ducks
10-21-2005, 12:53 PM
Sleeper Centers
by Ted Carlson - Senior Editor, Fanball.com
Friday, October 21, 2005
Center is usually the toughest position to fill in fantasy basketball, especially in leagues which require teams to employ two pivots. Sure, life is easy if you grab Shaq or Yao early in your draft, but the center rankings run thin after the top eight or so big men. And it certainly doesn't help when the Association's best fantasy center – Amare Stoudemire – undergoes knee surgery and plummets down the rankings.
Thus, fantasy owners often need to dig a little deeper at this position and research otherwise boring players. For instance, those teams that did their homework last year were able to uncover useful guys like Mehmet Okur and Primoz Brezec, both of whom provided around 13 points and 7.5 boards. Yawn, right? Well, those squads weren't hurting as much as the clubs who overpaid for stiffs like Mark Blount or Erick Dampier.
Before we reach the list, we need to address a pivot who didn't quite fit the "sleeper" description. Jamaal Magloire was an All-Star two seasons ago, but injuries limited the Hornet to 23 games last year. Magloire played all 82 contests in 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04, and we believe he'll bounce back to being a solid, double-double big man with decent blocks and shooting percentages. Fantasy owners should use his last healthy season as an example of what we're projecting.
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Brendan Haywood, WizardsThe former Tar Heel is entering his fifth season in the Association, and he's finally making an impact on the fantasy radar. Haywood averaged career-highs in minutes (27.4), points (9.4), rebounds (6.8), blocks (1.7), steals (0.8), and field-goal percentage (56.0) last season, and his numbers improved even more during the Wizards two postseason series. Head coach Eddie Jordan wants Haywood too become a bigger part of the offense this season, and it's not a stretch to see Brendan averaging 12 points, eight boards, two blocks, and a steal this season while shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor. Most fantasy owners will certainly take those digits from their second center.
Joel Przybilla, Trail BlazersThis journeyman center emerged over the second half of the 2004-05 campaign and…wait, that's not quite accurate. "Exploded" might be a more proper verb. The Vanilla Gorilla posted a few random, interesting stat lines during his days in Milwaukee and Atlanta, but nothing prepared us for his 59.8 shooting percentage and post-All-Star averages of 8.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks. Apparently teammate Theo Ratliff rubbed off on the former ninth overall pick because he's suddenly one of the league's elite shot-blockers. Przybilla's confidence is rising, his conditioning is at an all time high (thanks to boxing lessons and a personal trainer), and he's angling for a fat contract at the end of the year. In other words, all the right pieces are in place for Joel to help fantasy clubs and to prove that last year was not a fluke.
Kurt Thomas, SunsThomas has been a helpful fantasy center for the past four seasons, but he's basically a boring-but-dependable player – not the type of guy teams will reach for on draft day. However, Thomas is now starting for the Amare Stoudemire-less Suns, and the bump in numbers could turn him into a top-10 center. Kurt averaged 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds last season, and the run-and-gun style led by Steve Nash will lead to Thomas pouring in 13-15 points and grabbing 11 boards. Combine those stats with another season of roughly one steal and one block, two assists, 47 percent from the floor, and 80 percent from the line, and Thomas is starting to look like a poor man's version of Brad Miller.
Nenad Krstic, NetsThe Nets offer up the All-Star trio of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson, and few fantasy owners bother to think past those three. However, they actually field a useful big man as well. Krstic posted 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in his rookie campaign, but one needs to dig deeper than the front page to see the upside. The then-21-year-old bumped up to 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds after the All-Star break, and he averaged 18.3 points and 7.5 rebounds during the playoff loss to the Heat. Krstic also shot 53.4 percent from the field and 75.0 percent at the line following the break. Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson have all been praising the young big man this preseason, the point guard is asking him to shoot more, and head coach Lawrence Frank is running some plays through Nenad. If he continues to build on last season's progression, Krstic could deliver a solid line of 13 points, eight boards, two assists, and one block while shooting well over 50 percent from the field and 75 percent at the stripe.
