April 8, 2017

Milos Zvekic looks at fantasy basketball risers and fallers the NBA fantasy playoffs. These can be lineup sleepers and busts for your fantasy NBA teams.

The regular season of the NBA is drawing to a close. And as the chase for playoff berth is on, it's all over in most fantasy leagues. Owners in leagues that have playoffs surely have some stories of studs and duds of this last period to share with their fellow fantasy rivals.

Disappointment, when a guy you picked yourself out of a bunch, and expected to contribute selflessly to your teams Championship push, burns out, cannot be hidden. It haunts you at night. It follows you wherever you go. It sits on your shoulder while your watching The Basketball Diaries (what a blast from the past huh?). It even makes you think more than twice about each and every one of your batters for your upcoming Baseball draft.

On the other hand, bragging rights for the Champions were earned, in no small amount, thanks to some epic performances from guys that weren't picked in the first or even the second round of the draft. Tales of these heroes will be passed on to their owner's children, and from their children to their children for generations to come.

This article is a tribute to all those stars that gave their fantasy owners the prestigious title of a Fantasy League Champion. It is also a reminder to all fantasy owners of the players who have let them down and will probably be OFF or, at the very least, really far down the "Players to pick" list on draft night.

Just to save us all some time, all of the statistics below apply to the period from March 13 to April 2, during which most fantasy playoffs took place, unless pointed out otherwise.

"Never Again" Candidates

Marcin Gortat (C, WAS) - Fantasy owners who were counting on Gortat to provide some defensive stats with double-double averages during their playoff run were in for a nasty surprise. Gortat slumped hard posting just 6.6 PTS on 49.3 FG% and an unbelievable 38.5 FT%, 7.5 REB, 1.1 AST, 1.2 TO, 0.3 STL and 0.3 BLK in just 22 minutes a game. All of those stats were way off his season averages. And what the hell happened to Gortat's free throw stroke!? Not only did he not produce double-digit points and boards like in the largest part of the season, but he further hurt his owners by killing their FT% and not contributing half as many defensive stats as he usually does. If you won your league, chances are The Polish Hammer was not on your team.

Andre Drummond (PF/C, DET) – Now owners who had Drummond were probably expecting to lose the FT% category, but were looking for a boost in FG%, rebounds and defensive stats in return. With averages of 8.6 PTS on 48.3 FG% and 23.1 FT%, 14.5 REB, 1.5 AST, 1.6 TO, 0.9 STL and 1.2 BLK he didn't really deliver. He did kill your chance of being remotely competitive in the free throw department with that abysmal shooting, and he didn't even contribute nearly as much as his owners had hoped in two other categories he is usually good at, as his season averages are 53.2 FG% and 1.6 STL. And I particularly feel for Drummond owners who's leagues count double-doubles, as he had only three in 11 games that he played. Ouch!

Carmelo Anthony (SF/PF, NY) – If you were counting on Melo to be the one to keep your fantasy boat afloat, that ship has probably sunk. Not only did he play in just six games during the fantasy playoffs, his performances in those games were nearly as disappointing for his owners as the games that he missed. When your 30th pick posts 16.8 PTS with 1.5 3PM on 41.6 FG% and 90.0 FT%, 6.0 REB, 2.7 AST, 1.7 TO, 1.0 STL and 0.2 BLK in 34 minutes a game, in just six games (that's two games a week) in your fantasy playoffs, that doesn't really cut it, does it?

There were more busts due to injuries or poor play like Paul Millsap, Kyle Lowry, Derrick Favors, Darren Collison, Otto Porter... But let's not focus on the negatives too much.

My heart goes out to all of you fantasy owners who had your heart broken by someone you trusted and put your faith into. Trust me guys, just keep doing your best. The tide will turn and Lady Luck will smile upon you too!

Wartime Heroes

Rudy Gobert (C, UTA) – Gobert was a monster whole season long, and he solidified his fantasy stardom during the playoffs. By posting 18.5 points on 69.7% from the field with 13.5 boards and league-leading 3.6 blocks and even double-doubling 10 times out of 11 games, Rudy made his owners very difficult to beat in those categories. He even pitched in 2.1 dimes and 0.3 steals with just 1.7 turnovers in 37 minutes a game. He did hit just 55.1% of his free throws and of course didn't shoot any threes, but his owners surely had that in mind when they took him on. When your fourth-fifth round pick produces at a top-10 level you're in good shape to win your Fantasy league, which I hope you did!

Jusuf Nurkic (C, POR) – After a good start, Nurkic was pretty much shelved by his coach in Denver. Most owners couldn't wait out the bad weather and moved on. But all of those who stuck with Jusuf through thick and thin, or who had the good instinct to pick him up where he was dropped, were richly rewarded. He was traded to Portland and after assuming the starter center role he showered his owners with gifts across the board by averaging 15.3 PTS on 49.2 FG% and 55.6 FT%, 11.1 REB, 2.3 AST, 2.9 TO, 1.1 STL and 1.8 BLK in 28 minutes per game. His owners have surely forgiven him for the poor FT shooting and high turnovers, as The Nurk Alert helped most of them make a strong case for the Championship. He did suffer an injury which ended his regular season, but he timed it next to perfection as he only missed the last game of the fantasy playoffs. Congratulations to all who believed in Nurk. I hope it paid off.

Ricky Rubio (PG, MIN) – Rubio started the season off ice-cold. He was even dropped in more than a few leagues after the poor start. But Ricky proved all of the fantasy owners who believed in him right, as he was a monster during their playoffs. He averaged 18.4 points with 1.4 triples on 45.0% from the field and 96.3% from the line, dishing out 10.6 dimes, grabbing 4.0 boards, stealing the ball 1.7 times, blocking 0.2 shots and turning the ball over 3.1 times per contest. He hit 52-of-54 free throws during that stretch which helped out a lot of his owners win that category each week and only MVP candidates Russell Westbrook and James Harden averaged more assists than Rubio. If you won your Championship and had Rubio on your team, I'm sure you were glad you made the right call to hold onto him when all hell was breaking loose, as he was a vital part of your victory.

It's only fair to give a shout-out, or better yet a standing ovation to other players like Nikola Mirotic, James Johnson, Garry Harris, Elfrid Payton and many more, who outperformed expectations during the fantasy playoffs and gave their owners a fighting chance to win that prestigious fantasy NBA crown.

Take a Bow

This is my last article for this season. I would like to thank all of you who read my columns. I hope they helped you make some tough decisions and improve your fantasy teams. Some of you may have even won your league. If so, kudos to you!

I might write some offseason stuff, but I'll certainly be back around the end of the summer to help you all prepare for the next season's draft. Until then gents, enjoy the end of the regular NBA season and especially the playoffs. It's been a blast and I can't wait for us to pick up where we're leaving off today.

Cheers!