While it's not quite the All-Star break yet, we just passed the halfway point for this NBA season. That means we get to have some fun and look at the season that has been in fantasy so far, which is especially welcome since I've been very bored with fantasy lately. There's only so much we can write about fantasy basketball that you can't figure out by yourself, and a minor pickup like Corey Brewer is unlikely to turn around your fantasy season like a Miles Austin or Sidney Rice did this season for football. Like anything else, we need to make the best out of what we are given, and unfortunately this is what we have. And yes, I do realize that the picture to the left is of Troy Murphy, and yes, I do have a good reason for that. No, I won't tell you why right now. Just keep reading.
MVP: Lebron James, Cavaliers - For this one I'll just go ahead and give you an excerpt from what I wrote about him for my preseason awards: "He is the surest thing in fantasy basketball, and I equate people rating Chris Paul over him this season to how some experts rated Matt Forte and/or Maurice Jones-Drew over Adrian Peterson before the NFL season. I don't see how you don't take the best player in the world first. If you have King James on your team you are almost guaranteed a spot in the fantasy playoffs." Yup. Paul has had a great year and might be the MVP when all is said and done, but his missed time must have hurt the teams that drafted him and could be the difference between making the playoffs and not.
Most Worthless: Kevin Martin, Kings - Don't get me wrong. He is a very good player... when he plays. Then again, what were we supposed to expect? Over the two years prior to this one he's missed 21 and 31 games, respectively. This season he's only played in 11. There's hope for the rest of the year so he might shed this stigma, but he's been very erratic since he returned, going for 19 or more points in 3 games while being held in single digits in the other 3.
Comeback Player: Baron Davis, Clippers - Yeah, I might be a little biased since I picked him for this award in the preseason, but he definitely deserves it in my mind. While going for 16 and 8 isn't mind blowing, he's showing a well-rounded game with 1.8 steals, 3.5 boards and 1.1 threes per game. That's great production from a probable 5th or 6th round pick, especially since he disappointed so much last season.
Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans, Kings - I know a lot of analysts like Steph Curry for this spot, and it's a very close call. I have to give the nod to Evans, however, given that he scores 7 more points per game while grabbing more rebounds and turning the ball over less. Curry does hit more threes per game, which is huge, and shoots a better percentage from the field...you know what? I'll do this.
Co-Rookies of the Year: Tyreke Evans, Kings and Steph Curry, Warriors - There we go. I'll worry about this one more at the end of the season. Hopefully one will set themselves apart by then.
Breakout Player: (tie) Marc Gasol, Grizzlies and Danilo Gallinari, Knicks - It was tough to decide between these two, so I decided that since it's only midseason I could do this. Plus, they're my awards so I can do whatever I want and there is nothing you can do about it. Marc is making people rethink their stances on the deal that sent him to Memphis for his brother (and thereby delivering last year's title to LA), posting averages of 15 pts, 10 boards, 1 steal, and 1.6 blocks while shooting over 60% from the field. Wow. Gallinari has come out and surprised everyone with almost 15 points, 4.9 rebounds, a steal, a block and 2.7(!) threes made per game. Who saw that coming? Not me. Probably not Mike D'Antoni. And not even Chuck Norris.
Biggest Flop: Devin Harris, Nets - This guy was going in the second round of many fantasy drafts. In some, he went in the first round. Why not, after going for 21 and 7 assists along with around 2 steals? This team should have belonged to Harris. Now, they are muddling along with only 3 wins so far, but we can't blame his lack of production on that. Brook Lopez is doing just fine. Right now, Harris is ranked at number 140 by Yahoo! Not what you want from a second rounder.
Best Bargain: Zach Randolph, Grizzlies - The Memphis Grizzlies have already matched last season's win total. Why? Randolph and Gasol. Nobody has ever questioned Randolph's talent, but he has had a hard time fitting in most places he has previously played in. Not Memphis. You never get 21 and 11.5 from a player that isn't a good fit. And if you were lucky enough to draft him, you probably snagged him around the 8th round. First round production in the 8th? Yeah, I'd say that's a bargain.
The Darius Miles Memorial Guy We Expected to Get a Lot Better But Never Did Award: LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers - Remember when he was supposed to be an All-Star by now? Well, since his 07-08 breakout season when we thought he was part of the next wave of great power forwards, his averages have stayed pretty much EXACTLY the same. His scoring? 1.5 points per game less. Rebounding? Less than one more per game, even with Greg Oden being sidelined for most of that period. He's also averaging .6 fewer blocks. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's reached his ceiling already, but he might be close. Has nobody else noticed this yet? Am I alone? Did I just fart?
The Gerald Wallace Only Fantasy Players Know How Good I Really Am Award: Troy Murphy, Pacers - Did you know that he averages a double-double? How about that he does that while also hitting 1.8 threes per game? Or that he gets a combined 1.4 blocks and steals a game while shooting 48% from the field and just under 80% from the free throw line? I'll bet you did, because you're a fantasy player, but like Gerald Wallace over the past few years his exploits have gone largely unnoticed to the general basketball world. Here you go, big guy. Enjoy your 15 minutes.
First Team All-Fantasy:
PG: Chris Paul, Hornets
SG: Kevin Durant, Thunder
SF: You-Know-Who, Cavaliers
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
C: Brook Lopez, Nets
Sixth Man: Dwyane Wade, Heat - Pretty much just to spite Kobe fans.
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