09/10 Schedules - Central Division

Yeah, take a good look, Bron-Bron. This division is yours for the taking. "Oh The Places You'll Go", huh? Was one of those places the locker room to clean out your stuff around Memorial Day? And Mr. James, shake a guy's hand after a hard-fought series; at the very least it's a chance to give the stinkpalm. Hey, did you know that Shaq is on your team now? Big tall guy, talks low, thinks he's real funny. Pass it to him a couple of times tonight - better yet past it to Mo and tell him to pass it to him. That would help things out a bit on this end. Onto the division del Central!

Chicago

4-game weeks: 10
Minimum game weeks: 1
Playoff schedule: 4-3-4-2

Minimum game weeks:
Week 5 - teams also at minimum this week: NOH

You know, the NBA playoffs the last few years have presented some memorable 1st round series - Dallas/Golden State in 06, Boston/Atlanta in 08, and Boston/Chicago 09. All of the lower seeds in those made the average fan say, "Hey, they may be onto something." (Well, maybe not Atlanta.) Us fantasy guys are usually ahead of the curve, so we knew about Golden State, knew Atlanta had plenty of solid players even when they sucked, and knew Chicago had some talented if not frustrating stat guys. Everyone has picked up and dropped Tyrus Thomas at least once. Someone in your league jumped on Salmons right after he was traded. Derrick Rose didn't really come on until the last month of the season, and then bam! big games against the Celts. Someone will pounce on him a hair too early - me, I kinda like PG's who can shoot 3's, swipe it, and hit their freebies, and if they aren't like that, Tony Parker, Rondo, and Miller are better options. That's right now, but Rose is in that grouping.

Anyway, the Bulls schedule is weak for fantasy weeks. They play only 14 games the first 4 weeks and is fairly open the first half of the season. Their only really good stretch is the month of February, where they play a maximum 4-2-4-4. I'd keep reading the rumor reports around that time. They made a deal last season, and Brad Miller has a $12M expiring contract; if they want to give up cap space next summer, they can add a nice piece if they need to. Hopefully, Luol Deng is healthy in Feb, because if I had to have any Bulls then, I'd like guys with little chance of being traded, like Deng and his contract. Also, their fantasy playoff schedule is nice, so that can come in handy, especially if decent players get waived in your league, like a John Salmons (who shouldn't get waived, but silly things happen at the end of the year by teams that are out of it).

Cleveland

4-game weeks: 10
Minimum game weeks: 1 (last week of season, 1 game)
Playoff schedule: 3-3-4-1

Minimum game weeks:
Week 25 - teams also at minimum this week: NOH

Cleveland is one of the few teams that have a mess of games up front - six 4-game weeks in November and December, including a bam! how ya like me now week 1 4-game spot. This is when you draft LeBron and get off to that early wire-to-wire lead. Since much of the value with the Cavs is early in the season, I tend to lean toward the guys who will be more of the sure things. LBJ, sure, Mo Williams - a nice PG if you're punting assists, and maybe Anderson Varejao in the later rounds if he fills a need. I can't trust anyone else. Definitely not Shaq or Ilgauskas (an injury to one or both would change things though). I would love Delonte West, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon all if they were on crappier teams. Minutes would be there and they wouldn't have to share. Damn you for being good, CLE!

Cleveland only has one game where it plays the minimum games. The good news is it's the last week of the season, and either you don't use it or it gets combined with the week before (which is a 4-gamer). So while you're never under the gun, you never get the chance to pounce. Besides LeBron (granted, he is a big one), Mo Williams, and maybe Delonte West, Cavs players won't be huge factors in shallow leagues, and at best, pieces in deeper leagues. (Hi Boobie!)

Detroit

4-game weeks: 10
Minimum game weeks: 1
Playoff schedule: 3-3-4-2

Minimum game weeks:
Week 10 - teams also at minimum this week: LAC

Wow. Detroit got better this offseason. Or differenter. Fantasy ballers look at those pickups and say, "Really? They'll make your team better?" Real life NBA fans look at those pickups and say, "Really? They'll make your team better?" The difference - they won't have as much disdain in their voices after being pissed off at them for the last 3 plus years. The truth is, they aren't bad players, and depending on how you are drafting might be a fit for your team. Ben Gordon shot 45.5% last year, the 2nd time in his career he was over 45%. He'll make threes, score 20ish, and hopefully get close to 45% so as not to kill you in FG%. He played 36 minutes a game last year while starting - no guarantees he gets those minutes behind and around Rip Hamilton. Villanueva is a nice little piece who can score some, rebound some, and make a few threes. He might be the guy you want four rounds after saying, "Damn, I wish I got Antawn Jamison."

As for their schedule, they are another team who is not loaded with 4-gamers. They only play one 2-game min week, and in theory this shouldn't devastate you, since no one on their team is going to warrant a high enough draft pick where a min game week will hurt you. The strong part of their schedule is right after All-Star week and right before fantasy playoffs where they go 4-4-4-3-4. Depending on whether they are in the mix for EC spots 6-8 will determine whether the guys to go after at that time are Jason Maxiell, Chris Wilcox or Will Bynum and Austin Daye.

