DNB's: Fantasy Guru: Pacific Division Depth Chart

Before we start off, here are the links to the Eastern Conference depth charts:

Atlantic Division 

Southeast Division

Central Division 

Pacific Division

Los Angeles Lakers

Position	Player	Player	Player	Player
C	D. Howard	J. Hill	R. Sacre
PF	P. Gasol	A. Jamison	E. Clark
SF	M. World Peace	D. Ebanks
SG	K. Bryant	J. Meeks	A. Goudelock
PG	S. Nash	S. Blake	C. Duhon

The Los Angeles Lakers have a straightforward chart to deal with.  Barring any serious injuries four out of the five positions have solid starters.  However, the aging Nash and Bryant may be rested more or less throughout the regular season.  That leaves some openings for minutes at the one and two spot.

Meeks has never really been a substantial threat or even a marginal sleeper throughout his career with the Sixers.  I see him as much of the same on this squad.  He may be useful for the odd three but the more athletic Goudelock may push for back-up minutes to Bryant.

At the PG, Nash will be rested plenty throughout the regular season and that gives Blake some minutes to play with.  However, Blake has really been the same old story in Los Angeles.  He has had all the opportunity to shine but with a few young bodies in there, we may see him sparsely used.  I’d avoid him in most cases; unless you are completely desperate for a couple three pointers and decent percentages.

Howard missed some time in Orlando last season and word out of camp has been good in terms of his health.  He was not expected to play in the season opener but look for the management team to push for him to play as it will create much hype for their first game.

Sure bets: Howard (early), Gasol (early), Bryant (early), Nash (early)

Sleepers:  Jamison, Goudelock, Ebanks

Pass on: Blake, Meeks, Clark, Sacre

Los Angeles Clippers

Position	Player	Player	Player	Player
C	D. Jordan	R. Turiaf	R. Hollins
PF	B. Griffin	L. Odom	T. Thompkins
SF	C. Butler	G. Hill	M. Barnes	T. Leslie
SG	C. Billups	J. Crawford	W. Green
PG	C. Paul	E. Bledsoe

The Los Angeles Clippers have have a solidified starting line-up.  On top of that, they have one of the best second units in the league with new additions Lamar Odom and Jamaal Crawford.  Both of these guys are comfortable coming off the bench and both have collected the 6^th man award in recent years (Crawford in ’09 and Odom in ’10). 

It doesn’t end there.  The Clippers have picked up Matt Barnes and Grant Hill to bolster their perimeter.  However, all these second unit guys should lose some production value.  In particular, Barnes and Hill will most likely depreciate in fantasy value.  You may be able to count on Barnes for some steals and threes, but it is unlikely that he will get any significant minutes on this team.

Another interesting second unit player is Odom.  He is coming off of a disastrous season with the Mavericks.  His year ended in embarrassment as he was called out by former teammate Dirk Nowitzki, which led to his removal from the team.  Well, Lamar is back in lala land and will look to bounce back with the other NBA team in Los Angeles.  Lamar is a versatile big man that can handle the ball.  This gives him an edge over some of the other guys he is competing with for minutes.  If he does get his act together, there is no doubt he will be utilized fully.

Sure bets: Griffin (early), Jordan (mid to late), Paul (early)

Sleepers: Odom, Crawford, Bledsoe

Pass on: Hill, Barnes, Turiaf

Golden State Warriors

Position	Player	Player	Player	Player
C	A. Bogut	F. Ezeli	A. Biedrins
PF	D. Lee	C. Landry	D. Green	J. Tyler
SF	H. Barnes	B. Rush	R. Jefferson
SG	K. Thompson	B. Rush	J. Jack
PG	S. Curry	J. Jack	C. Jenkins

There is an interesting battle for the Small Forward position brewing in the bay area.  Rookie Harrison Barnes has been impressive in camp but Brandon Rush has been right with him in the thick of things.  Aging vet Richard Jefferson seems to be the odd man out here. 

