First-Half Fantasy Busts

By Court E. Mann
Senior Editor of fanball.com

January 31, 2006 5:00 PM ET

Although the All-Star break is still weeks away, the halfway point of the NBA season is upon us. Those of you in first place wonder where the time went, while those mired in the muck lament another 40 games of difficulty. If you qualify for membership in that latter group, you probably have a few of these names on your fantasy hoops roster—the players that have disappointed relative to preseason expectations. We'll do our best not to criticize solely based on freak injuries. But for some of those below, injury has become old hat, and thus, fair game.

Point Guard: Steve Francis, Magic
Despite a solid fantasy effort in his first season in Orlando, expectations for the Franchise had already been sufficiently lowered this preseason. Behavioral concerns and a rumored shift to shooting guard tempered fantasy enthusiasm for the versatile beast, so it's even more telling that he's been a disappointment relative to that depressed outlook. In five of fantasy hoops primary categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and three-pointers, Francis is currently at or near career lows. Throw in a tiff with management that cost him two games and restarted the incessant trade rumors, and you've got yourself a dissatisfied customer base that only Ford Motor Co can rival. A triple-double, a 36-point outing, and a 15-assist effort in his last three tilts do offer promise for the second half, although all three came with emerging teammate Jameer Nelson on the sideline.

Honorable Mentions:
Stephon Marbury, Knicks (18.3 ppg, 6.9 apg, 0.4 threes)
Jason Williams, Heat (15 DNPs in 46 games)
Deron Williams, Jazz (10 ppg, 4 apg, 38 percent shooting)

Shooting Guard: Tracy McGrady, Rockets
If T-Mac had suffered a one-time, happenstance injury that cost him time in the first half, we wouldn't grant him this top (dis)honor. However, the fact remains that those who invested a first-round pick in McGrady knew all too well that his chronic back problems came right along with his prodigious stats. Tracy gutted through those maladies last year to appear in 78 contests, but he's already missed 13 this season with severe back spasms and is likely one wrong turn from another five-game stint on the inactive list. Can you name a riskier first-rounder right now? Neither can we. Enjoy his 32 points per game in January while you can, because you know as well as we do that at some point in the second half, you will be lamenting its absence in your lineup.

Honorable Mentions:
Larry Hughes, Cavaliers (numbers down in six categories even before injury)
Corey Maggette, Clippers (13 games played after just 66 in '04)
Manu Ginobili, Spurs (depressed digits and constant nagging injuries)

Small Forward: Ron Artest, Kings
A significant portion of the fantasy populace, including countless experts, had enormous expectations for Ron-Ron—predicting that his NBA-record suspension would leave him motivated, hungry, and contrite. Our fundamental mistake, of course, was assuming that the environmental factors that affect human behavior applied in any way whatsoever to Artest. After only 16 games back on the hardwood after a 73-game suspension, he demanded that the franchise that stood by him throughout his self-imposed ordeal find him a place where he'd be happier. When the Pacers responded by deactivating him, he imposed 20 games of goose eggs on his fantasy owners from a commodity that required at least a third-round pick. Hey, look at the bright side: he hasn't gone Isaiah Rider on the bit and kidnapped anyone…yet.

Honorable Mentions:
Peja Stojakovic, Pacers (16.5 ppg at a career-low 40 percent shooting)
Tayshaun Prince, Pistons (45 percent shooting, 2.5 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.4 bpg)
Antoine Walker, Heat (career lows of 12 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.5 spg)

Power Forward: Zach Randolph, Trail Blazers
The good news is that Zach's problems have not been the result of continued knee issues. Sure, the knee is chronically sore, and we applaud Zach Man's continued presence on the floor, but the numbers simply aren't there. In '03-04, the year that Randolph put himself on the map, he styled fantasy owners with 20 and 10 nightly. While we wanted more assists, blocks, and steals, at least he satisfied with 49 percent shooting from the field and 76 from the line. We're certainly not enamored with the slight decreases to 18 points and 8.6 rips, but the real discouragement lies in his 44 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the stripe—especially as those two figures continue to slide every month (43 percent, 66 percent in January).

Honorable Mentions:
Emeka Okafor, Bobcats (13.2 ppg, 41 percent shooting in just 26 games)
Carlos Boozer, Jazz (we hardly knew ya)
Donyell Marshall, Cavaliers (10.6 ppg, 0.7 bpg, 38 percent shooting)

Center: Jermaine O'Neal, Pacers
As with T-Mac above, you have to look yourself in the mirror if you were burned by J.O. this season. He came into last year with several injuries, missed a huge portion of last season, gimped out of the playoffs, and entered this campaign with another laundry list of ailments. Is it really that shocking that he's due to miss another 30-something tilts this year? In retrospect, it should have taken the gall and daring of Ted Ferguson, Bud Light Stunt Man, to spend a second-rounder on J.O. last fall. Ow'Neal deserves credit for playing with a lot of pain; he gutted through many of his 35 games this year on bad ankles, feet, and legs. But that warrior mentality often results in overcompensating—which in turn results in your fantasy roster losing a huge chunk of production for a significant period of time. After two straight prematurely-truncated campaigns, don't count on seeing O'Neal among the elite on draft day next season.

Honorable Mentions:
Kurt Thomas, Suns (8.9 ppg, 0.4 spg, 27 mpg)
Joel Przybilla, Trail Blazers (6.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
Tyson Chandler, Bulls (5.1 ppg, 1.2 bpg, 44 percent foul shooting)

簡評：

在fanball.com評出的2005-06賽季飯太稀NBA半程拔絲特第一陣容的五人中，有四人是Yahoo FNBA系統給老螞蟻選的：Steve Francis（第四輪）、Tracy McGrady（第一輪）、Zach Randolph（第七輪）、Jermaine O'Neal（第三輪）。不難想象，擁有四大頂級拔絲特的藍天使隊焉能不敗？！後來，老螞蟻痛定思痛，毅然決然地扔掉了義薄雲天的SF3、換走了當今健康食品軟豆腐。可是，他又換回來了拔絲特候補陣容中的愛心後衛。

除了藍天使隊的災情嚴重之外，手槍連其它七支隊伍均受到不同程度的拔絲特影響。受害程度相對較輕的是：游擊隊（Carlos Boozer，第八輪）、胖子別動隊（Tayshaun Prince，第八輪；Donyell Marshall，第十輪）、雨之隊（Kurt Thomas，第九輪；Tyson Chandler，第十輪）。

最後，讓我們一齊為老螞蟻高呼：“打倒Yahoo！”