2009-2010 Fantasy Basketball Draft Sleepers (10/14/09)
Oct 14, 2009 News
If you are in the last round of a deep draft and looking for a gamble, I’ve listed some sleepers that could show a very nice return for the investment. The players below were selected from Yahoo’s draft statistics and are broken down into three groups: 10-15% owned, 5-10% owned and less that 5% owned (your deepest of REM sleepers). I have also tried to even out their statistics by using per/36 minutes played. I don’t think these guys will play 36 minutes, but it makes it a little easier to compare their ability to the guys who do get 36 minutes a night.
10-15% Owned:
Julian Wright, New Orleans, SF, 22 years old, 15% owned – Wright is a third year player and is getting a shot at the starting SF job this season. He seems to have the trust of Byron Scott so far. Wright got 14 minutes of playing time last season over 54 games with per/36 stats in 2008 of 11.1 pts, 2.0 ast, 7.1 reb, 1.6 stl, .9 blk and 2.0 tov. His steals are definitely helpful.
Rasual Butler, LA Clippers, SF, 30 years old, 14% owned – Butler has been getting time this preseason at the Small Forward position in a timeshare with Al Thornton. I think the two could create a nice situation since their strengths are somewhat different. Butler is a long range bomber hitting 140 three pointers last year at a 39.0% rate. His is a career 37.1% three point shooter. Per/36 stats in 2008: 12.7 pts, 1.0 ast, 3.7 reb, .7 stl, .8 blk and .8 tov. If you need threes, he could be a late round gift.
Steve Blake, Portland, PG, 29 years old, 11% owned – We all know Andre Miller is in town, but according to Nate McMillan, Blake is still the starter. Portland isn’t just going to banish him to the bench, he will still get minutes. There is also the chance that he gets traded into major minutes if an injury pops up somewhere in the league. 2008 per/36 stats: 12.5 pts, 5.7 ast, 2.8 reb, 1.1 stl, .1 blk and 1.8 tov. Blake is a great source of assists/steals and he takes very good care of the ball.
Brandon Bass, Orlando, PF, 24 years old, 15% owned – Rashard Lewis is out for the first 10 games and Bass should be the beneficiary of minutes. Bass could easily be a starter for some of the weaker NBA teams. 2008 per/36 stats: 15.7 pts, 1.0 ast, 8.4 reb, .6 stl, 1.3 blk and 2.0 tov.
Others to consider with 10-15% ownership: Mickael Pietrus (Orlando, 15%), Luke Ridnour (Milwaukee, 12%), Beno Udrih (Sacramento, 12%), James Posey (New Orleans, 11%)
5-10% Owned:
Marquis Daniels, Boston, PG/SG/SF, 28 years old, 6% owned – At 28 years old, Daniels will have the young legs to keep Ray Allen and Paul Pierce fresh for the playoffs. He should get 23-25 minutes a game and might even see some time at PG. 2008 per/36 stats: 15.5 pts, 2.4 ast, 5.3 reb, 1.3 stl, .6 blk and 2.0 tov. He helps in just about every category.
David Anderson, Houston, C, 29 years old, 7% owned – Very few people know who David Anderson is, but he should get big minutes in Houston with Yao Ming out. Anderson is from Australia and has been playing for Regal FC Barcelona in the Euroleague. He is a good offensive player and averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds last season. He also played for the Australian Olympic team averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. If you are looking for points from your center position, Anderson might be the man.
Nicolas Batum, Portland, SF, 21 years old, 7% owned – Batum enters his second year as the leading candidate to start at SF for the Portland Trailblazers. He is an excellent shooter (53.2 eFG%) with a good long range stroke hitting 62 three pointers last year at a 36.7% rate. 2008 per/36 stats: 10.5 points, 1.8 ast, 5.4 reb, 1.2 stl, 1.0 blk and 1.0 tov. Batum will earn minutes on the court due to his defense, which should allow him to develop his skills on offense.
Daniel Gibson, Cleveland, PG/SG, 23 years old, 5% owned – Gibson played 23.9 minutes a game last season, and that was with Delonte West in the mix. West is having some problems that may sideline him for awhile and Gibson should pick up those extra minutes. He is an excellent source of 3’s making 278 of them at a 41.2% rate over his three year career. 2008 per/36 stats: 11.8 pts, 2.6 ast, 3.1 reb, .9 stl, .3 blk and 1.2 tov.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey, SG/SF, 22 years old, 5% owned – New Jersey is going nowhere this year and they might as well get a look at CDR. He should get some time at SG and also time at SF where there is a black hole in New Jersey. 2008 per/36 stats: 13.3 pts, 3.2 ast, 3.1 reb, .7 stl, .4 blk and 1.9 tov.
Others to consider with 5-10% ownership: Marcin Gortat (Orlando, 5%), Daequan Cook (Miami, 6%), Thabo Sefolosha (Oklahoma City, 6%), Michael Finley (San Antonio, 7%), Jeff Foster (Indiana, 6%), Richard Mbah a Moute (Milwaukee, 9%), Marreese Speights (Philadelphia, 7%)
Less than 5% owned:
Desmond Mason, Sacramento, SF, 32 years old, 2% owned – Francisco Garcia is out for at least 4 months and Mason should be able to slide into the starting SF spot. At the very least, he will come off the bench and get about 20-25 minutes. 2008 per/36 stats: 9.9 pts, 1.6 ast, 5.3 reb, .5 stl, 1.0 blk and 1.9 tov.
Will Bynum, Detroit, PG/SG, 26 years old, 3% owned – Bynum will be the primary backup to Rodney Stuckey in Detroit. Bynum is very quick and can bring instant offense off the bench. His per/36 stats are better than many starting point guards in the league. His 2008 per/36 stats: 18.4 pts, 7.0 ast, 3.4 reb, 1.5 stl, .1 blk and 3.4 tov.
Morris Peterson, New Orleans, SG/SF, 32 years old, 2% owned – Peterson may again end up with the SG job in New Orleans by default. He is a good source of three pointers. 2008 per/36 stats: 13.4 pts, 1.1 ast, 5.9 reb, 1.2 stl, .1 blk and 1.0 tov.
Kwame Brown, Detroit, C, 27 years old, 3% owned – Brown is still in the mix at the center spot in Detroit and he can definitely help you in the rebounds category. 2008 per/36 stats: 8.8 pts, 1.2 ast, 10.5 reb, .9 stl, .9 blk and 1.8 tov.
Earl Watson, Indiana, PG/SG, 30 years old, 3% owned – Watson takes over as the primary backup to perennial injury risk, T.J. Ford. Jarrett Jack got good minutes in this role last season. Watson can help in the assists category. 2008 per/36 stats: 9.1 pts, 7.9 ast, 3.7 reb, 1.0 stl, .2 blk and 3.2 tov.
Others to consider with less than 5% ownership: Flip Murray (Charlotte, 4%), Jarvis Hayes (New Jersey, 3%) Martell Webster (Portland, 3%), Jason Williams (Orlando, 1%), Shaun Livingston (Oklahoma City, 1%), Corey Brewer (Minnesota, 4%), Devin Brown (New Orleans, 1%), Jared Jeffries (New York, 2%), Deshawn Stevenson (Washington, 1%)