Archive for the ‘Fantasy Basketball’ Category

Fantasy Basketball: Pick Ups of the Week

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

As we move closer to the end of the fantasy basketball season, now is the most crucial time to pick up as many W’s as possible. Having said that, this week we provide you with the hottest players that are still available in free agency.

Jose Juan Barea (PG, MIN)

After watching Barea play with the Dallas Mavericks last season, it was evident that the little guy could play basketball, and play very well at that. With Ricky Rubio falling short to injury for the remainder of the season, Barea has finally gotten an increase in playing time.

In his three most recent games in which he played at least 27 minutes per contest, Barea has averaged an impressive 16.3 PPG, along with 11.6 APG and 5.3 RPG (including his first career triple-double on March 23rd).

Barea was unavailable during the Timberwolves most recent game, due to a thigh contusion, but he is currently listed as day-to-day.

If Barea can get back onto the court in a timely manner, he should be picked up immediately and started in all fantasy formats.

Wilson Chandler (SF, DEN)

Yup, he’s back. After playing in China for the majority of the truncated NBA season, Chandler has returned to the floor for the Denver Nuggets. With Danilo Gallinari sidelined, Chandler has been given starters minutes for the Nuggets, and is logging just over 30 minutes per contest in four games thus far.

Chandler has proven to be a consistent fantasy producer over the past few seasons and will continue to provide owners with solid overall fantasy averages for the remainder of the year. His minutes are expected to increase, and with that, his production should as well.

The forward is averaging 12.25 PPG, 5.75 RPG, and 3.0 APG in four games and should be picked up and started in your fantasy league if he is still available on the waiver wire.

Tristan Thompson (PF, CLE)

Rookie forward Tristan Thompson has seen a slight increase in minutes over the last few weeks and is really starting to produce for fantasy owners. He has been given the starting nod from head-coach Byron Scott, and is averaging 35.2 MPG over his last five games.

The forward put up a dominating performance against the New Jersey Nets last Monday, dropping 27 points along with 12 rebounds and 1 block in 37 minutes of action.

If Thompson can continue to put up consistent numbers down the stretch, he will be a great pick-up for your fantasy team moving forward. He can provide you with a solid amount of points, rebounds and blocks.

Chandler Parsons (SF, HOU)

With sharp-shooter Kevin Martin sidelined, rookie forward Chandler Parsons has stepped up for the Houston Rockets as of late.

Parsons is averaging 15 PPG, just under 10 RPG and 3.6 APG during his last three performances, proving that he can post terrific numbers when given the opportunity to play extended minutes.

If Martin remains on the bench for the next few weeks, Parsons will be the primary beneficiary. Having said that, the rookie should be picked up and started if you are in need of a solid player that can post all-around numbers.

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Fantasy Basketball: Low-win teams hold unexpected value

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Unfortunately Charlotte, Washington, Sacramento and Portland may be some of the worst teams in reality this season, but when it comes to fantasy those same low-win clubs may be the best in holding unexpected winning value for your team down the stretch.

With many of the aforementioned losing franchises flooded with young, hungry and unproven talent; the atmosphere is ripe for an unpredictable smorgasbord of fantasy goodies with the current NBA season now deep into its’ third and final stage.

Remarkably you may find yourself at seasons’ end a winner based on your ability to find nuggets of fantasy gold in losers.

Not to sound so harsh; but losing teams hold tremendous winning value, especially late in the season.

We’ll take a quick look at the four clubs mentioned above here, however almost every bottom-feeding team from the Golden State Warriors to the Cleveland Cavaliers this late in the game has some players worthy of short-term run or spot duty needed to get you over the hump and put you in position to win your fantasy league.

Charlotte Bobcats (7-37, 15th place Eastern Conference)

The Bobcats, if the ping-pong balls go the way they’re supposed to come June, should have a true fantasy stud in Anthony Davis next season, but for now they happen to hold the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the entire NBA for that matter.

With Boris Diaw recently bought out, Tyrus Thomas reliably inconsistent and Corey Maggette also not available with his routine wave of injuries, Charlotte’s frontcourt is now rookie PF/C Bismack Biyombo’s to monopolize.

Biyombo is more of a specialist averaging 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in the month of March, but since the healthy block-rebounding big is so hard to come by these days his value to your team cannot be understated.