The Warriors have an interesting bunch of players to look at here.  David Lee will most likely give fantasy owners more of the same solid value that he has given since New York.  Bogut when healthy will have plenty of touches and rebounds.  Landry is also another nice piece to consider in the late rounds for some good percentages and rebounds.  You will want to avoid Biedrins completely this season.  Fantasy owners gave him one last chance for redemption and Biedrins failed miserably.  He is a black mark on your free throw percentage and does not cover that issue up in any other category.  He is a must pass.

Klay Thompson should give fantasy owners some good value as he is slated to start at the two.  There should be some caution hovering around Stephen Curry at this stage.  Although word out of camp regarding his ankle is positive, he is a chronic case and will have issues throughout his career.  That being said, Curry is still a solid PG moving forward.  If he stays healthy for long stretches of the season, he will give more than enough value in many categories.

Sure bets: Lee (early), Bogut (early to mid), Curry (early to mid), Thompson (mid)

Sleepers: Rush, Landry, Jack

Pass on: Jefferson, Biedrins

Sacramento Kings

Position	Player	Player	Player	Player
C	D. Cousins	C. Hayes
PF	J. Thomspon	T. Robinson	T. Outlaw
SF	T. Evans	J. Johnson	J. Salmons	F. Garcia
SG	M. Thornton	J. Fredette
PG	I. Thomas	A. Brooks

Sacramento is in a serious situation at the three.  At this stage they have been experimenting with Evans moving to small forward to make room for Thornton at the two.  In their first preseason game, Evans was able to put up a nice stat line for 20 minutes.  However, I just see Evans as a little undersized for this role.  He will have difficulty covering some of the bigger SFs in the league.  Look for the Kings to experiment a great deal with their rotation. 

At this stage the bigs in Sacramento are set.  Cousins and Thompson should start the season in the starting lineup.  However, rookie Thomas Robinson is breathing down the inconsistent Thompson’s neck.  If this is another lost season for Sacramento, Robinson will surely end up starting at some point. 

The glut of small forwards on this team includes a bunch of has beens that should be devalued in the context of fantasy basketball no matter what comes out of camp.  Salmons, Outlaw, Garcia and former Raptor James Johnson will all be battling for minutes.  I give the edge to James Johnson since he is young, athletic and isn’t a defensive liability. 

Thomas and Brooks should go into the season battling to start at PG.  Brooks had a couple of stellar seasons in Houston before he fell out of favour.  A year in China may have revamped his attitude.  Look for Brooks to prove that he is worthy of his former role as lead QB on the floor.

Sure bets: Cousins (early), Evans (mid), Thornton (mid)

Sleepers: Thompson, Robinson, Thomas, Brooks

Pass on: Outlaw, Salmons, Garcia, Johnson, Fredette

Phoenix Suns

Position	Player	Player	Player	Player
C	M. Gortat	J. O’Neal	C. Frye
PF	L. Scola	M. Morris
SF	M. Beasley	J. Dudley	P.J. Tucker
SG	J. Dudley	W. Johnson	S. Brown
PG	G. Dragic	K. Marshall	S. Telfair

The new look Phoenix Suns come into this pre-season with a lot of question marks and position battles.  The only real sure bets to give fantasy owners good value are Marcin Gortat and Luis Scola. 

The real battles on this team begin at the two and three.  Michael Beasley seems like a good bet to start at the three since he is by far the most talented of the bunch.  He should be set to receive a lot of looks. 

Competing with Beasley, we have Nash era perimeter player Jared Dudley looking to stay relevant.  He has been shooting the lights out in camp and should get his minutes on this team.  Dudley’s shooting touch and his experience with Alvin Genrty gives him the edge to beat out Wesley Johnson and Shannon Brown for the shooting guard position. 

