By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

Our latest installment of rankings ends concludes with power forward rankings. Look for updated rankings via each position every two to three weeks. The rankings just like we’ve mentioned in all our fantasy position based on what Yahoo’s standards are for each individual player. Obviously players will be included in multiple rankings of ours due to the fact most can be moved seamlessly in various positions.

Power Forward Rankings

1. Dirk Nowitzki- Deserved every bit of his MVP title a few years ago, and has been a high caliber player since he was drafted.
2. Chris Bosh- Now that the Raptors organization pursued talent it seems to be rubbing off on Bosh to put in optimal levels of effort each night.
3. Tim Duncan- Still a monster too control the paint against any opponent.
4. Pau Gasol- Best all around offensive game in the post of any big man.
5. Zach Randolph- Just had a game breaking performance that may be one of the best all season long.
6. Kevin Love- Probably wishing he didn’t come back to the nightmare that is fully alive in Minnesota
7. Danny Granger- Should Yahoo be able to let owners start him at PF?
8. Antwan Jamison- All Star Caliber level for many many years
9. Carlos Boozer- Responded to adversity and injuries like a professional with his talent should.
10. Brook Lopez- The newest youngest stud big man that’s made his official stamp on the league.
11. Amare Stoudemire- Statistically looking great but on film is disappearing in stretches. He could be putting up better numbers than he is.
12. David Lee- Found a place to build a long lasting career at.
13. Marcus Camby- The Camby man still has the Dikembe esque finger waving presence higher than any other big man in the league.
14. Gerald Wallace- Super freak of an athlete. The Jevon Kearse of basketball.
15. Jason Thompson- Raw ability is starting to be turned into advanced play on the court.
16. Rudy Gay- Transforming the Grizzlies into a young future contender
17. Josh Smith- Letting the game come to him.
18. Nene Hilario
19. Joakim Noah
20. Al Harrington
21. Al Horford
22. Jeff Green
23. Andrea Bargani
24. Al Jefferson
25. Corey Maggette
26. Kevin Garnett
27. Rashard Lewis
28. Channing Frye
29. Stephen Jackson
30. Carl Landry
31. Charlie Villanueva
32. Luis Scola
33. Michael Beasley
34. Emeka Okafor
35. Troy Murphy
36. David West
37. Kenyon Martin
38. Anderson Varejeo
39. Mehmet Okur
40. Thaddeus Young
41. Paul Millsap
42. Ersan Ilyasova
43. Elton Brand
44. Shawn Marion
45. Al Thornton
46. Ben Wallace
47. Andres Nocioni
48. Andrei Kirilenko
49. Lamar Odom
50. Spencer Hayes
51. Boris Diaw
52. Drew Gooden
53. Chris Anderson
54. Rasheed Wallace
55. Marvin Williams
56. Anthony Randolph
57. Andray Blatche
58. Udonis Haslem
59. Jared Dudley
60. Ryan Anderson

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

We will forget about Darko Milicic being the piece of NBA draft history that separated the true number one and two picks of the 2003 NBA Draft. Linking Lebron and Carmelo is just a natural part of NBA history. Melo got a championship in college and had been successful on pure talent his first five years in the league. After the Olympic run though Melo saw that extra level of play he needed to build towards. Dedicating himself in several areas on and off the court became his mission. We no longer hear stories of Melo’s controversial involvement off the field. Instead he is putting in extra work conditioning and adding moves to his repertoire.

At an MVP level he might be able to swing around the automatic distinction of rankings between him and Lebron.

