Fantasy Fake or For Real?

Jamario Moon ‘ Tell me what college Jamario went to without looking it up and I will give you a prize. The mystery man with the strange name has simultaneously earned the respect of the Raptors’ coaching staff and the hatred of Andrea Bargnani owners. Moon, a small forward, stole Bargnani’s starting spot last week and ran with it. He has posted relatively solid numbers across the board, highlighted by 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two 3-points on Nov. 14. As well as Moon played, he will likely not see consistent minutes, competing for minutes with Bargnani, Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino and Jorge Garbajosa. By the way, he went to Meridian Community College. Fake.

Beno Udrih ‘ Guy With a Funny Name No. 2 has replaced Francisco Garcia as the Kings’ starting point guard. Overall, Beno has produced at a very efficient rate in the absence of Mike Bibby. The return of Ron Artest has actually helped him (I am still mourning the loss of John Salmons’ production). Beno is for real, at least until the return of Bibby in about 10 weeks.

Luis Scola ‘ Tracy McGrady missed the past two games with a strained elbow, and in those two games, Scola set his career high of 20 points ‘ twice. He also grabbed 11 boards last game. Unfortunately for the Argentinean import, Rockets head coach Rick Adelman said in a recent press conference, ‘[McGrady] really wants to play and I really want him to play [in our next game].’ If the games prior to T-Mac’s injury are any indication, Scola’s a fake.

Sean Williams ‘ The sky is the limit for the Nets’ freak-athlete center. Williams is a shot-blocking force and with enough burn, he should score and rebound at a fairly nice clip while shooting at a very high percentage. The only things that may stop Sean are the re-emergence of an unhealthy Nenad Krstic and the league’s substance abuse policy. That being said, Sean is for real ‘ I just picked him up in my league for Zaza Pachulia.

Baron Davis ‘ He’s a fake ‘ a fraud! Out of Jermaine O’Neal, Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol and Davis, who would you guess blocked more shots than all of the others combined on a night which all of the aforementioned players were active? If you guessed Baron Davis, you cheated, but are also correct. Baron may not block a total of five shots in his next 10 games. Fake (but only the blocks!).

Other Notes:

‘I guess I’ll be competing with Manu Ginobli and Jason Terry for Sixth Man of Year,’ Stephon Marbury said. For one reason or another, that made me smile and I thought I would share it with you.

Juan Carlos Navarro/Kyle Lowry/Mike Conley Jr. (as opposed to last week’s ‘Kyle Lowry/Mike Conley Jr.’ section) ‘ Juan Carlos Navarro tied the NBA rookie record for most threes hit in a game last week when he went 8/9 from deep in a loss to the Hornets. The little guy has played himself into the rotation, making the Grizzlies’ fantasy-backcourt situation even that much more grotesque. There are four capable point guards (including Damon Stoudamire) fighting for minutes in Memphis, and none of them will likely see more than 30 minutes per game.

Ben Gordon looks to have broken out of his slump. The same cannot be said about the Bulls.

Reader Question:

‘I’m in a five-year keeper league and have recently been offered this trade: I give Brandon Roy, Andrew Bogut and Daniel Gibson, and I receive Greg Oden and Jason Kidd. Kidd is not getting any younger at age 34. I think that Roy will continue to produce, but Gibson and Bogut haven’t shown me too much promise. Should I accept the trade?’ ‘ Mike Hyman

Here’s the way I see it; Jason Kidd will be a top-15 fantasy player for the next three years. Oden will likely be a top-75 player next year and continue to work his way up until he is a top-10 fantasy player by his fourth or fifth season (that is assuming he eventually regains full health). Roy, Bogut and Gibson will be top-40, -50 and -80 players, respectively. If you want to have a great team, you must be willing to take risks. That said, if you get Oden, he eats up a roster spot on your bench for the entire year. Essentially, you likely get the best current player in the deal by far in Kidd, as well as the best long-term player in the deal by far in Oden. What are the free agents like in your league? I have a suspicion that you can probably pick up a free agent who will produce at a similar rate to Gibson. I would accept the trade, though when it’s all said and done, it depends on how much faith you have in Oden.

E-mail me your fantasy NBA questions: dwolin1@binghamton.edu!