My first regret stems from never being a big spender at auctions. I'm the perfect guy for an economic downturn. My strategy is never to spend big on the stars. If my teams had fans, they'd hate me. My second regret is whipping off my keeper list and submitting it about 10 minutes before leaving for a wedding on the Cape. A wedding for people I didn't know, but I had a great time. Love it when that happens. To top it off, Celtics legend John Havlicek was a guest at the nuptials.
It's a 12-team league with $160 salary cap. Elite players, like Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade and CP3, eat up roughly 30-35 percent of a team's salary. They go in the high 40s and 50s topped by Bron Bron at $66. The biggest salary on my team was Jason Kidd's $30. I didn't protect him, and I have no regrets about that.
Where I'm re-thinking myself is in the guys I let go. Mike Miller ($5) and Corey Maggette ($7), regardless of what you think of them as players, are very affordable for this league. Maggette is one-dimensional and has been de-emphasized in Don Nelson's rotation, which was my thinking when I opted to keep Andrei Kirilenko ($8), but I know I'm going to miss those free throws. That's a category I never pay much attention to when scouting/selecting players. He takes a ton of 'em and makes 'em at a good rate. And now that Brandan Wright is out the way, Maggette has one less player with which to fight for minutes. If Stephen Jackson gets his wish and is traded, all the better for Maggette, he'll be the number two scoring option behind Monta Ellis, a player whose words and body language suggest, "Get me outta here." If they can't trade Jackson's contract, certainly someone would be will to take a gamble on a talented scorer like Ellis, who hasn't been enthralled with management since Chris Mullin was fired and they suspended him 30 games for his moped accident. The bottom line is that the Warriors turmoil could pave the way for a big year from Maggette.
I like guys who give league-best value in a fringe category. Players like Chris Andersen in blocks (2.46 bpg) or Ronnie Brewer in steals (1.70 spg); guys that keep you relevant in the category all by themselves. If Adonal Foyle got enough minutes, I'd think about him as a shot-blocking specialist. That's sort of the way I feel about Miller as a three-point specialist. I was swayed by a drop off in production last season in Minnesota, as Miller averaged a career-low 9.9 points (career-low 7.5 shots per game) and dropped under 38|PERCENT| percent from 3-point range. That's not the kind of year my team of veterans-minimum players could survive. He was buried on a team looking to rebuild around a very talented low post players in Al Harrington and Kevin Love. I can't imagine he enjoyed his season with the Timberwolves, despite being as close to his hometown of Mitchell (S.D) as he could be while playing for an NBA team. Things will be different this season in Washington. The Wizards don't have the low-post scoring focus and were 29th in 3-point shooting percentage last year. It looks like he, DeShawn Stevenson and Randy Foye will share minutes as part of the guard rotation not named Gilbert Arenas. With three scorers already in the starting lineup, coach Flip Saunders will probably start Stevenson most nights to guard the opponents best backcourt scorer and look for Miller to come off the bench at shooting guard and small forward for a second unit whose offensive focus will be perimeter based. Why I didn't keep him instead of Drew Gooden, I'll never know.
The rest of the guys I had on the bubble were:
Luol Deng ($21) - Health has been an issue the last two seasons and there was drop off last year. I just wanted to have those auction dollars.
Anderson Varejao ($3) - I think I can get his production at the same price.
The nine I kept:
Pau Gasol ($28) - The highest salary protected. I was encouraged that he played 81 games last year and have forgotten about two foot injuries earlier in his career.
Rajon Rondo (extended until 2012-13 at $18) - At that price and on this team, he's a steal at point guard.
Mo Williams ($8) - He's my hedge for both Miller in 3-pointers and is among the league-best in free-throw percentage.
Rodney Stuckey ($3) - Was on my developmental roster and I had to activate him or lose him. I don't think Michael Curry was a good influence on any of the Pistons last year.
Rashard Lewis ($18) - Does more than Deng and is cheaper.
Ron Artest ($10) - The free spirit in me made me do it.
Andrei Kirilenko ($8) - I'm a sucker for multi-category guys, even past their heyday.
Drew Gooden ($3) - The production Varejao would have given me, plus more scoring.