And now with the end of the season approaching Charlotte will want to give him as much playing time as possible to gain valuable experience heading into next year.

Keep an eye out for some other young Bobcats as well down the stretch as Kemba Walker, Byron Mullins and Gerald Henderson’s numbers could all jump in the hopes of ending the season on as high a note as possible heading into the 2012-13 campaign.

Portland Trail Blazers (22-25, 12th place Western Conference)

Something interesting happened when Gerald Wallace and long-time Head Coach Nate McMillan were shipped out of town last week; the team actually began to look like what a regular team looks like.

 

Meaning, they had five starters with specific roles and a key cog off the bench in Jamal Crawford with another stated role. No more of this hodge-podge, make-shift lineup with way too many wings, a point guard and one LaMarcus Aldridge.

And although their record has produced mixed results in reality, in fantasy this new rotation has led to significant increases in production across the board.

Of course you have your usual suspects in Batum and Aldridge, but all of the sudden both Raymond Felton and Wesley Matthews have come back to life.

Matthews, now getting consistent starter’s minutes to match his starting two-guard title, has found his stroke from beyond the three-point line again knocking down an average of 3.6 per game over his last five contests.

In those contests he is also scoring 16.2 points per game while also racking up 2.4 steals and hauling down 4.2 rebounds.

Felton, spry with opportunity, is putting in 15.0 points, 6.6 assists and 2.0 steals per contest over the Blazers last five as he finally resembles the fantasy player we have all become accustomed to seeing over the years.

But it’s not just the starters who are getting more reliable court time; Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith and recently traded point-man Jonny Flynn are all finally getting a real chance to scuff their shiny clean sneaks against the polished hardwood.

The West is tough, so if the Blazers look too far out of the playoff picture here soon you’ll want to keep an eye out for some of the seldom-used youngsters on their roster to get even more run.

Sacramento Kings (17-30, 14th place Western Conference)

The Kings apparently aren’t interested in lying down. Don’t let their subpar record fool you, there’s no quit in this young team. And that’s the exact thing you have to wisely look out for as every night becomes a must win now.

The hungrier these young teams are the better and Sacramento’s roster is filled with young and hungry NBAers trying their darndest to make a name for themselves.

The Kings recently let J.J. Hickson go which opened up a huge door for PF/C Jason Thompson.

Thompson has responded admirably by averaging 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds over his last five while shooting a deft 65.5% from the field. An atrocious free-throw shooter to start the season, Thompson has even shot over 70% from the stripe in that same span with his increased opportunities.

Watch out for Thompson, Fredette and Hayes as the season winds down. The Kings are a prideful bunch and although Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas are all surely picked up by now, this is a team you’ll want to pay close attention to moving forward.

Washington Wizards (11-35, 14th place Eastern Conference)

Utter dysfunction has tattooed this team for far too long, but with the removal of JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche, the Wizards are sending a clear message about what types of players they want representing their franchise.

You could call these Randy Wittman guys because he appears to have the most to do with the teams’ much-needed change in culture and philosophy.

Very much a part of that change are a host of young players who will surely use the remainder of this season and the summer to become better pros.

Trevor Booker and Chris Singleton have taken over the starting power forward and small forward spots, respectively. Jordan Crawford now runs the two as D.C. waived goodbye to the inconsistent Nick Young and the Wizards’ second unit consists of a sharp-shooting vet in Roger Mason, a D-League call up, Edwin Ubiles, and two International talents in Jan Vesely and Kevin Seraphin.

Booker has been on the fantasy radar for a while now and is worth starting if you need rebounds, steals, blocks and field goal percentage.

But guys like Singleton and Seraphin are just now beginning to consistently give prospective fantasy owners a real taste of just what it is they do well on a nightly basis.

Singleton is a lanky 6-8 small forward capable of helping in the steals category if given ample time. Over his last three he’s put in 3.0 steals per game in 33.0 minutes of action. Although Singleton’s scoring can be erratic, he can be a potential help in threes, blocks and rebounds.

Kevin Seraphin, on the other hand, is a true low-post threat. He gets his points in the paint and off the glass. Over his last five games he is shooting 66.7% from the floor while averaging 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

Now these numbers are indicative of his filling the starting role for Nene until he was with the club, but with McGee gone and Blatche also now out indefinitely, Seraphin garners attention due to his immediate value for the Wizards upfront off the bench.

