Friends in fast breaks,
Let's hit some critical items for the next couple weeks, I'll be harping on these repeatedly.
1) Our "second half" pools start January 12th! There's a Survivor, Weekly Pick'em, and Wins Battle with $4,000 in prizes. Then we have two Playoffs pools for $2,500 in prizes. There's a lot more basketball and prizes coming! Make sure you're in >>
2) NBA Squads lock on Jan 12th with the start of our H2 Pools. Squads are a way to play in our pools with your friends and win BONUS prizes together for every pool we run. Get three friends in a Pool, add them to your NBA Squad, and you're elgible! We give out Prizes to pool champ's Squad, as well as the Squad with the best combined Top 3 scores. There are only 6 eligible NBA Squads (out of 19) right now, so get some easy money just for playing with your friends!
3) Get $10 for each new NBA referral! Send your friends your referral link, have them buy the NBA Bundle, and you'll get $10 for each of them. They must be a new user (join after 12/21). Add them to your NBA Squad from #2 and get even more cash.
4) Who do you want added to NBA Points One-And-Done? As stated in our rules, we're going to evaluate adding players to the pool after Week 11 for the second half. The goal is to add any high-performing players that didn't make the original roster. I may add none, we won't add more than ten. I'll be evaluating over the next few weeks, but I'm happy to consider requested player from you all. You can submit them in a pick comment or email gm@theszn.com.
WEEK 9 PICKS
- Points One-And-Done
- Survivor #1
- "All 30" One-And-Done
The GM AWARDS
Rewarding whatever random things I feel like. Feel free to suggest topics!
Most History-est NBA Game (for us) - DET @ BKN
It's really here. Having lost 25 straight, DET faces history in our game slate on Saturday. If they lose to BKN, that'll be their record-tying 26th straight loss. Are they going to play extra hard and avoid infamy? Or are we going to get treated to a masterful display of incompetency?
Biggest Trade Piece - D. Mitchell
About a week ago, everyone assumed Z. Lavine was the biggest trade target of the season, even if the demand has been tepid at best. But with the injury-implosion of the Cavs (D. Garland's broken jaw and E. Mobley's knee surgery) and his non-committal nature to re-signing, there's now a ton of rumbling that trading now would maximize CLE's return and allow them to take a "light tank" year to consolidate and pick a new way forward.
Healthiest Surprise - K. Leonard
I realize this is textbook jinx-ery. But I swear there's no world where I though Kawhi would have played basically every game so far. Does he have his health right? Is it the anti-resting policy? Are George, Harden, and Westbrook enough to lighten his load? I don't care the reason, the NBA is best when great players like Kawhi are actually on the court.
PICK STATS
Walking Bucket Wilt OAD
- D. Booker snags our top spot this week with 39 picks
- 26+ points in this list 6 games, no Beal, no problem
- Right behind are S. Curry (38 picks), J. Brunson (35), and D. Lillard (30)
- Not going to lie, I thought J. Morant's return would net him more picks
- First time properly available to us
- 34 points in his first game back
- But to be fair, he's at the bottom of the pick list since he didn't have a PPG available when the week was opened
- Maybe next week is his big week of being picked
- Interesting low volume picks: S. Barnes (1 pick), P. Siakam (1), S. Henderson (1)
- Raps getting no love out here
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- Big dogs D. Mitchell at 72.2% and J. Embiid at 71.9%
- S. Curry at 69%, nice
- Probably a while until Beal moves up from his 2 uses
Survivor #1
- Status check
- 71 of you are still flawless (no wrong picks)
- 106 of you have missed once, but are still kicking
- 165 of us are eliminated and awaiting Survivor #2
- GSW absolutely smashing the field with 101 picks
- A majority pick (57%) for us
- We have to pray J. Poole doesn't know - He's had a couple competent games recently...
- HOU is our second most picked with 24
- Hilarious after the last three years to see them up here
- DAL is decimated, with no Luka or Kyrie
- This looks like a CLASSIC trap game
- 3 picks on UTA, that's MOXIE!
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- This only looks at picks from alive players in the pool
- This week catapults GSW into 1st with 77.4% usage
- PHI next up with 75.7%
- Now looking at 8 teams with over 50% usage
"All 30" One-And-Done
- GSW dominates here too, with 95 picks
- NOT a majority pick though, because there's no elimination here
- Still tiny volume elsewhere: PHI (16 picks), DEN (14), HOU (14)
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- GSW flies up the board to 62% usage from 20.5%, ridiculous
- No other team over 50% just yet
- Lowest usage is 8 picks for both DET and OKC
BEST PICK COMMENTS
@yankevin (T. Herro, Z. Williamson): "Yo"
GM says: Hi 👋👋👋
@RedEd4 (HOU, Survivor #1): "Rockets to the moon! Well, at least tonight "
GM says: People having expectations of my team... it's been so long
@YikesVikes (D. Booker, D. Lillard): "No Bucking the trend: Lillard has a strong case as the second-best three-point shooter of all time. Even if you don’t want to give Lillard that claim, you’d have to acknowledge he’s close. And Lillard says: “Devin Booker is my favorite player.” So gotta go with him too!"
GM says: I love when players give us direct quotes for our comments, not other media people
@StatCzar (MIL, All 30): "Do you think whenever the Pistons finally win again that they’ll have the same reaction to a win as Santa and the m&m’s had to each other?..they do exist!"
GM says: This one is ALSO better than the Corona palm tree commercial 👀
@Logan2273 (K. Kuzma, D. DeRozan): "Missed last week :( so semi punt here and targeting a third interval win"
GM says: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - TheGM
@RedEd4 (J. Brunson, K. Porzingis): "The wheel has spoken...so far this wheel has SUCKED!!!!!!!"
GM says: Can I interest you in a new set of wheels? It's an amazing deal, buy 3 get 1 free!
@kbanaian (GSW, Survivor #1): "Poozma West Coast swing continues…"
GM says: Can we be real? Half the Poozma duo has looked great. The other half has shown some recent flashes. Real question is do they keep looking like POOzma or figure things out?
@GiantDukieHowserJones (GSW, All 30): "Hurry, Curry, Bury Wizzie"
GM says: Poozma and the Wizzies
@Sooser21 (GSW, Survivor #1): "Dubs"
GM says: You're just trying to stack'em by picking them
@Logan2273 (GSW, Survivor #1): "There are a plethora of truly awful teams this year. It’s making it easy to pick so far, but I’m sure I’ll be burnt eventually"
GM says: At least you acknowledge the possibility. A lot of supposedly invincible pickers out there!
@Logan2273 (GSW, All 30): "Just have to dodge the Jordan Poole revenge game. With Draymond suspended I think we’ll be ok"
GM says: Or does Draymond being out mean Poole feels safe on the court???
@BigDaddy (BKN, All 30): "Seems like a safe choice, but one never knoes when picking a NYC squad. Bridges can take over any game he plays, but has also disappointed in the past. Go Nets!! 🏀⛹️♀️🧑🎄🌲🎅"
GM says: Merry Christmas BigDaddy!
Yours in Roundball Rock,
The GM