Sure bets: Gortat (early), Scola (mid), Beasley (mid) Dragic (mid)

Sleepers: Dudley, Johnson

Pass on: Frye, O’Neal, Brown

Reverse Standings Battle In Motown

Raptors and Pistons hook up in a battle in Detroit where the loser may in fact be the winner in the end. If you subscribe to the whole tank philosophy this is a huge game tonight in Detroit. Vital to who might win or loss regardless could be determined by if Andrea Bargnani returns for the Raptors tonight. Raptors have been hinting at his impending return and with a game tonight, tomorrow and Tuesday it is expected that we will see Andrea back in one of those games. Looks like tomorrow could be the day. So nice of Andrea to make his comeback for the game I am covering. His return could have a major impact on the Raptors lottery odds. The Raptors were 6-7 with him in the line up and have no less than 4 teams with in a half game of each other in the reverse standings. Have a look at how it shakes out.

27th Raptors 13-26
26th Nets 14-27
T-25th Kings 14-26
T-25th Pistons 14-26

Ultimately for me it does not hold a ton of importance. If were not talking top 3 don't really think it matters to much ultimately. Here are some stats on why I really don't care that much about tanking or see the merits in it. The NBA Lottery began in 1985 since that time here are some stats to chew on.

• Team with Worst Record has won a grand total of 4 times (Only twice since 2000)
• Team with 5th worst Record has won more times with 5. (Including the Raptors in 2006)
• To be the 2nd or 3rd worst is the lucky place to be both winning 6 times
• Orlando Magic won back to back lotteries the 2nd time with just 1.52% Chance.
• Where the Raptors sit currently 4th Worst has only ever won the lottery once in 1997 for Spurs

For the record the difference between 27th and 24th is 11.9% to 4.3% or a difference of 7.6%. So it is significant but want to break down the NBA Lottery and look for patterns of trends nothing is a lock. Other than the suspect luck that seems to fall for certain teams at just the right time. Derrick Rose winding up in his home-town with Chicago with just a 1.7% chance of happening. The odds for Lebron James to go to Cleveland were much higher with 22.5% chance. In the first lottery the odds were even and Knicks walked away with Patrick Ewing with 14.29% chance.

As much as the fans and media to an extent love to focus on the topic of the lottery and tanking it really is just something to talk about more times than not. The NBA created the Lottery to try and dissuade teams from tanking. It has not dissuaded people from talking about it. One thing I will guarantee you is that not one player on Pistons or Raptors would rather lose than win tonight. Players always want to win at the end of the day. It is easy to sit back and say a team should just try and lose as much as possible. You don't have to live through it the same as players do. If you decide to watch it is no big deal. They have to show up for every game 82 normally but 66 this year. So cheer for Raptors to win or lose but one way or the other this game will have an impact for the people that are tanking their way through this season.

Raptors Lose More Than Just Another Game.

The Toronto Raptors did not exactly come out like gangbusters after what most would consider an embarrassing performance in Washington. Both teams looked pretty awful to start this game. In fact the whole first half was borderline unwatchable but fair close. Andrea Bargnani was rebounding but wasn't scoring. Which considering how the rest of this roster was scoring was a big issue. Leandro Barbosa off the bench was picking up some of that scoring slack, while Demar DeRozan was still continuing to struggle. He would end the night just 5-9 with 13 points and 3 turnovers in just under 30 minutes. Barbosa on the other hand would lead the Raptors in scoring with 24 points off the bench shooting 11-18 from the field.

The Raptors were not playing exceptionally well but would manage to head to the 4th quarter tied at 63. But the Raptors would also be without Andrea Bargnani who had been ruled out for the rest of this game with a calf injury. They would miss him in that forth quarter as Demarcus Cousins would take over this game late and be a huge factor down the stretch. He had a 21 points and 19 rebound on the night, and despite some typical Cousins stuff like getting teched up for taunting after a dunk, when the game was still in the balance. it did not take away from his performance. Kings would win the 4th quarter 35-28 and the game overall 98-91.

