I woke up this morning to sunny skies. Haven’t seen that for a while. Shortly thereafter I went to the window and this is what I saw.

Then I did what I normally do when I wake up: check how my team performed the night before. When I went to bed, I was up 6-2 with my matchup against The Mighty. When I saw the standings, I had slipped to being down 3-5.

To top things off, Jason Terry is still going off. What a shitty day. (And now it’s snowing for real.)

It makes me feel bad, in a way (maybe), to keep hammering on Mr. Light’s ineptitude.  Circumstances, however, have forced me to provide an update on Mr. Jason Terry, the player who was drafted with the 81st pick (for a league in which 130 players are rostered at all times),  and then was contemptuously thrown under the bus by Mr. Ray Light before he had played a single game.

Terry’s Wednesday night performance alone could have prompted this posting:  31 points, on 62% FG-shooting, 75% FT-shooting, 2 three-pointers made, 2 boards, 4 dimes, and 3 steals.  But Terry followed it up tonight with this performance, marred only by his FG shooting:  20 points, on 40% FG-shooting, 100%  FT-shooting, 3 three-pointers made, 6 boards, 5 dimes, 3 steals and 1 block.

I believe Lights Out! may have cited Terry’s lack of a starting spot as the reason for dropping him.  Anyone, however, who has done a minimum amount of homework over the years would know that Terry has often come off the bench, and sometimes started, during his productive tenure (fantasy-wise) with Dallas.  He has filled both roles this year as well.  Finally, I should mention that I was chastised by some (including Mr. Light I believe?) for using a #2 waiver priority request on Mr. Terry.  The #1 priority holder (TME) is still out there waiting….. waiting……. waiting…….  Maybe a player like a Bogut, Cuttino Mobley, or Thaddeus Young will fall from the sky in early March.  Will it have been worth it?

Matchup Note: Aerial Flambuoyance is currently hanging on to a 4-4 tie with the insurgent Yes We Can! organization.  The upstart had a big games-played advantage (front-loaded no less) going into the week, and had seemingly locked up boards and dimes by the close of business on Wednesday.  A 5-3 Flambo victory appears to be a remote possibility, but I would count my blessings if I walk out of this one with a 4-4.  The GP advantage notwithstanding, the YWC (Yes We Can!) squad is a very formidable newcomer, and has to be considered, along with my Flambuoyant squad, as one of the two elite teams at this juncture of the season.

Draft Redux: Of my first 8 selections in the draft, only B-15, A. Biedrins (8th round), has exceeded expectations.  Rashard Lewis has basically met expectations (below his standards in most categories, but his newfound theft-mastery balances these out).  The other 6 have fallen short, or well short (Garnett, Okafor).  This apparent shortcoming in the draft (at this juncture), combined with success in head-to-head play, illustrates the importance of the later rounds of the draft (Nate Robinson), as well as the importance of early season waiver and free-agent acquisitions (J. Terry, Nene, and R. Sessions)

For all of you who like to follow along at home, the TTL blog has a new Standings page. This page will be updated every week. You can track the performance of the TTL owners, and feel free to leave comments on the site. It will be permanently accessible as a main link at the top of the page.

Interesting note: Last year, our infamous Blount-man, Louis Blount (Dark Knight), set the record for futility with 0.298 win rate. I could be wrong, but it looks like he’s trying to break his own record!

Let me add a big qualifier here: the following line (through one half of play) is the Gold Standard, thus far, for players drafted in the 9th Round, and then unceremoniously dropped before they played a single game.

• Jason Terry:   60% FG, 100% FT, 1 3-Pointer made,  17 Pts., 1 Board, 3 Dimes, 4 Steals, 1 Block.

Mr. Terry is an 8-category contributor tonight, with half the game remaining.  Lights Out can defend his decision all he wants; I maintain, however, that he could desperately use a guy like Terry on his squad.  Furthermore, he secretly regrets this decision.

Maybe Terry was not a “system” player for him.  Maybe Terry didn’t fit into his “grand plans”.  When he lies awake at night, does Mr. Light ever realise that his grand plans need a shakeup?  For many years now, Mr. Light’s fantasy seasons have played out like the movie “Groundhog Day”;  a guaranteed declaration that “this is my year”, with each new season, is money in the bank.  The annual unfulfillment of this declaration is money in the bank also.  As is a laundry list of blunders, such as prematurely dropping the aforementioned Mr. Terry.