Small Forward Fantasy Rankings

1. Lebron James- Magic Johnson esque. Near triple double threat every night.
2. Carmelo Anthony- Pay attention more to what he is doing off the court. Donated 3 million to help build Syracuse’s new athletic facility named after Carmelo.
3. Joe Johnson- Seemed to be coasting a couple of years but it’s just his easy smooth demeanor to the game. It truly comes easy to him.
4. Kevin Durant- Showing what Tracy McGrady could have been like from the gate in Toronto. Durant is right behind Melo and Lebron as the front runners to lead the face of the NBA for the next decade.
5. Andre Iguodala- Underrated and one of the best roamers for thefts in the league, averaging two a game.
6. Brandon Roy- Has to be the vocal leader for a team in dire need of floor leadership.
7. Gerald Wallace- Why did he ride the pine in Sacramento for three years before being dealt?
8. Josh Smith- Gives so much extra with his two blocks a game.
9. Danny Granger- Injured but still makes our top ten
10. Rudy Gay- Memphis is quietly building a talented team.
11. Antwan Jamison- Incredible how his level of play has sustained at such a high level for all these years.
12. Luol Deng- Needs to stay away from the injury bug and out of the dog house the entire year.
13. Trevor Ariza- Went from role player in the 08-09 season, to playoff catalyst in 09 to mega contract and stud for the Rockets. What a difference a year makes.
14. Jason Thompson- Started the year slow but over the last three weeks is showing great progress. At 6’11 he is just touching the surface of what he can do.
15. Jeff Green- Were thinking the Thunder won’t let either Green or Durant leave the foundation they’ve started.
16. Vince Carter
17. Paul Pierce
18. Jason Richardson
19. Danilo Gallinari
20. Hedo Turkoglu
21. Caron Butler
22. Michael Beasley
23. Stephen Jackson
24. Rashard Lewis
25. Corey Maggette
26. J.R. Smith
27. Chris Douglas-Roberts
28. Carl Landry
29. Charlie Villanueva
30. Shane Battier
31. Shawn Marion
32. John Salmons
33. Josh Howard
34. Ersan Ilyasova
35. Thaddeus Young
36. Richard Jefferson
37. Al Thornton
38. Grant Hill
39. Wilson Chandler
40. Andres Nocioni
41. Mike Dunleavy
42. Dahntay Jones
43. Anthony Morrow
44. Boris Diaw
45. Andrei Kirelenko
46. Peja Stojakovic
47. Larry Hughes
48. Lamar Odom
49. Paul Millsap
50. Ron Artest
51. Marvin Williams
52. Jared Dudley
53. Quentin Richardson
54. Mike Miller
55. Hakim Warrick
56. Terrence Williams
57. Nick Young
58. Martell Webster
59. Chuck Hayes
60. Corey Brewer
61. Chase Budinger
62. Anthony Parker
63. Thabo Sefolosha
64. DeJaun Blair
65. Louis Amundson

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Whose the face of the NBA when it comes to the center position? Shaq O’Neal would like to say that’s his ring of honor until he retires. Clearly though the last two to three years the most dominant center has been Dwight Howard. In fact without a doubt Howard has been the front runner. From a fantasy standpoint though does his deficiencies at the free throw line cost him his actual NBA ranking? Yes it does.

Center Rankings 12/19

1. Chris Bosh-Playing up in Toronto with literally no nationally televised games, Bosh’s game is not available for NBA fanatics to see on a regular basis. Bosh’s numbers are better than Howard’s and he doesn’t cost you dearly shooting at 77 percent from the free throw line.

2. Brook Lopez- There isn’t much to talk about in New Jersey, but the emergence of Lopez is. Hard work in the off-season is paying huge dividends for Lopez.

3. Paul Gasol- All this talk about awards for the decade. One we have not heard is steal trade or bogus move of the decade. That clearly goes to Memphis for how easily they handed Gasol over to the Lakers.

4. Tim Duncan- Showing a lot of guts to still carry this team, even though Richard Jefferson was supposed to take some of the burden off of him.

5. Carlos Boozer- Many were ready to write Boozer off. He didn’t get traded like he wanted too but has brought the same approach he has had since he entered the league as a second round pick.

6. Dwight Howard- We have to be critical of his free throw percentage. He gets to the line so often but is a costly detriment from an nba fantasy standpoint in his inability to nail them.

7. David Lee- Hustles every night. Went from hardly used to being a difference maker nightly.

8. Marcus Camby- Shuffled around from team to team but stays consistent every year. This from a guy that has been in the league since 1996.

