Updating The NBA Fantasy Status Quo: Week 1

The NBA began without much fuss early last week probably because of the World Series. Nevertheless, you and I are both excited about the start of the season and it is time to give you some of my week 1 thoughts.

Week 1 Risers:

Brandon Jennings: The cockiest kid coming out of the draft is proving his worth every minute on the floor. Jennings came from Europe, yet he surprisingly plays like an American. He is a natural scorer while playing 30+ minutes this early in the season as a rookie. He can contribute in all stat categories by evidence of his near triple double in the season opener.

Jennings was not born in Europe, he just played a year overseas and bypassed college. If he continues to be the most exciting rookie in the league, look for more high school kids to season their abilities with a year or two of Euroball. Try to pick him up off the waiver wire if you can, but if he is still sitting on your waiver wire, you probably don't even need to pick him up because no one cares about your league.

Marreese Speights: He just scores, it's ingrained into his DNA. Unfortunately, at this point it is really all he knows how to do. He will get decent minutes off the bench so he will grab several rebounds and a block here and there. He's also a great handcuff for Brand and much more likely to be available in your league at this point then Jennings.

Joakim Noah: He has improved each year he has been in the league. At this point, I think he's a top 10 center with double-double numbers and 1+ blocks. You may feel inexplicable hatred towards Noah because he looks like a minotaur, or because commentators gush about his spirit. However, I have seen him play since high school and you must relinquish your initial urge to vomit when looking directly at him because he is an above average player.

Marc Gasol: A great pickup right now; he is only taken in 57% of the leagues on ESPN and this is after he was picked up in 37% of leagues in the last week. Marc has used the acquisition of Hasheem Thabeet as motivation to play more like his older brother, Pau Gasol. Marc may not ever have the numbers or the beard of Pau, but he has been Memphis' most consistent performer with strong showings in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and assists.

Blake Griffin: He has started his Rookie of the Year campaign with a flourish.... Oh, wait a second....

Week 1 Losers:

Blake Griffin and Clippers fans: Blake is MIA as the hopes and dreams of Clippers fans are ravaged and tossed into the garbage. Seriously, Clippers fans were actually excited about this team until Griffin broke his left knee cap. I'm pretty certain that the stress fracture has started a time bomb in his knee that will inevitably explode and require microfracture surgery in about 4 years. Lucy continually making Charlie Brown look like an ass when kicking field goals is not nearly as bad as the pain Clippers fans have endured over the years.

Some people still probably believe he can make an impact this year, but management will not let Blake step onto the court until he is fully recovered. There is no guarantee he will play this year.

As a Philadelphia fan, I can relate to the type of pain Clippers fans have endured and can offer advice on how to handle failure. Every time you want to break down and cry while listening to Taylor Swift, just think of the Philadelphia Phillies. That always makes me feel better.