As a fantasy sports nut that has multiple teams with multiple platforms, I have spent plenty of time toggling between different websites and having mutliple browsers open as I kept tabs on my fantasy teams. I always though that it would be great if I could manage all of my fantasy teams from one location. Now you can.
PICKEMFIRST acts like a Fantasy Sports assistant. This internet browser extension will save you time by identifying athletes on any web page you visit and highlighting the Free Agents in your fantasy league. It also provides shortcuts to your favorite fantasy website and conveniently aggregates news from Rotowire and tweets from the athletes themselves. The best thing is, the service is free at www.pickemfirst.com.
Pick ‘em First made some dramatic changes and improvements. It is now available on Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, it was extended to support NBA, NHL and College football, you no longer need a google account to use Pickemfirst, and you can import fantasy football leagues from 7 different websites! Yahoo, ESPN, CBS, RTsports, MFL, nfl.com and Athlon.
Here is a video to show how this slick program works:
As the world prepares for LeBron’s announcement later tonight, the Celtics made a move to bolster their chances of repeating as Eastern Conference Champions. They added Jermaine O’Neal to fill the void the C’s will feel as Kendrick Perkins recovers from his knee injury. O’Neal, who will turn 32 in October should give them an upgrade over the recently retired Rasheed Wallace. His fantasy value takes a hit as there are more scoring options in Boston than there were in Miami.
I should probably call it the Big Four as Rajon Rondo proved to be as important as any of the Celtics’ future Hall of Famers (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen). Perhaps the Big Five if the Jermaine O’Neal to the C’s rumors are true. Whatever number of big players the Celtics have next year, they will have sharpshooter Ray Allen there for two more years after he signed a $20 million deal. He will turn 35 later this month so the odds that he can match the 16.3 points he averaged last year aren’t great. That said, he is a great source for three-pointers and free-throw percentage and a good source for points and field goal percentage. He offers little in the rebounds and assists category. A lot of teams are gearing up in the East, and it appears Boston will remain in the hunt.
Carlos Boozer was Public Enemy number one when he gave his word on a contract extension with the Cavs, only to skip town for the extra money Utah was offering. Now he has a chance to stick a dagger in the hearts of Cavs fans once again if his decision to sign with the Bulls sways LeBron James to join him.
The Bulls certainly have a nice team to play alongside James should he choose Chicago. Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah would certainly make a formidable starting unit. Boozer and LeBron played one year together in 2003-04, and LeBron told Boozer he has to do what is best for his family prior to his departure. If New York and Miami became the front runners by signing A’mare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh, Chicago is back in the game with the signing. I’m afraid Cleveland just won’t have anything to offer LeBron in order to keep their hometown hero.
From a fantasy perspective, look for Noah and Boozer’s rebound totals to take a hit. Luol Deng will likely also take a hit both in points and rebounds. Rose could see an increase in assists.
While the Knicks are waiting for their main course (LeBron or Dwyane Wade) they are enjoying a pretty good (and expensive) appetizer in the form of A’mare Stoudemire. The electric power forward is reuniting his former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks are paying him a pretty penny, close to $100 million over five years. Any fears that A’mare’s numbers would suffer upon leaving the desert have been put to rest by his decision to join D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense. As long as he stays healthy, there is no reason A’mare can’t approach the 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds he averaged last year.
I may sound like a broken record, but the way the NBA handles their draft infuriates me every year. I still can’t for the life of me understand while the media and general public does not call the NBA out for having a lottery system in the first place. They have so little trust that NBA teams won’t tank that they actually have to have measures to protect against that. Baseball gets ripped for the steroids, where it’s going on in every sport, but the NBA tries to sell of the excitement of the draft as a cover-up for a tanking concern.
In every other sport the worst team gets the first overall pick (which could actually be a detriment in the NFL, but the intentions are good and that’s a conversation for another day) in order to give them a chance to improve. Not so in the NBA. They devised a ridiculous formula that flat-out doesn’t work. You don’t have to be a math genius to figure out something’s rotten in Denmark. All too often the team with the best odds doesn’t get the number one pick. That goes against mathematical probabilities. Here’s a look at the teams that ended up with the #1 pick and the odds.
