2010 Fantasy Basketball Rankings: LeBron James and the Top 10 MVP Candidates
The game of basketball is not all about statistics, but fantasy basketball is. Among the top of fantasy basketball ranking lists, there are often players that are nowhere in the discussion of being a candidate for MVP in a particular season in the NBA.
With all the changes that took place this summer in the league including the development of new “power houses”, player impact is something that will have a new face come the end of October.
This coming season has been called by many, including Commissioner David Stern, one of the greatest to have ever been played. If that is true, then fantasy basketball this year is bound to be epic.
Here are a few names you might want to keep in mind when deciding who to spend your first pick on, as they all present their own case of being crowned fantasy basketball MVP.
Honorable Mentions
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Carmelo Anthony – Melo is known to be a volume scorer that can also rebound the ball quiet effectively. Throughout the years, he has improved his passing efficiency as well as his defense. Regardless, he is still in the outside looking in because of his shooting percentage, high turnover rate, and lack of defensive stats. Last year we was able to average over 28 points per game and 6 rebounds, and that will make him a target to many fans, but be careful drafting Melo as he might not be much more than points and may also find himself in a brand new system close to the trade deadline.
Deron Williams – D-Will is one, if not the best, point guard in the league today. That does not mean he is statistically the best. The number one reason he does not crack the top ten is because he lost some of his best targets in Carlos Boozer, Wesley Mathews, and for almost half of the season, Mehmet Okur. This will have an effect in William’s ability to amass statistics through a game and will make him be part of the offensive attack a bit more as far as scoring goes. If Utah is able to merge well and Jefferson is able to duplicate the contributions of Boozer, Williams could get more value. But as of now, a potential MVP candidate is not part of the question for such award.
10. Amar'e Stoudemire
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Yes, Amare does not do a lot more than score. But he does do a lot of that. And back with Mike D’Antoni will only be better. Not only that, but he is now the absolute face of that franchise and will eb counted on and depended on for the New York Knicks success.
As the main guy in the rotation, Amare will have the ball as much as he wants, and he is quiet efficient with it. Last year he averaged over 23 points and 9 boards while playing uncomfortable half the season. Under D’Antoni and the new captain role, Amare could be contending for the scoring title while putting up respectable numbers in rebounds and percentages.
Although not a defensive stopper by any means, he is able to get a fare amount of blocked shots. Another good attribute is that given the amount of touches and scoring, he is not a high turnover rate player. Assuming all goes well in New York, Amare might become one of the top fantasy players this year.
9. Dwayne Wade
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In recent seasons, Wade would have been a top five pick. Not this year, but he is still a top ten pick. As a player that needs the ball in his hands to be effective, he will be the one out of the three kings in Miami to take the statistical hit the hardest.
Wade will still be a scoring machine as he has always been but in the range of 30 points per game. Also, his assist numbers will take a hit since LeBron James will be initiating the offense most of the time.
But offense is not only why Dwayne has been a top fantasy player. He is also among the league’s best guards statistically on the defensive end. He averaged 2.2 steals per game and 1.3 blocks last year, and that is something that will not change playing next to LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Overall, Wade’s value will decrease next season given the new kingdom in Miami, but he will still be a top talent to pick early in the draft.
8. Joakim Noah
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This is probably the first wild pick on this list. How can a center that barely averaged double digits in points and has one of the ugliest free throw shooting mechanisms in the league be among the top fantasy players? He also averages double digit rebounds, over 1.6 blocks per game, rarely turns the ball over, and only played 30 minutes per game last season. Oh and about the ugly free throws, they go down at a 74.4% clip.
That is not all of it. Noah is not in the top ten given his production last season, he is there mainly because this is bound to be his breakout year. Noah has had one of the most productive off-season in his career. So far in pre-season he has shown time and time again he is one of the best passing centers in the game. Mark it down, Noah will have the most triple doubles among centers in the league this year.
Also, Noah has shown better defense and ability to stay out of foul trouble, which will only increase his playing time.
Noah might not sound like a top 10 pick, and he probably will not be. A stat line of 14 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks might change people’s minds over their first pick and could potentially place Noah among the top in the league at season’s end.
7. Blake Griffin
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Before you close your browser or and start writing hateful comments, you might want to think of a few things. Blake is no ordinary rookie. Blake went through an entire NBA season practicing and watching NBA games from the bench. He also had the opportunity to play at the NBA level in the summer league twice and the pre-season.
Also, so far, he has been an absolute beast against NBA teams. Blake has averaged over 17 points, 12 rebounds and over 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks. And he has just been playing 29 minutes per game. Adjusted to starter minutes (36), you can up that to over 21 points, 15 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks.
The only drawback has been free throw shooting, but he does have a good touch and his 56% should dramatically increase once he establishes better rhythm.
