Why You Suckas Got to Do What is Right

I am telling you now and how. What you need to do is sign up for your cbs.sportsline.com league. The draft has been set for 10/17 at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard. If there are any problems, this early date can be pushed back. The Season starts on 10/30. Let me say it now, so you'all can be sure you seez it with yours own eyes; What is right is as follows:

Serious Playas have been effect since the '02-'03 season. We have had some years without the Razor Sharp Shaman, and some years without the Gild Wisdom of the Dah Dock Surratt. But here comes the facts, so put on your spectacles and gaze:

THE SERIOUS PLAYAS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON CBS.SPORTSLINE.COM AND THAT IS WHERE THE SERIOUS PLAYAS WILL STAY.

We can experiment with nba.com/fantasy, but for Nature's sake, Sign up for the cbs league. THE PASSWORD IS: presidio.


Do what is right. Do not be a fool. Time has no kindness for being a fool.
Da Kloos is with you all. Now, get with what he sez.

His Realness,
The Khwan

Calling all playas!

With October fast approaching, time to sound the drums and call the band of bros to arms.

shaman, Cruel Bastion, Nicky, Demott, and myself have signed up. that's five.

Then we've got some AWOL cats.

The Kloos needs to sign up, in whatever incarnation, as well the good Dr. Surratt and the trusty, stoutly-named Concord Lynch. That would be eight. I've emailed the Kloos but I've misplaced the emails to Surratt and Lynch. We need to be in touch with them pronto.

So, what about Reed "Green Wave" Edwards, Bad DNA, and Mike "Showtime" McCoy? That would bring us to eleven.

Those of you sitting on emails for these fellows, give them a heads up! Direct them to the blog or to shaman, or send them an invite directly.

If any of these guys is going to sit the season out for whatever reason, which I hope is not the case, we should know ASAP so that we can enlist a knowledgable fellow to take a slot.

Let's get these guys in the league sooner the better.

MA

Weekly Lineup Rules!

Inevitably a daily transaction league favors those who can devote the most attention to it and thus does not accurately reflect a hierarchy of acumen that I think the Serious Playas has always been about. "Who is the most serious playa?" as distinct from "Who is the most active player?" Clearly, active players can better navigate the NBA winds of PT and injuries, but who must they ditch in order to play the hot hand. For myself, I always think I'm overly active as a manager and consciously try to curb my transactions each year, but each year I always drop someone I should have kept or fail to pickup someone I should have dropped someone for. And this propensity will only be magnified by a league that allows daily transactions. I always like to believe that a cool and steady handed manager (The Cruelest comes to mind as someone who truly sticks with his drafted guns for better or for worse) always has a chance to do well in this league while i think in a daily transactions league, shaman most likely will school us all or that, in a vain attempt to keep up with him, each of us becomes so involved with daily NBA flutterings that girlfriends start getting jealous, dishes pile up in the sink, sleep is lost, etc. I mean you don't want LeBron to chew his fingernails down to the nub and you lose him for 3 weeks.

So, i vote "yea" for weekly lineups. And damn that Sportsline default Verdana font just looks so damn good.

Uh Oh

Draft order will be determined by the order we sign-up??? Not sure how the folks are gonna feel about that, shaman. Daily transactions? I'd like to hear what the word is there. I know guys like Kloos piss and moan ad infinitum when they se-up their line-ups nd then someone gets hurt, but christ, the season is long, and lord knows that half of the owners are not going to be assiduous about tweaking their line-ups every single day, or well enough in advance that they don't even think about complications from when they drop a player and stuff. agh. weekly ersus daily transactions. you got guys like cruel bastion and Doc Surratt, the one flies business trips and the other treats the infirm. How are they gonna stay on top of daily transactions? I'm starting to feel the stress about moving way from the cozy familiarity of Sportsline. I can't even change my owner handle, or leave the league and re-sign up! hm.

Hey, Ladies!!!!

What's happening, fellows? This NBA offseason has been as crazy as ever, what with the Celtics poised to return to some measure of glory, the referee score-fixing scandal, Stephon Marbury going on about how he happily screws MSG interns in his SUV, and Greg Oden being introduced to us and then unceremoniously shelved for the season after microfracture surgery. Sigh. As one close friend of mine recently put it, it's as though Eddie Griffin's tragic passing in an August car accident was somehow allegorical. A crazy offseason indeed, which only promises further craziness once the season gets under way.

