The Los Angeles Lakers select...

(LakerFan Post)

What's next for the Lakers?

In the recently concluded NBA Draft lottery, the Los Angeles Lakers ended up having the 7th pick. The Lakers will still bring in a good player at that spot (because the draft is very deep) and a lot of names are floating around.

Here are some of the most likely available at that spot:

1. Julius Randle

 NBA Comparison: Zach Randolph

Let us wrap things up!

It is already the Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. Well, I think it's time to wrap up my fantasy basketball experience :)

It is an understatement to say that I am disappointed in my first year of playing NBA fantasy basketball. It is because I started my season as the team on top. I was winning all the head to head match-ups and then something terrible happened in the final 2 months of the season. I saw my place in the standings slip from 1st to 3rd and the out of the playoffs. Let's just say things didn't end up the way I'd like it  to be and one way to learn from them is to know how did my fantasy team started to crumble.

Here's how I think it happened:

1. My main man struggled down the stretch!

Paul George did have a hot start during the month of November and December. Then he struggled down the stretch together with his team. It might be due to fatigue or chemistry issues but it certainly played a factor for a late fantasy season meltdown of some owners like me. On the other hand, he is still playing in the playoffs so good luck to you sir!

My main man PG24

All Star Weekend Fantasy Guide

This weekend the NBA will celebrate its All Star festivities in New Orleans that will feature different yearly activities such as the skills challenge, slam dunk competition and the all star game. Well for my fantasy team, that has slowly been slipping in our standings (head to head), this is the time to score wins just because I see it as an opportunity to take an early advantage in the scoreboard. Almost every team will just have two games this week so might as well take the advantage of getting more players to play for you in these early days of the week. And here's my key to just doing that:

1. Evaluate your roster

You will obviously see players that can be replaced because they are injured/just having a rest/not performing well this past few games. The evaluation part is whether you can afford to drop some of them even only this week so you can add other players.

2. Add players on a daily basis

Working on a shorter amount of days will obviously result in a shorter amount of games so squeezing in a few games more that your opponent will boost your chance in winning this week.

In my case I dropped KG this week even though he has two games to play this week. One of those games will be a back to back set wherein KG will almost automatically will rest because the Nets coaching staff always rest him. I added Pachulia and it worked in my favor since the Bucks front court has been hampered by injuries making him a starter thus giving me a few rebound and points because of an uptick in playing time.

My Lakers Dream Scenario

So whats up with these Lakers?

The Lakers are struggling mightily right now. They are currently on a six game losing streak and still without their usual starters such as Nash and Kobe. Their record is 13-19 which puts them at the 13th place in a very competitive Western Conference.

Injuries seriously hurt the potential of this team from the get go. And now it has come to this. Mike D'Antoni has to use Kendall Marshall as their starter for today's game against the Utah Jazz because Mike has no other choice. Marshall was just recently signed a few weeks back and now he is a starter for a team with no healthy point guards. 

                                       

                                  Fig.  Kendall Marshall will start for the Lakers as of now. (credit to Lakers.com)
Updated: Lakers beat Jazz 99-110 (Jan 3 game) as Kendall posted this line 20 points 15 assists 6 rebounds. All are career highs. Impressive!

Honestly, as depressing as the injuries piling up for the Lake show and them losing so many games I still feel optimistic that my favorite team can turn it around. If not this year then maybe next year. It is because next year's draft class is loaded with talent. From Jabari Parker to Andrew Wiggins to Joel Embiid and Julius Rande, the future is bright. If there is a year where the Lakers should consider aiming high in draft, well this is the year.

So for now, I will list my dream scenario of the future for my Lakers.

Trade Anyone?

Do you have any trade inquiries about your team?

Note: You can use the comments section to ask about any trade proposals you receive or trade you may want to do. I'd be willing to give my opinion.

I sometimes think of trade that would benefit me in the long run. I also received trade proposals from time to time but not yet pulled a trigger on one. 

There are thing that I consider before accepting a trade

1. Is the player I am getting injury prone? (or have a history of getting hurt?)

      

     This is the first question that pops in my head. An example for this is a trade proposal I received early in the season. I was offered Arron Afflalo for Jeff Teague. I think the trade is fair since both are having a breakout season. But I remembered Afflalo went down with an injury last year and that pushed me to decline the trade offer. Up to now I still don't know if my decision to reject the offer was right but I am happy to have Teague on my team due to his assist production.

                                         

             Fig. Both Jeff Teague and Arron Afflalo are having a breakout season. (Img courtesy of wikipedia)

My Simple Guide for Fantasy Basketball Starters

Getting Started

Image courtesy of ESPN Sam Alipour

I just recently joined a fantasy basketball league this 2013-2014 NBA season and to think that I have been a fan for a long time. At first, I searched for some guides and read through the guidelines of ESPN Fantasy Basketball  (There is also a Yahoo! Edition for this). After a few months, I become familiar of the way how the games works and developed some strategies that I think will help me win in my league.
For now, just let me explain how to play Fantasy Basketball for us NBA fans to enjoy!