[ESPN Fantasy Basketball] Rockets Players Ranking

CharlieMurphy · Oct 23, 2007

I thought this was interesting. For me, I enjoy reading the player profiles. The fantasy rankings for each Rockets don't really mean anything since it's hard to guess what each of their individual stats will be because we're so "deep." If you guys want to know who's at the top of each list for each position, let me know and I'll post it later. My bad if this belongs in the Fantasy Sports League forum.

Player Profiles: Small Forwards
31. Shane Battier, Houston Rockets

Age: 29 Ht: 6'8" Wt: 220 School: Duke Years in League: 6 Role: Starting SF

The low scoring turns many would-be fantasy owners away from Battier, but to see his true value you have to look past the most publicized stat in the game. True, Battier averaged just 10.1 points last season, but he helped on defense with 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks and set a career high with 1.9 3-pointers per game. Battier is solid from the field and the charity stripe, and in turnovers leagues he is quite valuable as he lost the ball just 0.9 times per game, which is excellent for his 36 minutes played. His game is dull, but in roto leagues his contributions will add up over the course of the season.

Bottom Line: Draft for scoring elsewhere, but don't overlook Battier as a player who can be a statistical "glue" guy for your team, helping you in a variety of harder-to-fill categories.

43 Chuck Hayes, Houston Rockets

Age: 24 Ht: 6'6" Wt: 240 School: Kentucky Years in League: 2 Role: Backup SF/PF

This undersized power forward had value at the end of last season for his rebounding (7.7 for March and April) and steals (1.3). Hayes is a magnet for loose balls and gets steals by stripping players as they pump-fake Yao. As a result, his steals were much higher when Yao was on the court. Hayes doesn't need a lot of minutes to have value, but he does need to play alongside Yao.

Bottom Line: Hayes' will lose minutes to Luis Scola, but will still collect rebounds and steals; he's worth a look in ultra-deep leagues for these categories.
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Player Profiles: Shooting Guards

6. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets

Age: 28 Ht: 6'8" Wt: 210 School: Mt. Zion Christian Academy (HS) Years in League: 10 Role: Starting SG

T-Mac should enjoy an improvement on last season's numbers with offensive guru Rick Adelman now in control and improvement in personnel on the Rockets' roster. While McGrady is not as explosive as he was earlier in his career, he is smarter and is still capable of huge offensive nights; he had three 40-plus scoring games and several near misses last year. In the counting stats McGrady is a near clone of Vince Carter. He will average in the mid-20s in scoring with almost two 3's, plus five rebounds, between five and six assists, and a little more than a steal per. So why is he ranked below Vince? It's the percentages. T-Mac is good for 43 percent from the field and 75 from the line. Decent but not at Carter or Kobe's levels.

Bottom Line: McGrady still has juice left in the tank and under Rick Adelman could improve his overall numbers. We'd like to see him get more efficient from the field and the line but will enjoy his counting stats even if he doesn't.

28. Steve Francis, Houston Rockets

Age: 29 Ht: 6'3" Wt: 200 School: Maryland Years in League: 7 Role: Backup SG/PG

The prodigal son returns to the place of his greatest success. There hasn't been much of that for Steve Francis lately. Francis suffered from knee tendinitis last season in what was a very crowded Knicks backcourt. Well, the latter isn't changing but Francis came in fully aware of the situation. It looks like he is ready to play a supporting role. With the Knicks, he played more shooting guard than point, and in Houston he will back up both Mike James and Tracy McGrady. Francis will put up similar numbers to last season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.5 boards, 3.0 assists, and just less than a steal per game.

Bottom Line: Where will he fit back in Houston? As a backup at first. If he is healthy, he will be a dose of instant offense for the Rockets and for fantasy owners. If the knee doesn't hold up, there is always the waiver wire.

36. Luther Head, Houston Rockets

Age: 24 Ht: 6'3" Wt: 185 School: Illinois Years in League: 2 Role: Backup SG

How many Houston Rockets can we add to this list? Four as it turns out. There is a lot of talent in that backcourt. Head has proven he is fantasy worthy, improving in his second season despite playing fewer minutes. Last season he was a good source of points (10.9), 3's (2.2), and steals (1.0). Head-to-head owners looking for a player to sub in on your starters' off days could do much worse than Head. The Rockets picked up their option for Head and say they intend to get him minutes. Let's hope so. He's a great source of inexpensive 3's.

Bottom Line: It will be interesting to see how Luther Head gets his minutes but when he does, expect a lot of 3's from the fourth-most accurate long range shooter in the league (44.1 percent).

45. Bonzi Wells, Houston Rockets

Age: 31 Ht: 6'5" Wt: 210 School: Ball State Years in League: 9 Role: Backup SG/SF

Bonzi is something of a mystery. He is still in Houston after a lost season, but is part of a very crowded backcourt. On the plus side he played some of his best ball under new coach Rick Adelman in Sacramento, posting 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in 2005-06. He's always been an able scorer, using his size to back you down in the low post or taking you outside and hitting a jumper. He's also a very good rebounder for a guard and is adept at creating steals on the defensive end. He is the opposite of most twos in that he is very good from the field (career 46.2) but shaky at the line (career 70.4). He is a good end-of-the-draft gamble in medium-sized leagues.

Bottom Line: If Bonzi can secure playing time, he'll be a great option for points, rebounds and steals from the shooting guard spot.
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Player Profiles: Point Guards

28. Mike James, Houston Rockets

Age: 32 Ht: 6'2" Wt: 190 School: Duquesne Years in League: 6 Role: Starting/Backup PG

Stuck in time-sharing situations for most of his career, James must be very familiar with the crowded scene in the Rockets backcourt. With four potential point guards -- what Rafer Alston's fate will be this season is unknown -- one wonders how the minutes will be doled out. James can be effective in a time-share. His last stay in Houston (27 games in 2004-05) was exactly that when he averaged 25 minutes, 12.4 points, 1.6 3-pointers, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals. James is a shoot-first point guard and will never tally big assists. Still, he can useful for his 3's and scoring.

