Quick comments by round.
Round 1:
Durant #1 overall is a no-brainer and the best pick of the round. Very surprised I got Wade at #7, really happy about that result assuming his injury is trivial and he doesn’t miss time to start the season, which I think it is. I love Steph Curry, he helped my team a ton last year, but I don’t think I’d be caught dead taking him ahead of some of the guys left on the board, who knows if he can repeat last season’s numbers with Nellie gone and teams prepping for him.
Round 2:
I like the Amare pick, he and D’antoni ought to score a ton in NYC. But I was struggling between taking him and Carmelo there. I think I made the right choice but it was a touch call. All in all, I agree with the way this round shook out with the exception of Carmelo not being in it. Lot of faith being put in Lee though considering he changed teams. Had him last year too.
Round 3:
Obviously the Melo pick is the star here in my book. I was starting to get excited when he lasted 10 picks beyond Amare, but I knew deep down it was crazy to hope he’d fall to me in the 3rd. Nash and Kidd are too old to trust, but of the two I like Nash about 30 times as much. Billups is a Yuck pick too. Lots of desperation PG picks in this round. I really dislike Bosh there especially since I’m counting on Wade to be a star for me, but his value is great. I might regret passing on Roy though if Bosh becomes an afterthought in Miami.
Round 4:
I was debating between Jefferson and Evans with my pick in this round. GG solved that riddle for me and once he did I was actually relieved since I was subconsciously leaning towards Evans. Between him and Wade I’ll be getting a ton of points form my PG/SG, assists might be an issue though. Very excited about that pick though. All in all a weird round, it’s tough to get excited about any of the guys drafted after Evans. With Ellis, Curry and Lee all going this early you’d think Golden State was gonna be in the title game. I think you’ll all be disappointed.
Round 5:
Love the Westbrook pick a ton. I thought for sure I’d be able to grab him and bolster that assist hole on my team but it wasn’t to be. Apparently others have been paying attention to the Zombie Sonics. Rose was next in my queue after Westbrook. I like these PGs better than those taken in the 3rd round. Bargnani is interesting as he’s about the only guy playing in Toronto, might be a great fantasy pick. I took Gallinari because I saw a real dearth at SF left and I was without one, I had him on my team last year and was pretty damn pleased with his numbers. There’s a chance he could be a flop though, especially if he gets traded for Melo. I’ll be comparing him to Rudy Gay all season.
Round 6:
Got Noah in this round as my only Bull. Had him and Rose both last season, so the continuity on him is nice, plus his stats should improve greatly this year with Boozer helping out. That’s 3 PF/Cs in the first 6 rounds for me. I like the mix, we’ll see if I suffer in the guard-centric cats. I was crushed when Wall came off the board, I think he’s going to be a fantasy beast this season ala Evans and Jennings. I was playing the waiting game on him and lost.
Round 7:
I didn’t get Wall, but I got Jennings. Of the two I think Jennings is the better pick since he’s proven it already, but I had targeted him, Evans and Wall as my PG group for the season. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. The best pick of the round, if he stays healthy, is Blake Griffin. Apparently he’s looked dominant in preseason action be is once again hurt already. Time will tell, but I love the gamble. There’s a good chance he’s better than Danny Granger. I actually had forgotten about him and didn’t have him queued, I can’t say how early I’d have pulled the trigger if I’d remembered.
Round 8:
Drafted Jamison here and I think he’s a steal. The guy’s not a stud but the Cavs are going to have to ride the guy this season without BronBron. In fantasy the best guy on a crappy team tends to be really valuable. I like the pick for that reason alone. I was very tempted by KG at that pick and while you don’t know what you’ll get out of him he’s a possibly great pick this late. Aldridge is a guy to keep an eye on if he’s healthy too. Lots of big guys in this round, everyone felt the same needs I think.
Round 9:
Devin Harris is a nice pick, he fits my best guy on a crappy team argument, and a productive PG this late is very valuable. I’m utterly shocked that I get Arenas this late. Agent Zero is a fucking idiot but he’s still talented and ought to put up serious numbers. He’s certainly well rested too! Randolph was the heartbreaker here. I was terrified that Arenas would get taken from under me but I would have been really pleased with Randolph as a consolation prize. Had I not been so deep at PF/C I’d have gone with Randolph over him but I still had hopes he’d last a few more picks for me. All in all, this is a heck of a round.
Round 10:
Eric Gordon was right after Randolph in my queue and was another hope to scavenge some assists for my team. Strange the way that worked out. Great pick. I loathe Cousins and think he’ll be a bust but there’s a very good chance I’m wrong here and I figure since my queue was emptied I might as well take a shot with the high upside rookie. He might even have a higher ceiling than Wall in fantasy. The rest of the round is pretty much garbage, so I felt good about the pick even if I’ll hate rooting for him.
Round 11:
Drafted former Bull Salmons here. Meh. I like the SG/SF eligibility a bunch and that’s why I gave it a shot, not sure how I feel about him after signing a fat contract but he had some nice games for me last season. He’s a bench player, and he’ll be able to fill in for a lot of different spots. Rashard Lewis was the guy I wanted and it stung when he was plucked before my pick. Great upside this late, especially if Vince gets traded midseason. I like Parker too, and in retrospect I might regret favoring scoring and positional flexibility over assists here.
Round 12:
Andre Miller is nothing special at all but he’ll finally provide me with some assists. He’s ancient but he ought to see more playing time this season than last and could have a nice little year. Hopefully I don’t need him for much beyond spot starts. Lots of crappy players in this round, Crawford might be the best for fantasy purposes.
Round 13:
Stuck myself with Beasley here. I justify the pick with my good player on a crappy team logic. Beasley couldn’t handle Miami and Riley, in Minny he won’t have anyone to constrain him. This will be terrible for him as a person and a player, but might be great for fantasy. Then again, maybe getting away from South Beach will be a bonus. His minutes will surely go way up though! Another carry over from last seasons team for me. A lot of guys who could have excellent fantasy seasons taken in this round though. VC, Maggette, Lopez, Calderon, Biedrins, all might actually have solid value.
Round 14:
Greg Oden was a panic pick. I had nothing in my queue and couldn’t find anything that worked for me. Time was running out and I reached. I vague recalled someone saying that Oden had looked good on defense in exhibitions and that I might get lucky. I see now he’s apparently out until November already. Who knows, maybe I’ll hang onto him and see what happens, but more likely he’ll be Waiver bait. The rest of the round kinda smells the same, I don’t know anything about this Thronton kid at all, but the Yahoo rankings kinda liked him.