9. Amare Stoudemire- Once a perennial elite specimen, Stoudemire is either playing at a level he wants to or will never be the same from all of his various injuries.

10. Zach Randolph- Injuries and being on poor teams his whole career have not stopped him from coming to work.

11. Kevin Love- Should surge up as the season goes on as he is just coming into form after missing a big portion of the season.

12. Chris Kaman- Camby and Kaman are arguably the best big man tandem in the NBA.

13. Marc Gasol- Talk about a turn around of a transformation. Gasol is on pace to be in contention for most improved player.

14. Joakim Noah- Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Brad Miller, etc. The Bulls finally have their center for years ahead.

15. Al Horford- Florida somehow had the tandem of Noah/Horford for multiple years. It has to be the best interior prescence college basketball has had this past decade.

16. Nene Hilario- Credit Hilario for his quick recovery and vital role as a Nugget. If it weren’t for Hilario’s development the Nuggets decision to trade away Camby could of back fired.

17. Troy Murphy
18. Luis Scola
19. Andrew Bynum
20. LaMarcus Aldridge
21. Al Harringotn
22. Andrea Bargani
23. Andrew Bogut
24. Brendan Haywood
25. Emeka Okafor
26. Elton Brand
27. Erick Dampier
28. Channing Frye
29. Mehmet Okur
30. Jermaine O’Neal
31. Anderson Varejeo
32. Marreese Speights
33. Kendrick Perkins
34. Shaq O’Neal
35. Joel Pryzbilla
36. Chris Anderson
37. Samuel Dalembert
38. Ben Wallace
39. Rasheed Wallace
40. Andray Blatche
41. Spencer Hayes
42. Nenad Krstic
43. Ryan Anderson
44. Matt Bonner
45. Andris Biedrins
46. Roy Hibbert
47. Chuck Hayes
48. Udonis Haslem
49. Tyson Chandler
50. Louis Amundson

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

As the football regular season winds down look for notjustagame to provide more content geared towards your fantasy basketball leagues. There has been an unusual amount of early season injuries this year in the NBA. Most teams across the board have been affected strongly by this. Another factor is the league is much younger. The last three to four years of drafts have started to embed rosters heavily percentage wise on the younger side.

Unlike in fantasy football wheeling and dealing players on your team is a must. You can be overloaded in one position unexpectedly. Be a true manager and make the sacrifices early on before you bury yourself too far down the standings to make a run. The impact of the waiver wire also needs to be a daily scouring activity. This time of year you can really see some managers in leagues that are use to checking in and participating in their fantasy football leagues. In football it requires less maintenance than the day too day max views necessary of your nba team. Get on top of those lazy owners early if you have not already.

Shooting Guard Rankings

1. Kobe Bryant- His spot forever unless he is out due to injury
2. Kevin Durant- Gaining weight to play with the big boys does not look like it will ever bother him.
3. Dwayne Wade- Being on a dismal team seems to be affecting his pysche
4. Monta Ellis- Perfect Don Nelson system player
5. Andre Iguodala- Doing much more than people are noticing.
6. Joe Johnson- Wonder if Phoenix ever regrets letting him go.
7. Brandon Roy- Roy is excelling in different areas of his game every night. One night he is able to do it off the dribble, another he can drain perimeter shots like it’s nothing. He is letting the game come to him and not pressing.
8. Tyreke Evans- Proving that the high school jump needs to be permitted for some athletes. Maybe they should create a board to evaluate seniors in high school, and see if their NBA talent. In the long run keeping an athlete of Evans caliber away from the NBA for a year is doing more harm to his family and college for being one and done.
9. Caron Butler- In shape thanks to not doing the dew.
10. Danny Granger- Even though he is out three more weeks Granger is duplicating last years effort and officially a nightly force in the NBA.
11. Trevor Ariza- Houston is just one of those franchises that knows what they’re doing. The Lakers drew the praise for stealing Artest away and gladly letting Ariza depart. Ariza has been playing with a toughness and leadership level no one saw in him.
12. Vince Carter- It’s hard to believe Carter is in his 13th year. Carter still has the rare athleticism very alive in him. Off balanced shots are just a blip of his regular repertoire.
13. Rodney Stuckey- When Detroit made the move to bring Stuckey in and Iverson to the bench they knew what they were doing.
14. OJ Mayo- Sort of having a semi step back start to his 09 year.
15. Luol Deng- Responding well from his injury prone 08 year.
16. Ben Gordon- No one is as lethal when he is on.
17. Richard Hamilton- Has increased production
18. Paul Pierce- Just one of those wily veterans that picks his spots to perfection during a game.
19. Jamal Crawford- The definition of instant offense. One of the main reasons for Atlanta’s surprising success.
20. Louis Williams- Set to return this week.
21. Stephen Jackson- Hated wherever he is but is one of those players that stays in the NBA because he has exceptional talent.
22. Jason Terry- Is as hot and cold a shooter there is but never loses the confidence to chuck up that basketball.