2010: Washington Wizards got the #1 pick with the 5th best odds 2009: LA Clippers got the #1 with the 3rd best odds 2008: Chicago got the #1 pick with the 9th best odds 2007: Portland got the #1 with the 7th best odds 2006: Toronto got #1 with 4th best odds 2005: Milwaukee got the #1 pick with the 6th best odds 2004: Orlando got the #1 pick with the 1st best odds 2003: Cleveland got the #1 pick with the 1st best odds 2005: Milwaukee got #1 with 6th best odds 2002: Houston got #1 with 5th best odds 2001: Washington got #1 with 3rd best odds (Michael Jordan’s first pick, hmm) 2000: New Jersey got #1 with 7th best odds (Former NBA exec Rod Thorn’s first year with NJ, hmm) 1999: Chicago got #1 with 3rd best odds 1998: LA Clippers got #1 with 3rd best odds 1997: San Antonio got #1 with 3rd best odds 1996: Philadelphia got #1 with 2nd best odds 1995: Golden State got #1 with 5th best odds 1994: Milwaukee got #1 with 4th best odds 1993: Orlando got #1 with 11th best odds (1 in 66 chances, hmm) 1992: Orlando got #1 with 2nd best odds 1991: Charlotte got #1 with 5th best odds
So why would the NBA want the Washington Bullets, I mean the Wizards to get the number one pick? Simple. Gilbert Arenas disgraced the city and gave the NBA a bad name. What better way to put that fiasco behind you than awarding them John Wall. People are talking about Wall now and how Arenas has to adjust his game. The gun scandal is an afterthought.
I’m going to continue to be skeptical about the draft until they actually show us the ping pong balls. There have been too many instances where the two teams with the best odds have failed to get the top pick. In the last 20 years the team with the best odds only landed the top pick twice. The number two team landed it twice. That’s four times in 20 years of 20 percent of the time. The problem is, that number should be twice as high. That’s the same as the team with the 5th best odds won. The team with the third best odds has won five times. It’s staggering that 55 percent of the time the #1 pick goes to the team with the 3rd, 4th, or 5th best odds.
Tommy of HoopsWorld.com asked the final topic for the Fantasy Hoops Roundtable debate topic.
This Week’s Topic:
Which undrafted player was the most significant/productive/effective waiver-wire pick up of the season?
My Response:
It has to be Darren Collison. When Chris Paul went down, Collison basically matched Chris Paul’s production. His February numbers (21.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.1 3pg, 49.6 fg%, 82.7 ft%) either kept CP3 owners afloat or gave a crafty owner a major boost if you were able to steal Paul’s handcuff.
Even when Chris Paul returned before shutting down again, Collison continued to produced. you basically got first round product from Collison when he was running the show. Hard to ask for anything more.
Some other great waiver wire finds: Andray Blatche – After getting rid of their big three, Blatche has been a beast for the Wizards. Channing Frye – He faded down the stretch, but was great in the first half. Carl Landry – Rockets or Kings. Doesn’t matter. He’s been highly productive. Beno Udrih – Dominating the Kings’ reshuffled lineup. Anderson Varejao – Never monster numbers, but quietly effective. Anthony Morrow, C.J. Watson, Reggie Williams, Anthony Tolliver – All had their moments. Rasual Butler – Solid bench option. Jarrett Jack – Nice run while Jose Calderon was out. George Hill – Injuries turned him into a fantasy force. Marcus Thornton – Also stepped it up when CP3 went down. Drew Gooden – Has been a monster for the Clippers. Ersan Ilyasova, Carlos Delfino, Luke Ridnour – All had their moments.
MVP- LeBron James I’m bitter that he left me hanging in the fantasy playoffs, but he was amazing this year.
Rookie of the Year – Tyreke Evans Stephen Curry was close, but some of his ridiculousness was due to the system he plays in. Evans 20-5-5 season was historic as only Oscar Robinson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James were able to accomplish the feat.
Most Improved- Kevin Durant When you go from good to passing Kobe as the game’s best player not named LeBron, you made a big leap.
Comeback Player of the Year- Carlos Boozer I considered Monta Ellis, but his team was junk.
Sixth Man of the Year – Jamal Crawford Turned out much better than I anticipated.
Defensive Player of the Year – Dwight Howard In a class by himself defensively.
Coach of the Year - Mike Woodson Atlanta may be the 2nd best team in the East without a superstar.