Samuel Dalembert, 76ersWe can't pretend that this selection doesn't come with some degree of trepidation and irritation. Slammin' Sammy has been in this article before and let us down, but we're going back to the well once again. Dalembert's stats refused to improve from 2003-04 to 2004-05, and he actually dropped from 2.3 to 1.7 blocks per night. So why do we like him? Sammy stepped up his play in the postseason, averaging 11.6 points and 12.8 rebounds over 38.4 minutes against the Pistons, which suggests he can be a double-double force when given enough burn, and we believe his minutes will increase this season. The Sixers paid Dalembert big money (six years, $60-70 million) to anchor their frontline, and they did not re-sign Marc Jackson, who started 23 games and averaged 24.4 minutes last season. Those two transactions suggest Sammy will move from 24.8 minutes up to over 30 per night, and his stats will grow with the floor time.
Tyson Chandler, BullsThe franchise broke apart their would-be dynamic frontcourt duo when they traded away Eddy Curry earlier this month, and the transaction opened up an opportunity for Chandler to move over to center. He may not qualify at the pivot to open the season (talk about a sleeper, huh?), but he's been starting at center throughout the preseason and should be eligible there early in the campaign. Chandler averaged 8.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals last season, and an increase in minutes (from 27.4 last season) and a projected bigger role on the offensive end of the court will see Tyson move up to 11-10-2-1 this season.
Zaza Pachulia, HawksThe Hawks were thin at the pivot even before the tragic death of Jason Collier, and Pachulia is now the senior center on the roster. How sad is that? Pachulia is working on his third team in three seasons, and the 21-year-old big man that nobody wants will see 25-30 minutes by default. He averaged 29.5 minutes in four starts last season and posted 6.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks. Those stats aren't terribly impressive, but Zaza has bumped up his stats to 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds this preseason. He's the least trustworthy and deepest sleeper on this list, but fantasy owners scrambling late in their drafts can at least bank on the fact that hustling Pachulia will see plenty of clock and do his best to make the most of his minutes.
by Ted Carlson - Senior Editor, Fanball.com
Friday, October 21, 2005
Center is usually the toughest position to fill in fantasy basketball, especially in leagues which require teams to employ two pivots. Sure, life is easy if you grab Shaq or Yao early in your draft, but the center rankings run thin after the top eight or so big men. And it certainly doesn't help when the Association's best fantasy center – Amare Stoudemire – undergoes knee surgery and plummets down the rankings.
Thus, fantasy owners often need to dig a little deeper at this position and research otherwise boring players. For instance, those teams that did their homework last year were able to uncover useful guys like Mehmet Okur and Primoz Brezec, both of whom provided around 13 points and 7.5 boards. Yawn, right? Well, those squads weren't hurting as much as the clubs who overpaid for stiffs like Mark Blount or Erick Dampier.
Before we reach the list, we need to address a pivot who didn't quite fit the "sleeper" description. Jamaal Magloire was an All-Star two seasons ago, but injuries limited the Hornet to 23 games last year. Magloire played all 82 contests in 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04, and we believe he'll bounce back to being a solid, double-double big man with decent blocks and shooting percentages. Fantasy owners should use his last healthy season as an example of what we're projecting.
ADVERTISEMENT
[-71725]
Brendan Haywood, WizardsThe former Tar Heel is entering his fifth season in the Association, and he's finally making an impact on the fantasy radar. Haywood averaged career-highs in minutes (27.4), points (9.4), rebounds (6.8), blocks (1.7), steals (0.8), and field-goal percentage (56.0) last season, and his numbers improved even more during the Wizards two postseason series. Head coach Eddie Jordan wants Haywood too become a bigger part of the offense this season, and it's not a stretch to see Brendan averaging 12 points, eight boards, two blocks, and a steal this season while shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor. Most fantasy owners will certainly take those digits from their second center.