I don’t know what the hell Mr. Light thought he was doing, bestowing his “awards” for the week, before the week was over.  Nor do I know why he’s entitled to his self-appointed role as a bestower of awards, given his perennial status as a chump-tax candidate.  I will not venture to make grandiose proclamations after one week (abbreviated) of play.  I do have a few observations to make:

1)  After a very disappointing start Tuesday and Wednesday,  my Flambuoyant squad bounced back to score more points than any other, and to record more rebounds and steals than 8/9 of the competition.  My 1-2 risk/reward punch of Durant and Beasley started slowly, but finished a bit stronger.

2) Quinn was able to register a somewhat deceptive sweep of the perennially bungling Mr. Blount. FG% was close, and Quinn won by one 3, 14 points and 1 rebound.  Quinn’s numbers were only slightly above pedestrian.  The roster spot that Blount annually reserves for an injury gamble is occupied this year by Monta Ellis- he of the 30-game suspension.  I like Rajon Rondo, but it must be tough to hang on to him when your roster also features the aforementioned Ellis,  Luis Scola, and the as-yet-undeciphered Mario Chalmers.

3) New participant Lamont, aka Yes We Can, appears to have assembled a pretty solid squad, knocking off defending champion The Show.

4) The perennially boastful and egocentric TME franchise managed to hold on for a tie against Lights Out, despite the absence of TME’s 2nd-round pick D. Williams.  Lights Out was able to pull even, thanks to some feverish remaking of his roster, and equally feverish efforts to justify his moves in this forum.

That’s all for now.  On to Week 2.

Stud of the Week

Chris Paul (Lights Out!)
CP3 has almost single-handedly kept me in it this week. Three games averaging 21.7 PTS, 5.3 REBS, 12.0 AST, 50% FG, 87% FT, 7 ST. There’s really nothing to add. He was drafted first, and played like it.

Runners up:
Kobe Bryant (The Show) - 24.0 PTS, 7.7 REBS, 3.7 AST, 5 ST, 47.2% FG, 83.3% FTM
Amare Stoudemire (The Mighty) - 22 PTS, 11 REBS, 64.1% FG
Josh Smith (The Mighty) - Steals and blocks machine

Scrub of the Week

Ray Allen (Yes We Can) - He’s supposed to have game, but started the season slow. Serious underperformance for him, but he should come around sooner or later. 10.7 PTS, 3.7 REBS, 0.7 AST, only three 3FGM.

Runners up:
Stephon Marbury (Lights Out!) - spectacular bust
Jermaine O’Neal (McLovin) - started the season slow, should improve
Ricky Davis (The Show) - 3-of-16 from the field in 3 games. Now on waivers.

Rookie of the Week

Michael Beasley (Aerial Flambuoyance) - Debut wasn’t great, but has improved every game, and is also getting more PT. 25 PTS, 4 REBS, 10/16 FG, 4/4 FT, 2 BLKS against Charlotte.

Runners up:
Mario Chalmers (Dark Knight)
Derrick Rose (The Mighty)

Matchup of the Week

The Mighty vs Dark Knight - Quinn looks poised to pull off an opening week sweep against the Blount-man. Ouch!

Here’s a priceless clip of Quinn’s two all-time favorite centers going after each other:

With the news that Lights Out has secured the first pick in the annual Trash Talkers draft, analysts everywhere are scrambling to offer their insights and analysis of Mr. Light’s draft strategy.  Here is my prediction about how Ray’s draft will play out:

PICK #

1.  Allen Iverson.  Though some might consider this a bit of a reach,  Ray has always been a huge fan of the former Georgetown standout, who has shown no signs of slowing down in the mile-high city.

20 Andre Iguadola.  Ray figures you can’t go wrong with two AI’s.

21 Andre Miller.  Someone has to pass the ball to Iguadola, right?

40.  Steven Jackson.  Someone’s got to score a lot of points for Ray’s Warriors, now that Baron Davis is gone, right?

41. Andre Biedrins. Ray better grab a center, and Biedrins a is young Warrior with huge upside.

60.  David Lee.  Ray can’t believe his good fortune.

61.  Ryan Gomes.  Ditto

80.  Darko Milicic. Ray believes this youngster has finally arrived.

81.  Jeff Green.  What a steal, getting the former Hoya at this spot!

100.  Michael Sweetney.  Ditto.

101.  Damon Jones.  Ray feels this selection will lock up 3’s for his squad.

120.  Josh Childress.  Ray can’t believe that the other idiots allowed him to slip this far.

121.  JJ Redick.  Did you see this guy in college?  He was sick!

Once upon a time, ZaZa Pachulia was an almost serviceable center in fantasy hoops, toiling away mostly for the now defunct Groove Train franchise.  For the two seasons prior to last year, Pachulia put up numbers in the 12p, 7.5r, 1s, ballpark, with his other contributions being too pedestrian to mention.