The Rest

23. Eric Gordon
24. Chris Douglas-Roberts
25. Hedo Turkoglu
26. Mike Dunleavy
27. Ray Allen
28. J.R. Smith
29. Jonny Flynn
30. Steph Curry
31. Jason Richardson
32. John Salmons
33. Wilson Chandler
34. Raymond Felton
35. Ron Artest
36. Will Bynum
37. Allen Iverson
38. Josh Howard
39. Michael Redd
40. Manu Ginobli
41. Dahntay Jones
42. Corey Brewer
43. Grant Hill
44. Courtney Lee
45. Ty Lawson
46. Leandro Barbosa
47. Terrence Williams
48. Quentin Richardson
49. Mike Miller
50. Eddie House

by Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Before rushing your leagues fantasy nba waiver wire in the quest of grabbing the latest flourishing role player in Jerryd Bayless lets analyze the role the Blazers will put him in. The Blazers were able to use the spark Bayless was able to provide on Thursday versus the Suns to mount a fourth quarter comeback after trailing by double digit’s the entire game. So the Suns were not able to snap a horrid losing streak on televised games on TNT building that to 17 losses. For his heroics Bayless was credited and figures to warrant more playing time in the Blazers crowded back court.

We do think Bayless is going to be a talent for years to come but his attributes what he can do offensively were perfect for last nights game. Bayless is not a true point guard as evident every time he handled the basketball. He is a slasher and score first approach guard. He did have four assists with his 29 points but those were on kick out three point shots. By handling the basketball he needs to be able to run the offense with more control. If it weren’t for the Suns inability to guard his speed, Bayless could have been shut down and frustrated with ease.

Steve Nash does not have the foot speed anymore and with Leandro Barbosa sidelined the Suns did not have a suitable defender to match Bayless. Instead they had to rely on forward Jared Dudley to try and slow down Bayless. Translation? There wasn’t a defender that had a chance to slow down Bayless. The Suns maybe should have thought about switching to a zone to cut Bayless’s driving abilities down.

Going forward the Blazers will have some time to play around and see what Bayless can provide. Rudy Fernandez’s time table for return is still up in the air. Based on Bayless’s attributes they might need to shift him over and let him play the two guard position. That’s what the University of Arizona did with Bayless in his one year with the program. They let true point guard Nic Wise run the show. Bayless has the size and athletic ability to be a factor while on the court.

All were saying is as a floor leader he does not have the team first mentality to carry this team forward. This could be a good thing for Portland as they do have two true point guards in Steve Blake and Andre Miller. Without a dominating post presence the Blazers have been searching for someone to provide a spark offensively. They have not been getting consistent offensive production from anyone else besides Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge.

