2022-2023 Fantasy Basketball Team Quick Look

I don't think I've ever done this before but thought I'd give it a shot.  I was introduced to fantasy sports in the 90's and been hooked ever since.  I'm the commissioner in the football, basketball and baseball leagues I'm in.  I'm also in a hockey league but I'm not the commish there.  To my team, Fast Break.  I like the makeup overall.  Curry and Young were keepers which is a great start.  Zach Lavine is great, and Deandre Ayton, and Julius Randle are also really good.  I'm not a fan of Randle but if the Knicks bounce back his stats might as well.

Capela and Murray will round out my starting lineup.  Murray was injured last season but no reason to think he won't fill up the box score again.  After that you just don't know.  You hope for good seasons from the rest but you never know.  Westbrook is a huge unknown.  Even with his issues he should be a solid contributor.  Assuming he plays. If things don't work in LA that gamble could go South for me.  I like John Wall.  He should getsplenty of assists and grab some points as well.  Johnson, Hunter, Huerter and White are all good players but who knows what their seasons look like.  

My Draft

I'm not a Randle guy but I felt compelled to pick him as I needed another big and it seemed like a drop off after him.  I was surprised Murray dropped to the 7th round but with his injury last year I'm sure many hesitated.  I really liked Wall and White as late picks.  When I look at other teams it always seems like they are better.  No real buyer's remorse here but I'm not that sure where I'll sit early on.  Just a bit of fun in this post.  Steph Curry will help kick things off tonight so I'm hoping for a nice start to the season.

My Introduction to Fantasy Sports

The NFL network had a story on the beginnings of fantasy football back in the 60's in Oakland.  It got me to thinking.  In a previous post I mentioned my first foray into fantasy sports was in the 90's with the help of Yaj.  But I had forgotten that sometime between 1987 and 1989 I had participated in a fantasy basketball league.  Since it was some 25+ years ago please bear with me.  I believe I found the league advertised in one of the basketball magazines I was reading at the time which would have been Hoop magazine or the Basketball digest.

This was a national deal in which you paid an entry fee, received your team in the mail and then set your lineup for the week.  This was done either by mail or phone.  Same thing was done for picking up players.  The guy running the league had a certain time of the week in which we could call in to make player moves or provide him trade info.  Speaking of.  To make trades you could called the other owners.  Considering how things are done nowadays it really seems pretty crazy but I loved it.  We received standings weekly with team and maybe player stats.  I do remember trying everything I could to get Dominique Wilkins from one of the other owners but never could pry him away.  I don't remember winning the league or exactly where I stood in the standings but something in the back of my brain is telling me I didn't do very well.     

I think I only did it one year but I've been hooked on fantasy sports ever since.  I think if I'd been around in the 60's I'd found a way to do fantasy sports.  Not that it would have been hard...well maybe it was a lot more work back then but if it was doable I'd done it.  Just thought I'd share my first fantasy sports experience while it was "fresh" in my mind and the peak fantasy season (football) is upon us. 

Fantasy Sports - Can They Really Be a Bad Thing?

From time to time I hear fantasy sports is a bad thing.  Mike and Mike in the Morning is the show in particular but I've also heard D'Marco Farr on St. Louis' 101 ESPN station mention his disdain.  How the heck can fantasy sports be a bad thing?  Anything that generates interest in a sport has to be good right?  Heck the NFL will have a game next year that will award $1 million to anyone who can pick the highest scoring player at six postions (two each at RB and WR).  And the game is free.  Doesn't seem as though they think it is a bad thing. 

The most common complaint I hear is that fans root for teams or players opposing their own.  I will say a true fan won't root against his own team.  Will they think it is ok if player X scores against their team if the game is out of reach?  I think so.  But root against your own team?  No I don't think so.  If someone is rooting against their team I'd have to put them into the casual fan category and say they don't have a real rooting interest.  In this case that fan now has more interest in the league as opposed to just their supposed team. 

I consider myself a hardcore fan.  Maybe not a zealot but I follow all the leagues, have quite a bit of knowledge on the players, teams and history and then have my team that I follow to the bitter end.  Fantasy sports has enhanced even my following of the leagues by asking me to dig deaper into boxscores and other teams.  I don't see this as a bad thing.  Now I care how many points Kevin Martin of the Rockets scores, if Andy Dalton of the Bengals threw a touchdown and whether or not Kansas City Royal Joakim Soria garnered a save.  I know more about the different teams and players.  Is that bad?   

Fantasy sports also generates tons of conversation.  I'm usually in two leagues for baseball, football and basketball and buddies from work are usually involved.  The conversations start as soon as the leagues are formed.  We talk about who we want to draft and how we think we can win.  There is always the requisite trash talking as well.  During the season we are always talking about our teams and players whether good or bad.  It is great.  Again how is all this interest in a sport a bad thing? 

My fantasy sports playing started in the early nineties.  My good friend started a group of us from work doing a fantasy baseball league using stats we pulled from USA Today every Wednesday.  No computers back then.  I was hooked.  Again I was already a big fan.  This just added to the excitement.  Even if my team wasn't playing I had more reason to care.  I now play the major sports leagues as well as NASCAR and the various college sports post season games.  I started hockey two years ago though I'd be hard pressed to name 10 players in the league.  Now I can and I'm not as lost when watching highlights on ESPN.  The bottom line is any interest in a sport and league is a good thing.  Fantasy leagues only enhance their passion for the game and I for one don't see any negatives.