The Fantasy League Guru is looking at the standings right now,
trying to figure out which of his shooting guards he’ll get most
value for (Michael Finley, Eddie Jones or Penny Hardaway). E-mail
him your opinion at sports@media.ucla.edu.
Fantasy leagues are all about reacting before it becomes too
late, making changes to your roster before you get so far behind
that little can be done.
And since the NBA season is right about at the midway point, for
some of you it’s not too late to make adjustments – but the point
of no return quickly approaches.
What should be the first thing to go through your mind before
making, accepting or rejecting a trade? a) Who’s winning the trade?
b) Why would this guy offer me a trade? What does he want? c) Why
would I want to trade my superstar? d) I hate the other owner.
Screw him. e) None of the above
Hopefully you chose (e). The most important thing to consider is
how will a trade affect your team in the standings. You could lose
in overall talent, but all that matters is whether your overall
points increase or decrease after making a trade.
Since most leagues are managed using a categorical scoring
system, it’s important that you look at where you stand in all of
the categories. For = example, if you are in second place in
assists, with a lead of 100 over = third, then you should trade at
least one of your point guards ASAP. = Whether you secure the No. 2
spot in the category by three assists or by = 200, you’ll getÂ
the same amount of points.
Excess in one category at the end of the season should make you
mad. The key to winning is balance, not domination.
Make sure to strengthen your team in all of the categories where
you can realistically surpass others while downgrading those
categories where = you hold comfortable leads. It’s worth the risk
of losing one point in = assists for the chance of gaining three in
blocks, four in rebounds and = two in shooting percentage.
Also, don’t be afraid to uproot your entire roster in your quest
to rid yourself of excess. Trade John Stockton, Ray Allen and Keith
Van Horn for Jalen Rose, Shawn Marion and Vin Baker. Sometimes the
only way to catch up in categories is to do a complete makeover on
your team.
Think of it in this way. For half the season, you’ll have a team
that dominates from downtown, dishes a ton of assists and has great
free throw percentage. But that will probably leave you weak in
rebounding, blocks and shooting percentage. If you completely
change your philosophy at the right point of the season you could
maximize your point potential in most categories.
So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this column. Go and
haggle your way to a championship ASAP.