However, considering Nene’s long and consistent injury history, you’d be wise to monitor the situation carefully in D.C.

Seraphin is one of those rare big men who are not going to hurt you with horrible free throw shooting, but he will at the same time help you out with consistency in rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage.

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Posted in Fantasy Basketball | 2,737 Comments »

Fantasy Basketball: NBA Position Battles

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Class is in Sessions

Owning a player in the dreaded time share is a situation all astute fantasy owners try to avoid finding themselves in. Each week I’ll take a look at a few position battles that could affect your fantasy team and then I and my Magic 8 Ball which moonlights as a crystal ball on weekends will try to predict the best course of action if you own these players or are considering adding or trading for one of them. Last week we took a look gander at the Eastern Conference. This week we’ll peek in at the Western Conference. If there was a Southern Conference we’d look at that next week but there’s not so we’ll just hit up the Eastern Conference again. Back and forth we’ll go each week like a ping pong ball, or something like that. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Lakers

Steve Blake v. Ramon Sessions at Point guard

What do you think of that snazzy headline “Class is in Sessions”? I thought it was rather clever. You see, of course, it’s a play on “class is in session” but it also means Ramon Sessions has class. Pretty cool, right? Maybe it’s not as cool as I thought since I’m explaining it. Anyway, at the moment Mike Brown is content starting Steve Blake while Ramon acclimates himself to the Lakers offense but it seems only a matter of time before Sessions is garnering close to 30 minutes of burn a night. Let me ask you a question though, Mr. Fantasy Basketball Enthusiast. When was the last time a Kobe Bryant led team had a solid fantasy producing point guard? Every year! Never. With Ramon in the fold, however, that could change a bit. On Tuesday night, he dropped 14 points, 2 boards and 4 dimes with a steal in 29 minutes while Steve Blake started but posted 2/1/3 in just 19 minutes of burn. Keep in mind that Sessions hardly shoots threes but as long as you have expectations in check you’ll be good to go in standard leagues. I’d look for something along the lines of 12 points, 6 assists, 3 boards and around a steal per and 2.2ish tovs. Those are solid, yet unspectacular numbers. As for Steve Blake, well, he’s deep league material only. I mean deeep.

Clippers

Nick Young v. Mo Williams v. Randy Foye at Shooting guard

Last week’s trade for Nick Young confirms the Clippers lack of faith in Randy Foye as the starting shooting guard. Right off the bat let’s go ahead and dismiss Randy as fantasy relevant in anything but the deepest of leagues. That leaves us with Mo Williams fighting with Young Gun for the majority of the minutes while Foye pulls a Ross Perot on us. Remember Ross Perot? He cost the Republicans the Presidential election back in 1992 because he stole votes from Bob Dole. Bill Clinton won and the rest is, well, on the dress. Anyway, Nick basically provides you with points (16.6), threes (1.8), FT (.862) and close to a steal per (.8). He did all that while averaging 30.3 mpg and 14.8 FGAs per in DC. Can Nick average 14.8 FGAs in Clipperland? My Magic 8 Ball says heck no. It’s a special Magic 8 Ball, got it on eBay. Just on that fact alone, you have to slightly downgrade him but if you need low teen points and close to 2 threes per, Nick is still your man. As for Mo, go ahead and assign him similar value with just a slight downgrade but not enough to consider losing him. Foye can be lost for a hot free agent. Insert sad face emoticon here.

Grizzlies

Tony Allen v. O.J. Mayo at Shooting guard

O.J. Mayo has played pretty darn well this year after a terribly disappointing 2010/11 campaign. With Zach Randolph now back in action, however, there’s going to be a minutes squeeze and something has to give between O.J. and Tony Allen. Right off the bat, you have to downgrade both of them since they will be cutting into each other’s minutes going forward but will they both be able to maintain their fantasy value? Good question, excellent question. Let’s try to predict the future. If you own Tony you have him for steals and that’s pretty much it outside of a smattering of points. On the season he’s averaging 25.9 mpg while stealing the ball 1.8 times. For his career Tony has averaged 19.5 mpg and stolen the ball 1.2 times per. Reasonably assuming Tony Tony Tony garners somewhere between 20-25 mpg, then he will have done it again. Done what again, you ask? Why steal the ball! Go ahead and assign him similar fantasy value even with a slight reduction in minutes. As for O.J., he needs minutes to produce. In March he’s averaging 31 mpg but this past Sunday that number dipped to 20 while he posted just 4/1/2. On Tuesday he saw only 16 minutes of burn and dropped 6/1/2. That’s not gonna get it done no mo’ in standard and semi-deep (14 team) leagues so start looking to cut bait for a hot free agent. The O.J. got squeezed! (for minutes).

