Week 16 of the NFL marked the end
of our league’s fantasy football season, and in most years, this would be the
end of my fantasy sports activity until next September. This year; however, I agreed to join a
fantasy basketball league. I was swept
up in the excitement of the return of the NBA, and fantasy basketball seemed
like a great idea at the time. It was
not until later that I realized the league was actually for money, but after
negotiating the commissioner from twenty dollars down to ten, I was ready to
go. A few days before the draft I began
to research players, and it did not take long to realize that I had no idea
what I was doing. Does anyone really
understand how you’re supposed to manipulate the categories in order to field the
best team? Does it make sense that
blocked shots are equally as important as points scored? Why is Quadruple
Doubles a category? These are just a few
of the many questions fantasy basketball provided me with.
Coincidentally,
I ended up at a Georgetown game during our league’s draft. While I don’t like missing drafts, I figured
it was probably for the better that a computer that understood the system would
draft for me. Even though I still don’t
completely understand the system, fantasy basketball has done nothing but
contribute to my enjoyment of the NBA early in this season. I’d go so far as to say you haven’t lived
until you’ve seen a player on your team make a game winning block, not only
winning the game for his team but potentially for yours (Thank you Luol
Deng). The satisfaction received from
watching Ryan Anderson drill a three, which not only contributes to the points
category but also the three pointers made category, is immense. On the flip side, watching John wall miss
shots and turn the ball over to not only hurt your hometown Wizards but also
your fantasy team is nothing short of devastating.
Unlike fantasy football, where you
only really hold your breath when the ball is in the air headed to your wide receiver
or in the hands of your running back, fantasy basketball is full of constant
action. Stats matter on both sides of the
floor, so if you flip the channel for even a second you could miss a steal,
dunk, or assist for one of your guys. I
look forward to learning the intricacies of the game, from how to balance your
talent to maximize output in all the categories to making trades to beef up
your team’s assist totals. All this
being said, the NBA is a long season, and odds are I will eventually stop
checking my team. But for now, I’ll be
sure to check my phone and pour one out for those 3 blocks Ed Davis had or four
3’s Dorrell Wright knocked down, and I’ll be smiling when I do it, because
every block, assist, or point is a step closer the fighting Jan’s Girlfriends
will take towards the championship and that cash money.
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