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Welcome to The CT Store, a basketball resource for card collectors and fantasy poolers of the world. I invite you to browse a dynamic collection of basketball cards while I share some thoughts on the ongoing 2009/10 fantasy basketball season and my beloved Toronto Raptors. I can be reached via ebay messaging or by ctstore@live.ca for any questions.
A portion of the sales from The CT Store will be donated to "Rose of Dignity", a non-profit organization sheltering women in Rwanda.
Basketball Food 4 Thoughts – December 18, 2009
TORONTO RAPTORS
Recipe for success?
You draft a Unique type of Guard?
You take a shooting Point-Guard
You mix it up a little with some grit and shooters here and there, et voilà!
December blues
I believe that January will provide a better indication on the state of the Raptors. Here's why:
a) Andrea Bargnani is a chronic under-achiever in the month of December. He got himself going last year in January, where he started playing like the big body that he is. I expect the same to happen this year, perhaps sooner.
b) Demar DeRozan is another chronic slow-starter. College, Summer League, Pre-Season and surprisingly, his first NBA season. I expect him to get things going after the holidays and take it to the rack more often. The Raps absolutely need him to be in constant attack-mode and he'll deliver.
State of Hedo Turkoglu- January 11, 2010
It appears that some Raptors fans are already losing patience on Hedo. How unfortunate considering he was a big part of the recent winning streak. Magic fans are well aware of his occasional disappearing acts and I'm more than willing to accept these tendencies as long as he lights it up come playoff time.
Fantasy Basketball - January 11, 2010
Buy Low :
James Harden, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
(Fantasy comparison: Eric Gordon, Guard, Los Angeles Clippers)
Those of you looking for all-around contribution can take a serious look at James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder. I recently caught a game against the Lakers where he collected 16 solid points by assuming his role and I got to see a great kid heading towards a great basketball path.
The 2009 NBA 3rd overall pick is having a quiet career start in a winning environment.
He’s a young player drafted by a rising franchise, capable enough to have him surrounded with some of the purest talents in the league. He’s also a 6’5″ guard able to rebound, score, pass, steal and even block while contributing at an 80% pace from the free throw line.
His versatility was already apparent in his college days. I often find that college stats offer a good snapshot of a player’s skill set, a useful tool when evaluating rookies. When looking at Harden’s sophomore game log, one can see that he was a natural scorer (20.1 ppg), facilitator (4.2 apg) and stealer (1.7 spg) that shot well from the field (48.9%) and fairly well from the three (35.6%).
His 2009 Summer League stats were in line with his current rookie production, as he averaged 14.5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal a game on good shooting percentages. These stats are within reach in a rookie campaign that will likely see his role increase from that of a backup. In fact, Harden flirted with this line for a one week stretch between December16th-23rd, where he averaged 14.2 ppg, 1.8 apg (including a 7-assist game) and 3.6 rpg from the bench. He also averaged a three pointer a game, while sinking 22 of 25 free throws. It’s worth mentioning that this stretch included games against Dallas, Phoenix and the Lakers, all strong conference opponents.
So while many of his rookie peers are gathering much attention, Harden appears as a great talent to pick up under the radar. His versatility has already allowed him to get minutes at all three perimeter positions, with the Thunder having a net point performance of +72 with him on the court. This is on a team with a winning record in the Western conference.
I would hope for him to reach the 14, 3, 3 mark by the All-Star break, with a stat increase once the playoff race kicks-in in March. His stock can only go higher from here on, an opportunity worth exploring in many league formats especially if you are willing to patiently witness the growth of a multi-cats producer for years to come.
League updates - January 11, 2010
NBA Stock Exchange - Grand Prize: 3-day/2-night trip for two to one 2010 NBA Western Finals game
The CT Store - Team Value: $254.71, Global Rank: #2 058, Points: 9 566.65
Bragging Right's League 122 - Rank #3/15
Rasho Bball League - Rank #15/47
Monthly Contest January - Rank #1394
For those of you unaware, NBA stock exchange is a fascinating basketball pool based on the principle of stock markets.
Every manager begins the season with 180$ (play value) and must build a team accordingly (12 players). A player's value will change depending on the number of ''buy/sells'' in a given day. For example, Lebron James will go anywhere from 52$ to 60$ on a daily basis. While he takes a good chunk of the cap, he is also the clear leader in production for the league.
Mike Dunleavy on the other hand, which just came back from injury, can be acquired for 5$ and will likely rise in price. Chris Paul's value was in the $50s prior to his injury and has dropped all the way to 20$. His value is hovering at around $35-37 since his return.
Following a solid head-start that saw my team in the top 2K in rankings, I spent a few weeks in a ''buy/sell'' mode in order to increase my cap limit. The higher the cap limit, the more quality players will I be able to play come January. I was able to raise my team value to $235 as of December 18, 2009 and established my 9-player starting line-up. Time to run on automatic until mid-January with the occasional buy & sell in order to increase or maintain my cap.
Have a Fantasy Basketball question? Feel free to send me an email at ctstore@live.ca!
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