NBA First Team Dwyane Wade Kobe Bryant LeBron James Kevin Durant Dwight Howard
NBA Second Team Deron Williams Steve Nash Carmelo Anthony Dirk Nowitzki Chris Bosh
NBA Third Team Derrick Rose Joe Johnson David Lee Carlos Boozer Zach Randolph
All-Rookie Team Tyreke Evans Stephen Curry Brandon Jennings Jonny Flynn Darren Collison
Here’s a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night.
Matt Barnes, Orlando Magic Barnes had a double-double (13 points, 11 assists) against the Pacers. He’s not much of an option for the Magic’s last game.
A.J. Price, Indiana Pacers Price had 19 points against the Magic. He’s also not much of an option for his final game.
Carlos Arroyo, Miami Heat Arroyo had 15 points and 7 assists against the Sixers. He’s averaging 12.0 points in his last five games. He’s only a option in extremely deep daily leagues for Miami’s last game.
Jason Kapono, Philadelphia 76ers Kapono countered with 24 points. He’s averaging 13.0 points in his last five games. He’s not much of an option for the Sixers finale.
Jodie Meeks, Philadelphia 76ers Meeks added 21 points. He’s been in double-digits the past three games. He could be an option as the Sixers look towards the future.
Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors Johnson had 26 points against the Pistons. He’s a solid option for the Raptors’ finale.
Terence Williams, New Jersey Nets T-Will continued his solid finish. He had 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists. Use him with confidence in the Nets’ last game.
Shaun Livingston & Nick Young, Washington Wizards The duo did it again. Livingston had 18 points and 7 assists. Young had 16 points. Both are good options for the finale.
Earl Barron & Toney Douglas, New York Knicks Barron only scored 8, but grabbed 13 boards. Douglas scored 16. Both are good options for the Knicks’ last game.
Sasha Pavlovic, Minnesota Timberwolves Pavlovic scored 16 against the Spurs. He’s not a fantasy option.
Keith Bogans, San Antonio Spurs Bogans scored 17 against the Wolves. It was only because they suck so bad.
Sam Young, Memphis Grizzlies Young had 18 points against the Nuggets. He’s not much of an option in Memphis’ last game.
Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets Afflalo had 22 points and 13 rebounds. He’s not much of an option.
Kyle Lowry, Houston Rockets Lowry had 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Kings. If you’re in need of assists, Lowry isn’t a bad low-end option for Houston’s finale.
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers Jordan had 10 points and 13 rebounds against the Mavs. He’s a great rebounding option for the Clippers’ last game.
Steve Novak & Craig Smith, Los Angeles Clippers Both scored 15 on Monday night. Neither interest me.
Andres Nocioni & Donte Greene, Sacramento Kings Nocioni scored 15 while Greene had 16. Neither interest me.
Here’s a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night.
Delonte West, Cleveland Cavaliers West had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists as LeBron sat out yet again. I imagine King James will get some work in their last game so West is a guy I wouldn’t worry about.
Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers Webster had 16 points against the Lakers. Despite having two games left, he’s a guy I’d avoid.
Earl Barron, New York Knicks Barron is making me a believer (at least in that system) as he had 13 points and 12 boards against the Heat. The Knicks have two games left, and Barron is a solid option in daily leagues.
Bill Walker, New York Knicks Walker added 18 points. He’s averaging 14.2 over his last five games and is another solid daily league option.
Ryan Gomes, Minnesota Timberwolves Gomes had 18 points against the Hornets. He’s averaging 18.5 in his last four games and is a good daily option for their final two games.
Ramon Sessions, Minnesota Timberwolves Sessions added 17. He’s only an option in deep daily leagues.
Julian Wright, New Orleans Hornets Wright had 16 points, but was subject to the “Wolves Play No Defense” boost. Pay him no mind.
Chase Budinger, Houston Rockets Budinger had 19 points against the Suns. He’s a decent daily league option in the Rockets final two games.
James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder Harden scored 18, but it was against the Warriors. He doesn’t have much value for the Thunder’s last two games unless they decide to rest starters.
Anthony Tolliver & Reggie Williams, Golden State Warriors They were at it again. Tolliver had 14 points and 14 rebounds while Williams had 20 points and 9 boards. They are both useful for Golden State’s final two games.
Trading cards is a popular fixture in American culture.The best time to find a better trade in the NHL is around the league's annual trade deadline in March.
