he signed a big-time five-year extension with Portland, but the guaranteed dollar bills will not put any damper on his awesome game.
Round 1, Pick 10: Brandon Roy, PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers
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