While the Raptors watch Bargnani go out they also got to watch Linas Kleiza come in and look pretty good almost a year after his injury that led to micro-fracture surgery. Given the fact Rasaul Butler and James Johnson have pretty much no offence individually or combined it was a welcomed site. In 14 plus minutes Kleiza was able to go 3-6 and got to the line 5 times making 4 which totalled for a 10 point night. Johnson and Butler combined for 1-9 performance with just 3 points (Butler had 3, Johnson 0).

That being said Kleiza being back is not going to make up for no Bargnani if he is unable to play. The thought of this team being without Bargnani against the Pacers and or Bulls is a scary one. His status for those games on Friday and Saturday is not known as of now. If you needed any proof of how much a change there has been in how much the Raptors rely on him, it was evident in that 4th quarter with out him on both ends of the floor.

Later today the Starting 5 returns to the DNB and our guest is the one and only Jack Armstrong. So be sure to come back and have a listen to that later tonight or tomorrow.

Embarrassed Raptors Return Home To Play Kings

If you are not embarrassed by last night's loss to the Wizards you should be. I felt embarrassed and was just watching the game. It is one thing to lose to a team searching for it's first win. It is another to come out and get destroyed. Raptors blamed themselves in the post game comments last night and they were right to do so. It is not that the Wizards played exceptionally that is not what happened. Raptors played flatter than a pancake and made so many silly errors you lost count fairly early on in the night.

In to the ACC roles another team in terrible shape. The Kings have already fired there coach and have a unhappy young star in DeMarcus Cousins. Kings come in 3-7 off a 112-85 loss to Sixers last night. It is all there on the table for a quick bounce back for the Raptors if they choose to take it. That said, it is also there on the table for another epic failure. As inconsistent as the Raptors have been it is hard to know which is more likely. But just from a personal pride standpoint you hope the Raptors can find a way to get a win. You also look ahead to Friday and Saturday and see it very unlikely to get a win vs the Bulls and Pacers.

3 Keys To Victory:

Value Possessions: The Raptors did not value the ball last night at all. They gave it away far to many times and had lazy and stupid passes that you can go to a local high school game and not see. It is also important to get quality shots and try making a few of them. We saw ugly jumpers, missed lay ups and air balls last night.

Drive More, Shoot Less: These are not your dad's Raptors. The days of the Raptors being able to save themselves with three point shots is over. They can make some three's on occasion but by and large this team is better severed to take mid range shots and get into the paint. The only guys on this Raptor team that should have a green light to shoot the three are Andrea Bargnani and if he is hitting it Jose Calderon. The rest of them need to leave there three pointers in the locker room unless the shot clock is at :01.

Don't Sing It, Bring It: There were a lot of interesting things said after last night's game. Bargnani said the team was mentally soft. Demar said he has to step up and play better. That is wonderful that people understand there is problems. But you can talk about it all you like, till you do something about it nothing will change. Let your actions reflect your words.

I understand that not a lot was expected from this team. I also understand that lots of people would love to see the Raptors lose as much as possible to cash in come May in the draft lottery. But what also has to be understood is at this point this young core that Colangelo claims we have to go into the future with is not good enough at this point. If they are to ever be good enough they need to play much better than what we saw last night. You can take Jonas and whatever player you want in the upcoming draft, that alone will not fix this. Dwane Casey was brought in to change the culture of the Raptors. Pounding a rock is all well and good. However if you slap a rock a million times it will never break. The Raptors have had four games this year where they didn't pound a damn thing. They did however make many pound their heads.

If there is one thing I have come to respect about Casey it is nothing is candy coated. He tells it like it is. After sitting listening to Jay Triano say his team's effort was good time after time when it clearly wasn't this is refreshing. So I am pulling for Casey to get the job done. But he is starting to realize how tough a job it will be.

Raptors Start Fast But Fade Away.