Rockets

Sam Dalembert v. Marcus Camby at Center

Out goes Jordan Hill who was averaging 15 mpg and in comes Marcus Camby who should see 20+ minutes of burn per. Sam Dalembert is averaging 24.8 mpg while grabbing 7.7 boards and swatting 1.9 balls per. The boards and blocks guys just seem to tend to do what they do. Look at DeAndre Jordan since Kenyon Martin was signed, for example, he’s still getting his boards and his blocks. Go ahead and hold onto Sammy and figure he’ll just keep doin’ what he do. As for Camby, did you know that he was just traded for the number 2 (Hasheem Thabeet) and number 6 (Jonny Flynn) overall picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. Camby is that good! Anyway, Bamby does two things well, rebound the basketball and block the basketball and sometimes he can even steal the basketball so let’s call it 2 1/2 things. Now let’s look at his minutes per game while he’s doing the things he does well: 22.4 mpg. Yep, that’s all, 22.4 mpg to average 8.4 rpg/1.4 bpg/.8 spg. Reasonably assuming Marcus gets similar run, I’d go ahead and assign him the same value in Houston as he had in Portland.

Spurs

Stephen Jackson v. Kawhi Leonard at Small forward

Pardon me but I’m not as excited about Captain Jack as other fantasy media seem to be. Nope, I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid because he’s reunited with Pop in San Antone’. Go ahead and take a whirl in deep leagues but I’m not dropping anyone getting steady minutes for him. Kawhi Leonard will see just enough minutes to keep both of them a tough play in standard sized leagues. You’ll see, my Magic 8 Ball says so.

Trail Blazers

Joel Pryzbilla v. Kurt Thomas v. Hasheem Thabeet at Center

Joel Przybilla should be owned in deeep leagues while Kurt Thomas and Hasheem Thabeet should only be monitored at this point. I remember watching the unathletic Hasheem Thabeet while he starred at UConn and couldn’t actually believe he was going to be a lottery pick. I’m not holding out much hope for him to become fantasy relevant after 3 busted years in the NBA. With apologies to his mother, of course.

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Fantasy Basketball: Picks up of the week 3/20/2012

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Last week brought us multiple transactions that have inevitably effected the value of certain fantasy players. This week we provide you with a list of players that have benefited from trades, or have emerged as legitimate fantasy starters moving forward.

Kenneth Faried (PF, DEN)

With Nene shipped out to Washington, Faried dropped an impressive 18 points and 16 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. Although Faried has yet to find consistent minutes in George Karl’s system, his most recent performance definitely solidified his worth and he should begin to see a rise in playing time from here on out.

The rookie is an absolute beast on the board and is great at finishing near the hoop, shooting just under 60% from the field. Faried is definitely a player that should be picked up and started if still available in your fantasy league, as he has endless potential moving forward.

Klay Thompson (SG, GSW)

With Stephen Curry sidelined and Monta Ellis sent to Milwaukee, Thompson has been the primary beneficiary in Golden State. The rookie has seen his minutes increase as of late, and he has produced very solid numbers with the rise in playing time.

Thompson has now scored in double figures in each of his last eight games, while averaging just over 20 PPG during his last three contests.

The guard will continue to receive heavy minutes for the Warriors for the remainder of the season and with not much talent at the guard spot, his fantasy value will continue to sky-rocket.

Jerryd Bayless (PG, TOR)

We all know just how great Bayless can be when given the proper amount of minutes during a game, but for some reason the guard never gets a consistent opportunity to prove his worth, until now that is.

With Jose Calderon sidelined during last week, Bayless took full control of the opportunity, averaging a ridiculous 21.8 PPG and 7.6 APG in five starts.

Calderon is expected to return to the court this week, but with Leandro Barbosa sent to Indiana, Bayless will take over Barbosa’s minutes and should be able to keep up solid fantasy production going forward.

We can all agree that Bayless is way too good of a talent to not be used in Toronto. Pick him up if he is somehow still available in your league.

