We are now one day away from the opening tip, and I am absolutely pumped. A few last minute thoughts before we get started...
Which perimeter player is king this year? Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Chris Paul took 3 of the top-4 votes in the NBA MVP vote and also occupied the top of the roto heap as well. Who takes the top spot this season? I think LeBron is in the pole position for the actual NBA MVP, but I look for Dwyane Wade to sneak back into the mix and perhaps land the top year-end roto ranking of the group if he really can stay healthy. Before his injury two seasons ago Wade was a 30/7/7 player with more than three combined steals/blocks and excellent percentages...that is an absolutely scary roto threat with no glaring weaknesses.
Which young player has the biggest impact? Between the last two NBA drafts, the league has seen an infusion of potential big-name players. Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Al Horford, and Derrick Rose could all be in for big seasons this year. I have gone back and forth over who I think will do the best, but right now I think that Oden is well-placed to win Rookie of the Year with Durant as the best bet for roto stardom. If the Blazers make the playoffs with Oden as the main guy, he wins the ROY. And Durant after the All Star break last year was deadly, averaging well over 20 points on excellent shooting with decent boards/steals/blocks. If he builds on that this year, he's a potential top-20 roto player.
Who is the dominant big man this year? While the perimeter guys like LeBron and Kobe get the attention, the vast majority of the time it is the big men that take home the championship (9 of the last 10 champs have prominently featured Duncan, Shaq, or Garnett). So, who is the key big for this year? We are at a transition point between the "old guard" like Duncan, Garnett, O'Neal, Nowitzki and the up-and-comers like Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, and Amare Stoudemire. In the actual NBA I think that Duncan and Garnett are not quite ready to relinquish their spots at the top of the heap, and that one of them will add another championship ring this year. But fantasy-wise, Stoudemire should reign. After the Shaq trade he averaged pretty close to 30 and 10 on ridiculous shooting percentages, and threw in solid blocked shots to match. If he can replicate that for a season, even with the goofy Kareem goggles, Amare could be the roto MVP.