So as I mentioned this morning the Raptors record in Sac-Town sucks. Only 2 wins in 14 tries for the Raptors at Arco. A tough task with Tyreke Evans the Rookie of the Year and in any other year a leading candidate to be Rookie of the Year DeMarcus Cousins. Also as mentioned this morning this is the Kings home opener. Not as much the cowbell crazy place it once was but still a tough building to play in given the circumstances. Raptors have been in Cali since Saturday so no excuses. Raptors had a great win Friday and should be well rested to start this trip.

So with that said off we go from the Cali Capitol. Reggie Evans gets 2 offensive boards and the bucket. Raps after giving up a bucket roll for 7 straight points and slams from Kleiza and Bargnani, who will not be in the dunk contest anytime soon but Raps lead 9-2 early. Bargnani hits a 3 and has an early 8 points and Raps lead is 14-5. Kings go on a 5-0 run but then a break for the Raps as Tyreke Evans picks up his second foul. Demar with a block and a score the other way and Raps lead 20-12 and have never trailed to this point. Is this the year the Raptors follow through on their promise to play better D? Maybe it is... 23-14 with 2:42 left in the first. Demar has 10, Bargs has 10 ...28-14 Raptors.

Jose a drive and score and 1. The Raptors can do no wrong in this first quarter. Reggie Evans has 10 rebounds in the first quarter. That is just plain insane. The Raptors have quieted the crowd to a whisper and lead 33-16 after 1.

Kings start the second on a 7-2 run and make this game a little closer. Kings get called for a charge and they get teched up for disputing the call and that broke Kings momentum. Jose pushes the ball leads to Andersen Jam and Raps lead 41-26. The beat goes on for the Raptors as the bench is keeping this lead with score 49-36 with 5:15 to go in half. At the end of it all Raps take an 11 point lead to the half shooting 58%. Andrea has 17 points and Demar 15 points along with Reggie Evans 6 points and 12 rebounds. Raptors lead at halftime 62-51.

So the Raps had a good first half. Can they finish it off here in the 2nd? A good start as Bargnani hits a long 2 to open the scoring. Klieza a 3 ball and Raps keep the hot shooting going. More good news as Tyreke Evans is not on the floor and is suffering with an upset stomach. The Raptors were taking advantage and with no Evans built up a 77-61 lead. Finally that was enough to get Evans off the bench. It would lead to instant results with a Kings score. The Kings after falling behind and getting beat up by Reggie Evans stormed back to get the lead to single digits at 83-75. Kings would close to with in 5 then a little retro Jose Calderon with a clutch 3. Raps got a steal and Barbosa missed a chip shot that would have got lead back to 10. Raptors would have to settle for a 86-78 lead after 3.

Kings come out and score the first 5 points of the 4th and suddenly this was a 3 point lead and the closest it had been since the very early going of this one. Teams trade 3 pointers and the lead remains at 3. Raptors are on the ropes and trying to hang on for dear life. The Kings would tie it with 6:42 to go at 93. a Bargnani 2 point answered with a Kings 3 and their first lead of the night at 96-95. DeRozan draws a foul missed both at the line but Reggie to the rescue with board 19 and it leads to Kleiza 3. Raps back on top 98-96 and Cousins would tie it at 98. But after that picked up fouls 4 and 5 in short order. The Kings Evans gets the drive and score plus a foul..but he missed the and 1. Kings lead it 100-98. Bargnani despite a great scoring night, late in this one was getting bullied by Cousins who was playing with 5 fouls. Kings were taking advantage and pulling away as the Raptors looked out of gas. Bargs may not be able to rebound a beach ball but he can hit a 3 and nailed a big one late to make it 109-106. Kings turnover and Raps basketball. DeRozan a big dunk with 13.3 to go Raps down 1. Raps forced to foul with 12.2 second left. Kings make the free throws and Raps can tie with a 3.

