Friends in fast breaks,
Trade season in full effect. We got OG/IQ/RJ last week. Then we got the DET/WAS trade that is a head scratcher. Now we got Siakim in Indy. Let's revel in just a bit more chaos in the final ~3 weeks we've got.
WEEK 13 PICKS
- Points One-And-Done
- Survivor #1
- "All 30" One-And-Done
- Survivor #2
- Weekly Pick'em
The GM AWARDS
Rewarding whatever random things I feel like. Feel free to suggest topics!
H1 Best Surprise (Team) - MIN
With the way season 1 of the Gobert trade went down, there's just no way you expected this kind of performance coming into the season. They've already held the 1 seed longer during this season than all past seasons combined. Incredible follow through.
H1 Worst Surprise (Team) - GSW
They moved Poole out for the vibes. They brought in CP3 to stabilize the second unit. But Draymond can't keep his hands off other players, CP3 is hurt (surprise!), and things just aren't pretty for anyone on the team.
H1 Best Surprise (Player) - Scottie Barnes
After a surprising sophomore slump, TOR doubled down, shipped out the aging teammates, and put Barnes in front. Scoring up, rebounding up, assists up, 3P% up. Now they've got him surrounded by younger talent and look to be in a good position for their retooling.
H1 Worst Surprise (Player) - Mikal Bridges
I was so ready for All Star Bridges. At the end of last year, he was looking INCREDIBLE as a first option. Not necessarily going to win a lot of games, but 26/5/3 with solid defense is an admirable start when you have to blow up a super team. But this season, his stats have generally taken a decent decline. Is it too tough being that first option? Is he dragging for some reason? I'm not sure, but I'm sad we're not getting the glow up we glimpsed last year.
PICK STATS
Points OAD
- Buzz Boys represent! L. Ball and T. Rozier both in the top three most picked this week
- LaMelo got 66 picks and Scary Terry got 34
- That's a huge showing for a team that's been... pretty bad this year
- Our other big pick: J. Randle (47 picks)
- Interesting low volume picks: S. Barnes (1) and C. Johnson (1)
- Ignore my Barnes compliments above, he's only one-pick-good
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- 11 players over 70% usage, with two others RIGHT below
- C. Thomas didn't pull through last week, so they remain unused
- C. White next lowest at 3 picks
Survivor #1
- Status check
- 45 of you are still flawless (no wrong picks)
- 64 of you have missed once, but are still kicking
- LAL takes the top spot with 25 picks
- BKN isn't scaring us
- Neither is LAL's .500 record
- Our other big picks are NYK, MIL, CHI, and CHA
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- Only looking at picks form alive players
- GSW at 91.7% usage, crazy
- 8 teams over 70% usage
- DET still the only unused team (understandable)
"All 30" One-And-Done
- There we go, differences!
- NYK on top with 28 picks
- Followed by CHA and WAS both at 27 picks each
- Then CHI and MIL with 25 picks each
- THEN you get our S#1 leader, LAL, with 19 picks
- I love seeing 50+ picks on teams below .500, that's what we're about baby!
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- TOR stays our least used team at 18 picks
- 7 teams are over 50% usage, with several just below
Survivor #2
- MIL on top here by a huge margin with 86 picks
- Followed by CHI, LAL, CHA, and MIA, IND
- Definitely some more conservative play here
- And the way we diverge from both S#1 and All 30 is intriguing
- Digging into the Golden Spreadsheet...
- Only looking at alive players here
- It's a young pool, so lots to develop here
- MIL is easily our most used, with so many picks coming this week
- Slightly beating out last weeks big picks of MIN and HOU
Weekly Pick'em
- The DAL @ GSW was postponed due to the unfortunate passing of a GSW coach
- The game won't be completed this weekend, and so will be removed from the slate now that picks are closed
- We've got 2 close matchups
- UTA @ HOU - 53.7% for HOU
- PHX @ NOP - 54.8% for NOP
- We've got 4 lopsided matchups
- ATL @ MIA - 92.2% for MIA
- PHI @ CHA - 93.5% for PHI
- TOR @ NYK - 94.6% for NYK
- MIL @ DET - 98.6% for MIL
- That leaves 9 games in the "middle"
- I feel like too many people missed that Wemby is out tonight, SAS @ CHA should be for more tipped towards CHA
- 4 brave pickers on DET, love you moxielicious people
- With only 15 games, we think we're getting a perfect week?