Our man Shane "shaman" Moore has taken the initiative to set something up at NBA.com's fantasy station:

http://www.nba.com/fantasy/

The game is called NBA Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner, and I have to admit that on the face of things it looks like it kicks ass. It's apparently "fully customizable" and free. I wonder if shaman has taken any liberties with the customization.... and if not, whether he should. Here's some of the features they indicate on the site:

FREE Keeper Leagues (Private only)
Rotisserie, Points-Based or Head-to-Head
Free Live Scoring
Five draft types, including Live and E-mail
Fully customizable rosters and scoring
Co-Owner option
Six waiver types, including Auction

"Auction"?? I even read someplace that we can even trade picks? That sounds far out. I wanna hear it from the mouth of shaman, whom I hope will soon be posting here, along with all y'all.

Bottom line: let's bring it in and discuss, fellas. And once we've determined everything is in order.... well, we all know it helps to have everyone signed up well in advance of the draft, right?

Shaman has set the following up, FYI:

League Name: Serious Playas at NBA.com
League Password: presidio

You can sign in here: http://ufc2.nba.com/signup/nba/invite_league.asp?product=351&league=37673

Hey, shaman, any word on the featrures? Is there anything to discuss, or have you already set-up the league for maximum mayhem?!?!?!

One love,
MA

P.S. I'm gonna have to change my handle this year, mix it up a bit. Don't be concerned if you don't see the Concatenation signed up for the league, I'll be aboard 100%.

Garnett, what? Who else?

So the C's are Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins as starters...

then Scalabrine, Tony Allen, Leon Powe (last year's 2nd rd) as
the only other signed players.

Then likely rookies PF Big Baby Davis (LSU), combo G Gabe Pruitt
(Southern Cal), 3/4 blocks man Brandon Wallace (South Carolina) as
signed rookies. That's still only 11 players.

Free agent Michael Olowokandi might reup if only for nostalgia
purposes, after all he's the only guy left from the Ricky Davis trade
that eventually landed them Ray Allen. Wait... what? Strange but
true.

But still only 12 players.

That leaves three more spots for quality NBDLers and other unsigned
college players and with more than half of their roster (8 out of 15)
still first or second year players, the youth movement is still on in
Beantown only this time without all of the unfounded hype (Green,
Telfair, etc.) and this time the kids might learn something from the
starters. He's already anticipated this trade by adding two big men (one HUGE and bulky, the other LONG and lean) and a point guard from the college ranks.





&





Up until now, I've hounded Ainge because of the Telfair trade, the Ricky Davis trade, pretty much everything he's done except the young talent he's drafted. But now it's all crystal clear. That running through all his lineup shuffles last year was merely to showcase the potential of his roster, not to win! If he had shelved Telfair like he should have, he'd have absolutely no value. And besides, the Telfair trade wasn't really about Telfair at all. It was about acquiring the expiring contract of Theo Ratliff. Brilliant! Now, he's got three or four roster spots to scour the available talent pool, and this after one of the deepest drafts in recorded memory thanks to Stern's anti-teen stance.

Question is: Who might these additions be? And remember... The Celtics are just under the cap with the GAP at $20m per annum or so each. So, you're looking at rookies, NBDLers, and veterans willing to sign for the minimum.

As currently constructed post-Garnett trade, the roster as listed:

20 Ray Allen G 6-5 205 07/20/1975 Connecticut 11 42 Tony Allen G 6-4 213 01/11/1982 Oklahoma State 3 11 Glen Davis ** F 6-9 289 01/01/1986 Louisiana State R 5 Kevin Garnett F 6-11 253 05/19/1976 Farragut Academy HS (IL) 12 41 Michael Olowokandi (FA) C 7-0 270 04/03/1975 U. of Pacific 9 43 Kendrick Perkins C 6-10 280 11/10/1984 Clifton J. Ozen HS (TX) 4 34 Paul Pierce F-G 6-6 230 10/13/1977 Kansas 9 0 Leon Powe F 6-8 240 01/22/1984 California 1 13 Gabe Pruitt ** G 6-4 170 04/19/1986 USC R 9 Rajon Rondo G 6-1 171 02/22/1986 Kentucky 1 44 Brian Scalabrine F 6-9 235 03/18/1978 USC 6 8 Brandon Wallace F 6-9 203 South Carolina R
So the roster sports a good mix of length height speed and bulk as is. Where it lacks is point guard play, particularly as there is no veteran presence at the point, and maybe some youthful wingmen and a veteran center. Let's look at the available point guards Ainge is considering: Point guards: 1) GARY PAYTON He's already demonstrated an affinity for this historic organization. But having already won a championship with the Heat, is he willing to pimp himself out again? Seems like this will be up to the Heat... if they don't end up signing him and the Smush Parker signing validates this question, he may well end up signing here for the exception. 2) BREVIN KNIGHT Quietly a top-10 PG in steals AND assists while he's healthy, Knight has recently been released by the Charlotte Bobcats in order to reserve as much burn for the development of Latta, SC hero Raymond Felton. Given that he's an expansion draft winner (though not as much as his recently maxed out former teammate Gerald Wallace) and is just coming off his first big contract, I doubt Brevin will want to sign for the minimum just to back up another young up and comer in RR, but he would be the perfect baron for the C's Rail Road. 3) TRE KELLEY Despite suffering a severe ankle sprain with 10-15 games to go in the season, Kelley was the top scorer in the toughest league in college basketball last year. Oh, you have to ask? The SEC of course. Seems like a solid fit here for Prof. Ainge who's bet heavily on the SEC by picking up the top two centers from last year's league and the top PG, in Rondo, from the year before that. Plus, Kelley is a man who managed to average more than 5 assists on a team that finished under .500 and really only had Brandon Wallace as an offensive target. And he's known primarily for his blocks and rebounding. In fact, the Gamecock team was so thin in 06-07 and lacked any veteran presence except for its two seniors, that Brandon Wallace actually ran point for about 3 or 4 games while a severely-injured Kelley recupaterated on the bench and at the 2. What's that? Isn't that the guy the Celtics just signed? That's right, folks. For the second straight year, the first free agent signed after the 2nd round has been from the University of South Carolina. Last year Memphis signed Tarence Kinsey just after the draft, expecting him to sit on the inactive list or NBDL squad for the year, only to watch him explode for 20 ppg as a starter in the last quarter of the year. Even if they do pick up a vet at the 1, this is a solid move for the Celtics or any team. But of course, I'm biased, just look at my post on Renaldo Balkman last year. 4) KEITH MCLEOD I don't know much about McLeod but he is another journeyman PG who can be called on to start when your "future" is injured and probably can give any NBA player a tough time in practice. Probably could be had for the minimum due to The GAP Factor. I'd pick him below 1 and 2 on this list but you're gonna need a veteran PG for this team any way possible and if it's gonna be McLeod well then that's who it will have to be. Sharpshooters / Wing Men: 1) EDDIE HOUSE If anybody can shoot when he's wide open, Eddie is it, as he often demonstrated with the Suns draining wide open 3 after wide open 3 thanks to Nash D'Antoni & Co. Unfortunately, the Nets never had the talent to spread the floor like that (despite their wishes) so Eddie flopped. In Boston, he could serve as the Jason Kapono or the Dale Ellis that he has always strived to be. But even better, cause Eddie's got flair - he averaged nearly 23 ppg his sr year at Arizona State so if the bombs don't drop he can go and get em in the paint by driving 1 on 1. What - you're gonna double team Eddie House? 2) MATT BARNES He's probably a better fit for the Warriors, but this is the kind of guy that the Celtics don't have (that is unless Brandon Wallace can make an impact earlier than expected and by the looks of his former teammate Renaldo Balkman that may happen). Available to spell anyone 2 through 4, Barnes has range on his jumper, a long wingspan, an inhuman leaping ability, and a nose for the ball known only by those who have had to work hard to get their deserves in this league! (Hark hark Sebastian Telfair!). I'd expect Barnes to earn a bit more than the minimum on his upcoming contract, though, given his role in the Greatest Upset of ALL TIME. (Note to Cuban: PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BUY THE CUBS!!!) 3) JAMES POSEY & EDDIE JONES One of these guys is likely to stay with the Heat, the other not. I'm betting it's Jones that stays given the orgyfest the Heat have with their former superstars. Plus, Posey has been incredibly underwhelming for the amount of money he has commanded the past couple of years (nearly $6m). If he gets that kind of money again, he's definitely not headed toward the C's. Big men: 1) DIKEMBE MUTOMBO 2) CHRIS WEBBER These are some guys that need a ring and don't give a hoot about how much money they make though both of them seem to be in the best situation they could possibly be in, with Mutombo guaranteed a minimum of 15-20 games starting per year due to the inevitable Yao injury and Webber seeking redemption in his hometown for his ill-fated Fab Five timeout and NCAA violations. But Gollum, we know the lure of the ring, don't we precious? What used to be called the Laker Effect in the Shaq/Kobe Era will now be called the Celtic Effect or rather the Boston media will gloss it over and call it old school CELTIC PRIDE. Who do they stand to lure in the next few years with this triumvirate? Seriously, if anybody knows next year's expiring contracts, post them in a comment here. But seems Ainge has set himself up for the next 3-4 years, maybe even a 5-6 year window of winning the championship (or a few) with these guys. And that's really all you can ask for as a fan. But Danny can't let up yet. I think it will be critical to this team's success who these four bench players end up being and who they can add to their NBDL roster to anticipate future roster needs on the cheap. They are a lot of four-year seniors, discarded vets, international players and seasoned NBDLers out there who just want a chance. It takes a good GM to find those players and I think Ainge has a knack for it. To quote the now squarely under pressure Doc Rivers: "We're thin. Clearly, we need a little more help. But it's sure better talking about shoring up the bench than talking about shoring up the starting lineup."

G