We will see what plans Nate McMillan will have for Bayless. If he puts him in the spot as point guard he can flourish on nights against teams that don’t play defense such as the Suns and Golden State Warriors. He has the ability to put up marquee numbers on any night. Running the show as a floor leader just is not his role. Watch the Blazers move him to the two guard spot and remove Martell Webster from the starting lineup and back to being a role player. Webster has been far too inconsistent as a starter offensively.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

When the Suns decided to ship out their veterans and rely on young unproven talent to fill out their depth, it sure seemed as if the team was heading into that rebuilding stage. Rumors were rampant that the Suns wanted to part ways and trade their star in Amare Stoudemire. After they found suitors for Raja Bell and Boris Diaw as part of the Jason Richardson trade it seemed the Suns were a franchise that didn’t know what they wanted to do. That was quelled when Shaq figured he would work his magic and get the heck out of the there. Suns general manager Steve Kerr quickly obliged and the Diesel yet again got his wishes granted as he danced and shimmied his way to the Cavaliers.

The new look Suns yet again decided to get back to their old style of play. That meant letting Steve Nash do what he does by pushing the tempo and quick fast break transition Mike D’Antoni style of offense. That sort of style of play is what pushed them to a top the league for thrills and excitement aka many points scored.

So what has this 2009-2010 Suns team looking ever more dangerous and off to a running thundering start?

First full year head coach Alvin Gentry has reemphasized a lot of things that Terry Porter just could not reach across with. His abilities to communicate on the level he is with the players has brought a new commitment to the team. Also the team is finally meshing the way Steve Kerr envisioned. A year ago people were bad mouthing his moves and ready to pull his title.

We’d say his only bad move was bringing in Terry Porter. Lets not analyze his other moves yet look at all the chaos of issues the team had a year ago. Amare Stoudemire their franchise player missed most of the year after his eye was damaged yet again. Leandro Barbosa was the quiet fuel that always gave this team a spark with his constant energy and hustle. A foreign player in this league has to adapt quickly but no one is prepared for the sudden loss of your mother. Barbosa missed a few games but wasn’t nearly the same player the Suns were use too seeing the rest of the 2009 campaign.

When Jason Richardson was brought in right before the new year it was a match that we knew would take time to develop. The Suns were still trying to figure out their offensive cohesion as a unit, and Richardson’s role was not known. The one main guy that came in and did his thing on a nightly basis was Grant Hill. Hill fell so much in love with his rebirth at his age that he ignored the money in the off-season so he could resign with the Suns. That’s a true professional there, and he is balling at a level of play that has people thinking he is 30 not 38.

Age was one thing that Alvin Gentry had to worry about. With Nash and Hill being past the 35 mark youth was going to have to step up. They brought in unheralded free agent Channing Frye who had shown flashes in his career but had been tossed around in the league. He is a big guy that likes to hang around the perimeter. That figured to balance nicely when he is playing on the floor with Amare, and also when the Suns are running their transition offense.

The biggest factor of change from this team has to due with the emergence of their talented bench. It’s probably a bench full of role players that is least known and recognized in the NBA circles, but each game this year they’re gaining notice. It features Earl Clark the rookie from Louisville, backup point guard Goran Dragic, do it all forward Jared Dudley, and hard nosed backup center Louis Amundson. Time and time again this year Alvin Gentry will have this core come in and spell big minutes for the team. It’s usually when the starters are lagging and Gentry wants to see if the bench can resuscitate some life into his team.

The starters have seen them excel and now the chemistry has intermixed with the bench and starters. The two that have really come along over the last five to six games have been Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley. Dragic is given Steve Nash excellent minutes of rest and fulfilling true point guard duties. A year ago when Dragic would be inserted he looked hesitant and worrisome on the court. Now he has developed confidence and maturity in his game. Dudley is currently the Suns sixth man and for good reason. He is averaging around 23 minutes a game and is an all around hustler that is sneakily averaging close to 10 points a game.

The depth of this team is what will be the extra difference from Suns teams in the past that have storm rolled through regular seasons then faltered against the heavy weights in the western conference playoffs. For fantasy purposes scoop up Dudley and keep a close eye on the Suns reserves aforementioned in case of injury and increased minutes.