Alonzo Gee (SG, CLE)

Gee has scored at least 11 points during each of his last eight games, and is logging a little over 30 minutes per contest during that span of time.

Since being inserted into the starting lineup, the guard has proven his value and is providing fantasy owners with consistent production all across the board. Expect Gee to continue to post similar numbers throughout the remainder of the season, as there is no reason why his minutes per game should decrease.

If you are in need of a solid guard, Gee should be scooped up immediately if still available in your fantasy league.

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Fantasy Basketball: NBA Trade Deadline Winners

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Although Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol still remain with the Magic and Lakers, respectively; that didn’t stop a few teams around the Association from making the 2012 NBA trade deadline full of surprise and intrigue.

This seasons’ mass exodus simply did not rival the marquee names included from a year ago, but the sheer potential of fantasy beneficiaries may ultimately rank it a spot above when it’s all said and done.

Below is a list of trade deadline winners whose fantasy value instantly increased this week.

Stephen Jackson, San Antonio Spurs SG/SF

If you’re one of the many so-called fantasy gurus who picked up Jackson for the shortened 2011-12 season in the hopes of benefiting from his usual all-around statistical game (except for the low FG% of course) you may finally get what you originally drafted him for.

Jackson returns to San Antonio the place where he won a ring and league-wide recognition for his unprecedented scowl and talented skill-set.

When Jackson is at his best he provides savvy fantasy owners around 1.5 threes, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 17-19 points per game.

Now free from the suffocating grasp of Bucks’ Head Coach Scott Skiles, we hope to get the Stephen Jackson of old.

Understandably he’s bound to throw the ball to the other team and chuck it up more than a few times, but with Richard Jefferson now gone in San Antonio, Jackson instantly becomes a must add in all league formats.

Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors SG

This rookie can play and judging by Golden State’s decision to move franchise shooting guard Monta Ellis to Milwaukee this trade season it’s safe to say they see it that way too.

With no Ellis, Steph Curry for the foreseeable future or Stephen Jackson soaking up the Warriors’ backcourt, Thompson has an opportunity to thrive.

We know he can shoot, but surprisingly he’s turned out to be much more of a playmaker than previously thought.

Against the Celtics this past Wednesday night the 6-7, 205-pound off guard scored a career-best 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field while adding four assists and 3 threes in 40 minutes of playing time.

Since he’s just a rookie, he can only get better with time and experience. Which, ultimately, is the hope in the Bay.

Trevor Booker, Washington Wizards PF

Booker was already in the midst of an impressive second campaign in D.C. when word came that the Wizards’ inconsistent shot-blocking phenom JaVale McGee had been moved to Denver for Nene Hilario.

Although undersized and not of the prototypical NBA power forward mode, Booker is a guy that fills up the stat sheet if given ample time based on sheer effort and hustle.

He will do a respectable job filling a void on the boards and in the blocked shot department in McGee’s absence.

Fantasy owners can expect Booker’s scoring average to rise while his FG% and rebound numbers stay about the same as they are now.

Which is all good news if you happen to be interested in winning those all-important statistical categories.

Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets PF

Faried is another power forward who stands to immediately benefit from the McGee-Nene trade.

The 6-8, 228-pound energetic rookie is the epitome of heart and hustle and it appears the Nuggets are prepared at this point to give him a lion’s share of the minutes upfront.

Faried is averaging 7.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 0.8 steals in just 20 minutes per game over his last five. However with Nene on the move and frequent injuries to the Nuggets’ remaining bigs, Faried stands in line to benefit right away.

If anything the Faried-McGee combination makes for one of the more athletic and exciting frontcourt duos anticipated in recent memory.

Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers SG/SF

The Portland Trail Blazers may be the most lop-sided team in the league this season with more than a few options at wing and just one, maybe two, at their other positions.

Running with Crawford, Matthews, Wallace and Batum at the wing this season their lack of balance has been painfully obvious at times.

No more talk of playoffs. With the club losing eight of their last 11 games, Portland has officially ventured into “rebuilding” mode.

The good news is that they may have found another player, along with power forward LaMarcus Aldridge worthy of “rebuilding” around.

Nicolas Batum has put himself in an almost-untouchable scenario in Portland with his stellar all-around ability.

Batum, just 23 years of age, has had some massive showings this season. Against the Nuggets back in early February the lanky 6-8 Frenchmen scored a career-high 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field while burying an incredible nine threes.