Raptors inbounded the ball to Bargs who passed to Klezia who passed on trying a 3 for the drive to the hoop and left it short and the Raps could not come up with the ball and that was that. Kings come back from a long way down to dig out a 111-108 win.

A lot of positive things in the boxscore but a W is not one of them. Bargs had 28 points but the fact Cousins out battled him down the stretch made that seem kind of pointless. Bargnani had 2 blocks which is nice and 2 rebounds which is a joke. Reggie Evans had 19 though and as I tweeted during the game, is like a mother that eats for two, Reggie rebounds for 2. While Demar DeRozan happy to be back in Cali ties his career high with 24 points. Yet with all of those good things the Raptors still lose.

When you look at this critically the Raps really only won the first quarter and the Kings won the other 3. Full marks to Evans and Cousins in this one. I said those would be the key guys in this one and what do you know they were just that. Raps now face the tough task of the Utah Jazz who took apart a much better team then Toronto, when the creamed the Thunder the other day. After that the Lakers and that Kobe guy. Raps lone realistic shot left on this trip for a win might be Portland, who earlier in the night I saw some of their game with the Bulls and they looked pretty awful. Entertainment value was there, but like I have been saying to whoever will listen, that does not make it fun. Losing is just not fun, especially on these west coast trips when you stay up late to watch them.

A Date With Royalty For Raptors

Tonight the Raptors start their west coast road trip (Kings, Jazz, Lakers, Portland)

The Basics: Kings 2-1 (This is their Home Opener) Raptors 1-1 (First Road Game)

Last Time We Saw Them: The Raptors come into this game after a dominate pizza producing win over the Cavs. Andrea Bargnani led all scorers in the game with 20. Reggie Evans continued to dominate the glass with 14 rebounds. Kings played the same Cavs the next night in Cleveland and won by just a slim 107-104 scoreline. DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points and 10 boards and Evans after having to sit out the 1st game of the year looks good as ever with 21 points 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He is a triple double waiting to happen.

Key Match-Ups: Obviously when you play Sacramento the match-up that is most important is the one with Tyreke Evans. Jarrett Jack will have a long night at the office tonight. But the other match up I am interested in will be Andrea Bargnani vs Demarcus Cousins. Now they may actually switch on this and have Landry on Bargnani and Evans vs Cousins. Regardless Andrea is going to be matched up with a traditional big that will bang on the glass. It also means that same big will be forced to get out of the paint to guard Andrea. 28 points and 0 rebounds? That might be an Andrea line for tonight.

Other Things To Note: The Raptors have always been brutal in Sacramento. They are a terrible 2-12 all time at Arco Arena. This might be the most winnable game the Raptors have on this road trip despite the past history. Then you look at the Raptors overall success on the west coast which is terrible as well. Being the home opener at Arco will not make it any easier. Arco was for years one of the loudest and toughest places to play in the league. Those days have kind of gone away but if the Kings can't get people in the building for the home opener they have larger issues than a game vs the Raptors.

In Case You Missed It: Couple things from the DNB on the weekend. First we had some fun with Halloween giving some costume Ideas for most of the people we love as part of our Raptors family. Check them out if you missed them. Also if you are not an early riser you might not be aware I am back on The Team 990 in Montreal on Saturday's for another season. But if you miss it live you can catch it here every Monday.

The Extra Point: This is your big debut on Sportsnet 1. For those of you unable to get that network you are out of luck like back in the TSN 2 days. The Raptors need to find a way to fix this. If you are serious about maintaining your fanbase you need to make it easy or even possible for fans to see your team play games. This is basic common sense marketing. I don't care how much MLSE gets from TSN or Rogers it does not make up for the fact you are upsetting your loyal fans. You go to the effort of having training camp in Vancouver and travel to Montreal to build a fanbase nationally. Well T.V is your best tool to do that and having your product on secondary networks is not the way to do it. Secondary network sends a message of a second rate product. Do you really want that to be the perception of the Raptors?