Greetings and salutations, basketball fans, and welcome to my first Grand Theft Roto column of the new NBA season. I have the rather daunting task of following in the Bob Lanier-size footsteps of one Mr. John Cregan, who filled this space last year with tall tales of fantasy thievery. Lest ye forget, Grand Theft Roto is all about the art of the trade, fantasy basketball style. As the name implies, getting a "steal" of a deal is the goal of any fantasy general manager.

Since most drafts have yet to take place, it is a little premature to get specific on trade targets. So what the heck (Can I say heck? Does anyone still say heck?) am I supposed to talk about? I want to have a lot of trades to evaluate and write about during the season, so I figure my time is best spent this week by laying the groundwork for a successful trading environment.

In the interest of promoting "free trade," I will discuss trading etiquette. Now I realize that the concept of etiquette many seem contradictory to Grand Theft Roto but hear me out on this. In order to trade, there needs to be a certain element of trust between trading partners. If you burn someone with a disingenuous deal, you can be sure that is the last time they will trade with you. In a league full of unscrupulous thieves, trust disappears and paranoia prevails. Even if a proposed trade would help both teams, owners start to get gun-shy for fear of getting ripped off. No trust, no trades.

As an attorney, I have learned a few things about the give and take of negotiations that apply to real life, or in this case, fantasy basketball. Here are some general principles that will serve you well as a trader:

Seek First To Understand

As Steven Covey said, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." In general, any trade offer that starts out "Who do you want for so-and-so?" is a non-starter. Yes, we are all selfish, opportunistic, greedy individuals. But people want to think, or at least pretend, that you care about their needs too. If you research your trading partner's needs and open with a statement like, "It looks like you could use some steals," you can get the other guy to talk about what he wants in order to make a deal work.

Don't Trade Damaged Goods

Don't trade damaged goods…at least not without full disclosure. In the Internet age, you might think that there are no secrets when it comes to a player's health, but don't assume that everyone is as familiar with your players' injuries as you are. Clearly, trying to capitalize on a recent injury by dealing a player who has just gone down is not kosher. Obviously, the severity of the injury (season-ending vs. the proverbial "day-to-day") has some bearing on how much you need to say, but you want to err on the side of full disclosure when it comes to injuries.

Competition. Respect. Fairness. The tools of the trade! (Brian Bahr/NBAE/Getty Images)

Be Opportunistic

On the other hand, don't feel compelled to disclose a change in a player's role that affects his value. If, for example, you are watching the Celtics game and Delonte West severely sprains his ankle, don't hesitate to call the owner of Sebastian Telfair and make an immediate trade offer, even while West is still writhing in pain on the ground. Don't whisper a word of West's injury…unless you are asked directly about it.

Public vs. Private Leagues

One of the main variables I learned in negotiations class in law school is "concern for the viability of the ongoing relationship." If you are in a private league comprised of friends, family or co-workers, the last thing you want to do is swindle your boss in a trade because he doesn't know the difference between Zaza Pachulia and Primoz Brezec. You also need to be careful when you receive that “too-good-to-be-true trade” offer online from your brother-in-law. Make sure it is not actually your 10 year-old niece who is the one proposing the deal before you click "Accept." On the other hand, in public leagues where everyone is anonymous, you can be a lot more aggressive because you don't really care as much about whether you'll remain on someone's Christmas card list.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend

In Rotisserie-style leagues, it is not only the points you gain from a trade, but the points you take away from your opponents that matter. The expert trader will look for opportunities to help his trading partner catch others in certain categories, even if it means "giving away" value in a trade. If I am badly trailing five teams in total points, but another owner is right on their heels, I might be willing to trade Carmelo Anthony and his 26.5 points per game for Brad Miller, who only scores 15.0 a game, but is a multi-category filler at the sparse center position. You always want to be careful about totally "punting" a category, but if you can make a deal that nets you the best overall point gain versus your opponents, don't hesitate to pull the trigger. A side benefit of making a trade that appears to favor another owner is that you will build a stronger relationship with that person as a future trading partner. The trust and credibility you gain early in the season will serve you well at the trade deadline, especially when you point out that you didn't steer the other guy wrong before.

Antique Shopping

No, I'm not talking about the latest Gary Payton sighting. I am talking about a tried and true technique used by antique shoppers to distract a seller from their true intentions. As the shopper, you feign interest in an overpriced item (say, Jason Williams, for whom you must pay an NBA champion's premium) to get the seller's attention. After this hard ball fake, you say, almost as an afterthought, "Hey, what about this David West over here in the corner?" Distracted, the seller says you can have him for Josh Howard. You hem and haw, mumble something about damaged goods, citing the eight games that West missed last year. As you start to walk out the door, you stop and say, "I guess I could give you Juwan Howard for him." Sold! Of course, this whole exchange depends on people actually talking to one another, you know, on that 20th century device known as the telephone. Too many trades get left on the table because people just fire one-sided online proposals back and forth without every really trying to communicate.

Buy Low, Sell High

Okay, so "Buy Low, Sell High" isn't exactly original, but it is the essence of value-based trading. You would be surprised at how many owners are influenced by last night's numbers. So if Zach Randolph throws down a career-high 37 points – as he did last December in Detroit – you can be sure he is on my trading block the next day. While you want to sell high, don't lowball others when making trade proposals. If your opening offer is totally one-sided, you will only insult the other owner and will probably not even receive a counter offer. Don't lead with your best offer, but state a proposal as a win-win opportunity and be prepared to sweeten the deal with a throw-in to make it an offer that can't be refused.

Play Nice

If you are successful in making a steal of a deal, don't gloat about it on the league message board. Yeah, trash talking is fun and feeds one's ego, but you should be in this to win the league, not to celebrate excessively every time you slam dunk the ball. I can tell you from experience that the leagues where everyone gets along are the ones that last the longest, with the least turnover from year to year. You don't have to be friends with everyone, but if there is mutual respect, there will be many more trades, which is more fun for everyone, and grist for my mill.

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.