Blake Griffin will show fantasy owners he is worthy of a first round pick and will show why that Rookie of the Year trophy does not have John Wall’s name on it yet.
6. Kobe Bryant
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Yes, Kobe is getting older. Yes, Kobe is a little banged up. Yes, Kobe has sucked it up in the pre-season so far this year. But yes, Kobe Bryant is still Kobe Bryant.
While known for his scoring ability, Kobe’s all-around game is often overlooked.
People tend to forget that although scoring is his strongest category, he also averages over five rebounds and five assists to go with his share of steals and three pointers.
Kobe could be ranked higher on this list, but his body might not hold up for the entire 82-game season. You can bet the Lakers will do everything in their power to rest Kobe as much as they can. That is bad news for fantasy basketball fans.
Kobe Bryant will have a strong season this year once again. Although we might get to finalize see Kobe slow down just a little bit, he will have enough in him to be a top-10 fantasy basketball player.
5. Stephen Curry
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As I indicated before, this is clearly not a list to highlight players that would contend for the MVP trophy in the NBA. This is merely a list that highlights stat sheet stuffers. And that is exactly what Stephen Curry is.
Stephen Curry had a slow start last year, but after the first half of the season was done, he was a 20 point scorer that was also getting over 7.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 2.5 threes. All that with an incredibly high free throw shooting percentage and an above average field goal percentage.
Stephen Curry was also a rookie last year by the way. With a year worth of NBA experience, and added talent in David Lee and a rejuvenated Andres Biedrins, Curry will have the chance to take his game to an even higher level. How high could that be? Maybe not too much in the real NBA, but definitely top-5 in fantasy basketball.
4. Dirk Nowitzki
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Many members of the NBA family have only one thing to criticize about Dirk Nowitzki, and that is his defense. The good news to NBA fantasy owners is that defense is not clearly reflected in fantasy basketball.
The only defensive categories shown in the stat sheet is blocks and steals, and Dirk Nowitzki averages a steal and a block which is actually pretty good.
What about Dirk’s strengths? Try just about everything else. Dirk averages over 25 points per game every season and does not like he is ready to slow down. He is as consistent as they come and rarely suffers an injury that requires him to miss any significant time. Also, he averages almost eight rebounds to go along with almost three assists.
Three categories that are often overlooked are the percentages and turnovers. In all these categories, Dirk is a stud. He shoots 48% from the field and over 90% from the charity stripe. Also, he only averages slightly over 1.8 turnovers per game. Sum that up and you can understand how Dirk is a top-4 fantasy basketball player without highlight reels.
3. Chris Paul
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There has been a lot of drama during the off-season regarding Chris Paul. The reason being, he is the best point guard in the league.
When healthy, he is a volume scorer, the league’s top assist man, and also among the league’s top in steals. Also, he is very efficient with the basketball as far as field goal and free throw shooting goes.
Last year, he added a three point shot to his arsenal which he knocked down 41% of the time. Another good characteristic is that even though he has the ball in his hands for many minutes, he does not turn the ball over too much. His assist to turnover ratio is among the league’s best.
With Chris Paul, fantasy owners just cannot go wrong. He could potentially the first pick in any draft, but some injury proneness might knock him down a few spots to third.
2. Kevin Durant
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The best young player in the league looks like he is ready to take over the league this year. The GM’s of the NBA chose him to become the new NBA MVP this year, and he deserves all the credit and more. But fantasy basketball MVP, not that fast.
Kevin Durant averaged over 30 points per game and that might even increase slightly this year. He has been working on his rebounding and passing, which are already good. He can knock down threes and get to the line where he is extremely effective. But what not top pick? He needs to learn to cut back on turnovers and distribute the ball better.
Kevin Durant has become one of the most liked superstars in the league, and he will only get better. Someday he could be regarded as the NBA’s top fantasy player, but for now, he is only second to…
1. LeBron James
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When LeBron signed with the Heat this summer, many people considered it a sacrifice of potential. Many expect LeBron to suffer a decline in productivity and therefore statistical numbers. But will he really?
It is clear he will not be scoring 30 points per game next to Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. But whatever he scores let it be 20, 23, or 26, it will most probably be at a more effective rate. His already high field goal percentage of 50.4% might see an increase to perhaps 55% or more.
Other categories he will see improvements is rebounding and assists. Whoever things LeBron will not average double digit assists needs to look at the Heat roster. They do not have a true point guard to distribute the ball, and with a guys like Bosh on the block and Wade on the perimeter, plenty of passes will be scores.
Also, the Heat lack depth at the center position and starter Joel Anthony is not much of a rebounder. James will be asked to rebound more than before, something he is very capable of doing.
Despite criticism and a decline in points per game, LeBron James will remain being the league’s top fantasy basketball player.
