Welcome to the inaugural Bringing Fantasy into reality article! This is where all you fantasy basketball fans can come to get your free and accurate fantasy basketball fix. Fantasy guru, James Morris, will provide you with a Timberwolves reports, a look at the week ahead and a question of the week section where you can send in your question and possibly have it featured in the following weeks article. In this article, I will give you the advice that you need and not obvious answers those “other” sites give you. You don’t need me telling you to start Kobe Bryant or Al Jefferson, but you will need to know whether to play Rashad McCants or Rafer Alston this week.

James Morris hails from Rio Rancho, NM and has been playing fantasy sports since 1997. In addition to writing the Timberwolves fantasy section, Morris also writes the NBA fantasy articles for the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz, as well as the NFL fantasy forecast for the Cincinnati Bengals. His articles can also be seen on Fanball.com, Rototimes.com, Rotoworld.com and Rotorob.com. Morris has an outstanding 86% accuracy rating with fantasy predictions and that beats most Las Vegas odds makers. When asked how he does it, Morris replied “That’s just how I roll!” In the preseason every fantasy manager knows the top 25 guys, making the first two rounds pretty obvious. Where a draft is won or lost, believe it or not, is more in rounds 3-7 than rounds 1 and 2. I hate getting the first overall pick. Why you ask? Because that means my second pick is 24th overall in a typical 12 team league. Sure, I landed Chris Paul with my first pick, but that means my second best player is going to be either Rudy Gay or Al Jefferson. Either player is a prize to have, but someone else has Allen Iverson and Carlos Boozer, and that trumps me in the long run. So, let me tell you how to even out the draft with some fantasy rules to live by.

1) Look at your leagues scoring structure. If FT% is taken into account, Lebron James isn’t going to be as good as Kobe Bryant. Do you count 3-pointers? Jason Richardson is worth more than Shawn Marion. With FG %, Jason Kidd isn’t worth as much as Jose Calderon.

2) Grab a center as early as round 2. Once you get past the top 10 centers, it gets real thin, real quick. If you see Andrew Bynum go and you haven’t taken a center yet, you waited too long!

3) Make sure your sleeper will wake up! Don’t draft Raymond Felton and brag about how great he is going to be. They drafted D.J. Augustine for a reason!

4) Don’t get caught playing the name game. Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd aren’t what they used to be!

5) Rookies are risky. Lebron James doesn’t happen very often. Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo will produce, but there will be some rough stretches.

6) Know your leagues duration. Meaning, is this a redraft or keeper league? Spencer Hawes isn’t worth much until Brad Miller is out of the picture. Don’t take a future pick until you have your starters set.

7) Know the injury report. Remember, Monta Ellis is down with a grade 3 ankle sprain and the Warriors are not happy with him. Gilbert Arenas is out for who knows how long, so Antonio Daniels is worth a look.

8) Don’t get cute. Don’t be the guy who takes ALL San Antonio players because you are a Spurs fan. We are in it to win it, not build a basketball card collection online.

9) Stay Active. Even if you are in last place, there is still time to salvage the season.

10) Check the waiver wire. Don’t be a waiver wire molester, but injuries and fatigue create minutes for the Rudy Fernandez’s of the world.

11) Last, but not least, know your rankings. Take a look at rule #1 and see where guys finished last season within that system. Remember that Elton Brand missed most of the season, so he could fly under the radar for a while.



So how does all this fantasy knowledge make out when it comes to your beloved Timberwolves you might ask? Well, let’s break this down position by position and see if we can bring some light to the darkness.

Guards: Randy Foye looks like he is the starting Point Guard. Foye is more of a scoring combo guard than a passing point guard, so understand what you get with him. Mike Miller is the best 3-point shooter the Wolves have, which means he is your best option if 3’s are counted. His production depends a lot on how well Foye adjusts to passing rather than shooting. Rashad McCants has the knack for coming in and being a sparkplug for the offense. With his knee problems hopefully behind him, he could be a sneaky utility player draft pick for you. Sebastian Telfair may be a street-ball legend, but his NBA fantasy value is zero unless Foye goes down.

Forwards: The Timberwolves management is in love with Kevin Love. Expect him to see significant minutes early in the season and make a push for the starting gig beside Al Jefferson. His defense will need to improve to make that a reality though. Ryan Gomes gives you consistent production at both the SF and PF spots. Getting 10 points and 5 boards a game isn’t farfetched for Gomes. Corey Brewer is the Ronnie Brewer of the Timberwolves… all defense and not much offense. Rodney Carney can score, but will his lack of defense keep him on the bench more than on the floor? Craig Smith, Chris Richard and Brian Cardinal are more depth than anything. They really shouldn’t be on your fantasy radar.

Centers: Al Jefferson is the king lion of this herd. Jefferson is a beast and will be in the middle of everything that happens with the Timberwolves. Mark Madsen will give Jefferson the rare breather, but don’t expect much. And finally, there is Jason Collins. He is a fine defender, but knee problems will make him null in fantasy leagues.

In the end, Jefferson is the must have, Foye and Miller are solid starters and McCants is a sleeper that most people will let slip. Kevin Love will be one of the top rookies to grab, but remember that his defense will get him benched at times. Tune in next week when I give you the top 10 players at each position for your fantasy draft.

If you have any questions about you fantasy basketball rosters, just email me. Your question will not only be answered promptly and accurately, but you could have your question featured in the following week’s article. Just make sure it is because you had a good question and not the “Should I trade Kobe Bryant for Ray Allen and Vince Carter” question!




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