Joel Przybilla, Trail BlazersThis journeyman center emerged over the second half of the 2004-05 campaign and…wait, that's not quite accurate. "Exploded" might be a more proper verb. The Vanilla Gorilla posted a few random, interesting stat lines during his days in Milwaukee and Atlanta, but nothing prepared us for his 59.8 shooting percentage and post-All-Star averages of 8.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks. Apparently teammate Theo Ratliff rubbed off on the former ninth overall pick because he's suddenly one of the league's elite shot-blockers. Przybilla's confidence is rising, his conditioning is at an all time high (thanks to boxing lessons and a personal trainer), and he's angling for a fat contract at the end of the year. In other words, all the right pieces are in place for Joel to help fantasy clubs and to prove that last year was not a fluke.
Kurt Thomas, SunsThomas has been a helpful fantasy center for the past four seasons, but he's basically a boring-but-dependable player – not the type of guy teams will reach for on draft day. However, Thomas is now starting for the Amare Stoudemire-less Suns, and the bump in numbers could turn him into a top-10 center. Kurt averaged 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds last season, and the run-and-gun style led by Steve Nash will lead to Thomas pouring in 13-15 points and grabbing 11 boards. Combine those stats with another season of roughly one steal and one block, two assists, 47 percent from the floor, and 80 percent from the line, and Thomas is starting to look like a poor man's version of Brad Miller.
Nenad Krstic, NetsThe Nets offer up the All-Star trio of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson, and few fantasy owners bother to think past those three. However, they actually field a useful big man as well. Krstic posted 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in his rookie campaign, but one needs to dig deeper than the front page to see the upside. The then-21-year-old bumped up to 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds after the All-Star break, and he averaged 18.3 points and 7.5 rebounds during the playoff loss to the Heat. Krstic also shot 53.4 percent from the field and 75.0 percent at the line following the break. Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson have all been praising the young big man this preseason, the point guard is asking him to shoot more, and head coach Lawrence Frank is running some plays through Nenad. If he continues to build on last season's progression, Krstic could deliver a solid line of 13 points, eight boards, two assists, and one block while shooting well over 50 percent from the field and 75 percent at the stripe.
Samuel Dalembert, 76ersWe can't pretend that this selection doesn't come with some degree of trepidation and irritation. Slammin' Sammy has been in this article before and let us down, but we're going back to the well once again. Dalembert's stats refused to improve from 2003-04 to 2004-05, and he actually dropped from 2.3 to 1.7 blocks per night. So why do we like him? Sammy stepped up his play in the postseason, averaging 11.6 points and 12.8 rebounds over 38.4 minutes against the Pistons, which suggests he can be a double-double force when given enough burn, and we believe his minutes will increase this season. The Sixers paid Dalembert big money (six years, $60-70 million) to anchor their frontline, and they did not re-sign Marc Jackson, who started 23 games and averaged 24.4 minutes last season. Those two transactions suggest Sammy will move from 24.8 minutes up to over 30 per night, and his stats will grow with the floor time.
Tyson Chandler, BullsThe franchise broke apart their would-be dynamic frontcourt duo when they traded away Eddy Curry earlier this month, and the transaction opened up an opportunity for Chandler to move over to center. He may not qualify at the pivot to open the season (talk about a sleeper, huh?), but he's been starting at center throughout the preseason and should be eligible there early in the campaign. Chandler averaged 8.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals last season, and an increase in minutes (from 27.4 last season) and a projected bigger role on the offensive end of the court will see Tyson move up to 11-10-2-1 this season.
Zaza Pachulia, HawksThe Hawks were thin at the pivot even before the tragic death of Jason Collier, and Pachulia is now the senior center on the roster. How sad is that? Pachulia is working on his third team in three seasons, and the 21-year-old big man that nobody wants will see 25-30 minutes by default. He averaged 29.5 minutes in four starts last season and posted 6.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks. Those stats aren't terribly impressive, but Zaza has bumped up his stats to 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds this preseason. He's the least trustworthy and deepest sleeper on this list, but fantasy owners scrambling late in their drafts can at least bank on the fact that hustling Pachulia will see plenty of clock and do his best to make the most of his minutes.