Then rookie Al Horford exploded onto the scene last year, vulturing most of Pachulia’s minutes.  Conventional wisdom last year (validated by last season’s results), was the same as conventional wisdom this year:  Horford is better than Pachulia- less soft, a better defender, and a good candidate to produce nightly double doubles for the next decade.  Why should we expect more from Pachulia this year?

Horford is still projected to be the Hawks’ starting center on opening night.  Coach Woodson has not indicated otherwise to the media.  So why should we think otherwise?  Because I say that the very lack of evidence suggesting that Pachulia might steal Horford’s job, confirms that this is in fact true.  The Hawks are wisely holding their cards close to their vest.  They have not breathed a word about Pachulia’s dominant play in practice this camp, because they intend to ambush the league, with ZaZa 2.0, once the regular season begins.

The fact that they have remained so hush about Pachulia’s new and improved game, suggests that ZaZa has been nothing short of spectacular in closed-door practices.  To supplant a double-double guy like Horford, his play must be pretty close to jaw-dropping.  Given what we know of Horford’s talents, the fact that Pachulia has unseated him (the Hawks absolute silence on the matter proves this), I’m predicting that ZaZa will put up numbers in the neighborhood of 16p, 12r, 1.5s, 2.2b, this coming season.  Because Pachulia’s re-emergence is such a closely-guarded secret by the Hawks organization, astute fantasy owners can probably wait until the 4th or 5th round, when they absolutely have to snatch him up if he’s still available.  For a taste of what’s to come, I have provided below, highlights of the “old” ZaZa:

Mr. Flambo’s last post on the enigmatic Dan Gadzuric is incomplete without some video highlights…

As the days count down towards the draft for countless fantasy hoops owners, many are confronted again with that annual conundrum-  what to do about Dan Gadzuric?  Opinions vary greatly about the Flying Dutchman.  Some owners view Gadzuric as a sure-fire first round draft pick, even a top-5 talent.  Others see him as a potential “value-pick” in the 6th or 7th round.  And some owners believe he is not worthy of being drafted at all.

One thing is undeniable, however:  Gadzuric has tremendous upside, probably more so than any player in the league.  Just ask any fantasy owner who has been titillated by watching clips of Gadzuric banging in off the glass, with authority, a turnaround jumper from 10 feet out.  Or an owner who has watched him streak down the court, outrunning the opposition’s point guard to the basket, receiving a perfectly delivered lob from Charlie Bell, and slamming the ball home with the kind of authority that shakes the Bradley center to its core, causing hundreds of delirious Bucks fans to spill their Pabst Blue Ribbon.  Or ask any opponent who has tried to take the Dutchman inside, only to be thwarted by Gadzuric’s exquisite timing, long arms, and freakish leaping ability, and found his shot swatted into the fifth row.

It’s been a long journey for the former 2nd round pick out of UCLA.  He barely made the squad his first year, but showed enough signs of his massive talent that the Bucks eventually ponied up a multi-year deal worth over $30 million.  His limitless fantasy potential received a setback when the Bucks selected the pedestrian Andrew Bogut #1 overall in 2005, sending Gadzuric to the bench and causing his minutes to nosedive.  Now Francisco Elson has arrived on the scene, presenting yet another obstacle that the Flying Dutchman must overcome.

Yet Gadzuric has always risen to the challenge.  Up to this point in his career, he has only really put up explosive fantasy numbers in extremely short bursts.  But any discerning fantasy owner can see the latent talent in his game, and recognize it bubbling just below the surface.  Watching Gadzuric play, it is manifestly obvious that he could become a 22p, 15r, 3b fantasy center.  Which is why so many fantasy owners like myself will again experience the annual urge to take the plunge, and snatch up the Flying Dutchman in the first round or two of this year’s draft.