- Feels believable, but there's a handful of bad team matchups that could go either way and muck things up for a perfect slate
BEST PICK COMMENTS
@kbanaian (L. James, L. Ball): "Thanks for the emergency call on Irving. "
GM says: We try and save people out here! Call here is metaphorical to be clear, it was an email. I'm not calling you about picks
@kbanaian (MIL, All 30): "Looking for 10 minutes of the other Antetokoumpo tonight."
GM says: Thanasis has some of the best "how is this guy signed" lowlights I've ever seen.
@Rodgers_is_dead_to_me (LAL, Survivor #1): "Hopefully desperation breeds victory, as the Lakers look as lost as those Cowboys against my Packers on Sunday! Bahahahahaha!!!!"
GM says: Asking the Lakers to come through for you - A bold choice based on gestures to their past few years
@kbanaian (MIL, Survivor #2): "There are almost always 2 games where one of SAS, DET, WAS or CHA are playing a team well over .500. I’m taking one of those each week. "
GM says: But I heard MIL was a "disaster oh no they messed up". Wait, still the second seed? Hmmm
@Logan2273 (IND, Survivor #1): "Hoping this thing is over before I have to pick Charlotte, not sure if it's a good strategy"
GM says: The Charlotte Buzz Bois are a certified NBA team.
@kbanaian (Weekly Pick'em): "Wait! Two Spurs games on this schedule? And two Hornets games? And they play each other? The very definition of the Poopfecta. "
GM says: If you don't like that, you don't like Spurnets basketball!
@YikesVikes (J. Brown, K. Towns): "Down Towns Brown & what else is there to say? Brown's versatility makes him flexible at various positions, while Towns presents as a one-way center. A Brown-Towns swap would make the Celtics more one-dimensional and the Wolfs would be stupid to do it. No swap just togetherness for this weeks most points. "
GM says: Need Jaylen to get hyphenated so they play more alike. We'll use his middle name. Jaylen-Marselles Browns. That's better.
@GiantDukieHowserJones (WAS, All 30): "Dunno why- gotta feelin That da Wizards Get by "
GM says: YES YES YES! PICK IN THE TANK BOWLS!
@Logan2273 (IND, Survivor #2): "Need to reevaluate after taking an L week 1 smh"
GM says: Back against the wall, be brave!
@schm0869 (A. Edwards, L. Ball): "I keep forgetting to mention the week I picked Williamson and Irving and they got me 22 points. As always, F*** Duke!"
GM says: You hear that Duke? We're tired of your past players being doo doo a couple weeks back!
@JeremyBailey (LAL, All 30): "yes"
GM says: But what if no???
@Rthecity (J. Brunson, D. DeRozan): "Bryan Colangelo and the BURNER is an All-Time NBA story. I need the The Burner Brunson to go off in his honor."
GM says: Brunson Burner is a top tier nickname, shout out chemistry class!
@morea1ms (SAS, Survivor #2): "Washington or San Antonio are a must pick to win....may as well get it out of the way. GO WIZARDS!"
GM says: You're heavily invested in two different tank bowls. I admire your dedication.
@Logan2273 (NYK, All 30): "Hopefully I avoid the Raptors revenge here"
GM says: RJ Barrett 50 point game incoming!
@YikesVikes (Weekly Pick'em): "Time I push my Wolfs: These aren’t your older brother’s Timberwolves. Minnesota might own the award for biggest surprise among contenders. Wasn’t it just a year ago when they were assailed for the Rudy Gobert trade and projected to be, at best, a mid team this season? Well, that noise died quickly. Instead, the Wolves have the league’s No. 1 defense, are blessed with a healthy Karl-Anthony Towns (unlike last season) and are led by the still-rising Anthony Edwards. They’ve beaten the Nuggets, Celtics, 76ers, Thunder and the LA Clippers."
GM says: Can all my Wolfs fans get an AWOOOOO
@Logan2273 (D. Vassell, B. Bogdanovic): "Still punting until interval 3, but get to take some number 2 guys without their number 1. Maybe one of them has a career night"
GM says: B4 you get lock those picks in, think about the 5 Ds of Dodgeball: Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, and... Dodge. Now get out of here, you make me 6.
Yours in Roundball Rock,
The GM