Say hello to Tayshaun Prince for me, since I won't be able to see him on my roster.

Indiana

4-game weeks: 12
minimum game weeks: 3 (1 during All Star week)
fantasy playoff schedule: 4-3-3-2

Minimum game weeks:
Week 1 - teams also at minimum this week: GSW, MIL, UTA
Week 3 - teams also at minimum this week: MIL, SAC, WAS
Week 16 (AS week) - teams also at minimum this week: BOS, HOU, MEM, NYK, OKC, PHX, TOR, WAS

Right off the bat, Indiana starts off 2-3-2 - that's rough if you're counting on Danny Granger to be your first round stud. Also, in fantasy semis and finals, it goes 3-3-2 for Granger. I'd be a little worried about those first 3 weeks though, so it might help to counter that with your second round pick. Let's say it's a run of the mill 9-cat H2H league with 12 teams. No one's bat-shit insane, so the draft so far has been Paul, James, Wade, Durant, Bryant, Nowitzki. You take Granger at 7, decent pick, the earliest he can and should be picked. Your next pick is at 18, so preferably, you want someone who is playing big schedules (11 games) those first 3 weeks. Let's look:

Celtics: 4-4-3
Cavaliers: 4-3-3
Clippers: 4-3-4
T'wolves: 3-4-4
Hornets: 3-4-4
Suns: 3-4-4
Blazers: 4-3-4

Now figure out who will be off the board by then: Howard, Amar'e, D. Williams, Bosh, Jefferson, Pau Gasol. Brandon Roy would be a nice fit, but I'm not holding out hopes he's there. Steve Nash has a decent chance he's available at #18, as does Kevin Garnett. After that, it looks like your best Granger insurance is in later rounds, like a David West in round 3 or LaMarcus Aldridge in round 4 or 5. Also, the Clippers schedule matches up really well with the Pacers. besides being opposites in week 1 and 3, LAC also has a lot of 4 game weeks in the middle of the year, right when Indiana does, so if I get Granger or even Troy Murphy, I'm looking a little harder at Eric Gordon, Camby, Kaman, and Griffin.

Teams with just as bad schedules as Indiana in weeks 1-3 (9 or fewer games):

Bobcats: 3-3-3
Bulls: 3-3-3
Warriors: 2-3-4
Heat: 3-3-3
Bucks: 2-3-2
Kings: 3-4-2
Wizards: 3-4-2

Nobody on these teams is really in the draftable danger zone in round 2 for Granger (say, ranked 15-25) except Butler, G. Wallace. Keep an eye out in rounds 3-4 for guys on these teams - Arenas, Jamison, K. Martin, Monta Ellis, etc. And of course Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy.

Once you get past the first 3 weeks with Indiana, their sked is golden as they have eight 4-gamers through the end of January. So Granger and Troy Murphy will be nice then, as will a healthy Dunleavy. I wouldn't necessarily say TJ Ford, but if he's your cup of tea, go for it.

As I said above, the Clippers schedule matches up really well with Indiana's, with a lot of 4 gamers then. Also good ones are Cleveland, Minnesota, New Orleans, Toronto, and Washington.

Milwaukee

4-game weeks: 9
5-game weeks: 1
minimum game weeks: 2
fantasy playoff schedule: 4-4-4-2

Minimum game weeks:
Week 1 - teams also at minimum this week: GSW, IND, UTA
Week 3 - teams also at minimum this week: IND, SAC, WAS

Well, at least their playoff schedule is nice. That said, who is going to be pulling in enough good numbers to do anything with that? Bogut will give you rebounds and FG%; that would be swell if there wasn't anyone else in the association who could do that. The problem is, many do. I can't imagine Michael Redd will be doing anything for the Bucks in April.

Here's the big thing about the Bucks sked: week 18 - the 5 game week. What a cruel joke that this is wasted on the Bucks. This week starts on Feb. 22. The trade deadline is Feb. 18th. I believe that the Bucks will try anything to shed Michael Redd (and his $18M player option for 2010-2011), so I can't guarantee that he'll do anything that week. Ridnour and Kurt Thomas, 2 guys I think could at least put up some #'s in 5 games, are expiring contract and thus are no locks to be wearing Bucks green (or red if it's alternate jersey night). So I say at this point, look at guys who will likely be on the roster through February: Ersan Ilysova, Bogut, Gadzuric, and my favorite, Luc Mbah A Moute. Brandon Jennings and Joe Alexander deserve looks, too, but their PT isn't going to magically appear on President's Day.

Really, I've got nothing else good to say about the Bucks. As my cousin, Vincent Gambini would say, "I'm finished with these guys."

Next, the Southwest Division, featuring the fine folks from San Antonio, Texas. You all probably root for a team from New York City. New York City?!?