However, versatility is what sets him apart from his backcourt teammates in Portland.

One of the few wings in the entire league capable of giving owners high steal, block and 3-point field goal numbers, Batum is on the rise.

More so now than ever with Gerald Wallace moving on to the Nets.

Gerald Wallace, New Jersey Nets SF

Speaking of Gerald Wallace, lucky fantasy owners may finally get to see his more typical nightly numbers in Jersey.

The Nets simply don’t have a player the caliber of Wallace on their current roster and with his instinctive ability to do all the little things necessary to win ball games; it makes for the perfect storm in terms of increased and immediate fantasy value.

With no big man to snatch rebounds besides Humphries, no small forward to realistically compete with him for starter’s minutes and ownership’s single-minded desire to get something out of him in order to bring Deron Williams back, expect Wallace’s numbers to jump, if not simply based on the increased opportunity alone.

And of course he doesn’t have to fend off Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews or Jamal Crawford anymore.

Nick Young, Los Angeles Clippers SG

Nick Young in a Clippers’ uniform couldn’t come any sooner for all parties involved; you Mr.Fantasy owner extraordinaire, Young himself or those offensively-challenged Los Angeles Clippers.

The L.A. native knocks down almost two (1.8) threes per game while averaging 16.6 points.

His field goal percentage is atrocious; however he shoots 86.2% from the free throw line and gets his fair share of steals when engaged.

Engagement should be no issue with the determined and feisty Chris Paul around. Expect Young to get a bucket load of three point attempts and expect a good percentage of those shots to go down – as he will get a lot more wide-open looks.

The Clippers have needed scoring help since Chauncey Billups went down and Nick Young immediately fills that void. Owners shouldn’t worry about a potential Young-Williams conundrum in the backcourt.

Young’s size at 6-6 coupled with his underrated ability to make plays and score at the rim allow him to play with almost any Clippers’ combination on the court.

Nate Robinson, Golden State Warriors PG

Once again no Monta due to trade and now, for the foreseeable future, no Steph Curry in Golden State either.

Which means a healthy dose of bravado, steals, points and assists from little Nate Robinson.

Robinson is a guy that, with increased playing time, will always give you some nice fantasy goodies.

On the season he is averaging a mere 21.9 minutes per game, but in that limited time he puts in 10.1 points, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 threes.

However in his last two contests, sans Ellis and Curry, Robinson is scoring 18.5 points, 3.0 steals and 7.0 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field in 33 minutes of action per night.

And guess what?

Ellis won’t be back this season and Curry’s chances of returning are not looking so good at this point either.

As bad as all that may sound in reality for the Warriors; it’s all good news in the wonderful World of Fantasy…basketball that is of course.

Ramon Sessions, Los Angeles Lakers PG

This almost seems too easy. The Lakers have been missing speed and youth in the backcourt for who knows how long now and with the acquisition of Sessions from the Cavaliers they finally get that.

 

But Sessions isn’t just young and fast. He may be one of the most underrated point guards in the game based on his overall skill set.

Playing backup to Rookie of the Year frontrunner Kyrie Irving, Sessions is averaging 10.5 points, 3.1 assists, 5.2 assists and 0.7 steals in just 24.5 minutes per game this season.

Those numbers are impressive enough by themselves. Now you stick him in the starting lineup with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest and, of course, Kobe Bryant and you have the makings of arguably the most savvy trade deadline deal in the league this season.

Sessions goes from dropping dimes to the Cavs second unit guys to pick-and-rolling with Gasol, Bynum and Kobe.

The 6-3, 190-pound point-man is solid at attacking the paint making him almost a perfect match for his new team. With dominant bigs to dump passes off to and Kobe situated on the wing or cutting Sessions numbers should go up significantly across the board.

The big concern will be his low FG%. On the year he is a lowly 39.8% field goal shooter, however ironically he shoots a very respectable 41.9% from three.

And that is something to keep in mind as Sessions will find that on this team most nights he will be option number four or five.

However with an above-average ability to rebound from the point guard position and top-notch scorers all around him, expect big things from one Ramon Sessions with the Lakers.

And lest we forget the Los Angeles moved his only legitimate competition in Derek Fisher, incredibly shipping the 5-time NBA champion to the Houston Rockets just before the deadline.

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