Bottom Line: He will not get the minutes he enjoyed in his breakout season with Toronto in 2005-06. Expect around 25 minutes and modest production in points and 3-point shooting. Ah, time-shares; don't you just love 'em?

35. Rafer Alston, Houston Rockets

Age: 31 Ht: 6'2" Wt: 170 School: Fresno State Years in League: 8 Role: Backup/Starting PG

The offseason. Some guys work on their jumpers or hit the weights, others get arrested for assault. Twice. Suffice it to say, there is something of a cloud hanging over Skip coming into this season. Legal issues aside, it doesn't help that the Rockets signed three new players who can play the point. With minutes, Alston is a great source of 3-pointers (his 192 were second-best among point guards last season). He's solid with assists (5.4 per game) and steals (1.6), but his percentages can induce retching: 37.9 from the field and 73.5 from the line. Alston has value but it is contingent on playing time and this season that is no sure thing.

Bottom Line: Alston doesn't come without risk. His legal issues and the almost certain loss of playing time in Houston knock him down our boards. Alston's owners better hope for a trade and a good lawyer.

52. Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets

Age: 22 Ht: 6'0" Wt: 160 School: Oregon Years in League: R Role: Backup PG

Brooks dominated Las Vegas this summer, putting up 21.4 points, 2.4 3-pointers and 5.2 assists. Where this puts him in the Houston rotation remains to be seen, but he has some experienced company with which to battle for minutes. Watch preseason games to get a sense of how Adelman uses Brooks. We can see a Bobby Jackson-type role for Brooks, who is the fastest of Houston's point guards and can really put pressure on a defense.

Bottom Line: We think a trade is inevitable for one of the Rockets point guards. Brooks could carve out an instant offense role for himself if things shake out right.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/basketball/fba/story?id=3058981
http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/basketball/fba/story?id=3058786
http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/basketball/fba/story?id=3058784

Edit: They didn't post the links for PF or C, I had to go find it myself.

WildSweet&Cool · Oct 23, 2007

Wrong forum.

Barkley · Oct 23, 2007

Put it into fantasy i think

Rockets34Legend · Oct 23, 2007

umm....no Yao?

CharlieMurphy · Oct 23, 2007

Player Profiles: Power Forwards

20. Luis Scola, Houston Rockets

Age: 27 Ht: 6' 9" Wt: 250 School: None Years in League: R Role: Starting PF

This guy will end up being one of the best draft-day bargains of the season. Scola is a two-time MVP of the Spanish League, and he also won the FIBA Americas Tournament MVP award this summer. He is a tough, versatile scorer and a good post passer. He also has little competition for the starting power forward job in Houston. Rick Adelman made great use of skilled big men in Sacramento. In Yao and Scola, he has two good ones to work with. Expect Scola to be the beneficiary when either T-Mac or Yao find themselves double-teamed. He has an excellent mid-range jumper and will get many such shots with the Rockets. Look for season averages along these lines: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, plus a steal per game. He won't block shots, and he has hovered just below 70 percent on free throws during his European career.

Bottom Line: Scola isn't really a sleeper because there is little doubt he will be a valuable fantasy commodity this season. He will contribute well in points, rebounds, field-goal percentage, assists and steals for a big man.
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Player Profiles: Centers

3. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

Age: 26 Ht: 7'6" Wt: 310 School: None Years in League: 5 Role: Starting C

When healthy, Yao is the most dominant center in the league. He has improved his scoring every year in the league, topping out at 25 per game last season. Throw in nearly 10 rebounds, two blocks and an insane 86.2 percent from the line with a center-best 7.4 made free throws per game and you have a fantasy beast. This season, Jeff Van Gundy has been replaced by Rick Adelman. What does this mean for Yao? Good things. Adelman is a master of making the offense easier for his teams and Yao should see an increase in his numbers across the board, especially in assists as Adelman is sure to take advantage of his passing skills. The only thing holding Yao back is his penchant for foot injuries.

Bottom Line: Yao is the ultimate risk/reward guy in fantasy basketball. If he stays healthy and plays 75-plus games, he will be a top-5 player overall and the best center in the land. The problem is, you cannot count on this when drafting him; therefore, he should be the third center off the board in your draft.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/basketball/fba/story?id=3058984
http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/basketball/fba/story?id=3058988

paultherad · Oct 23, 2007

what the hell?? yao is 3? that is ridiculous..

Barkley · Oct 23, 2007

paultherad said:

what the hell?? yao is 3? that is ridiculous..
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Fantasy?

NO NAME · Oct 23, 2007

3?that's so low, but I think they considered the risk of his injury, so I guess AS and DH it ahead of him. And I think the rest of guys' rank are pretty low too, RA shouldn't be only 35, but anyway, it's just a game.

Seven · Oct 23, 2007

Nvm Yao being number three, look at everyone else...Those rankings were made by people who never seen a rockets game. The points they make about every single player is wrong. Even in a fantasy ranking you need to have some knowledge of whats going on.

abcdef · Oct 23, 2007

Yao is the best center in the NBA, both in real life and in fantasy. In fantasy Tim Duncan blows because of his FT%, while in real life Tim Duncan isn't a center. IMO Duncan is the only one who can say that he is better than Yao.

pli777 · Oct 23, 2007

ermmm.. I would put bonzi before head but that's just me.

pli777 · Oct 23, 2007

ESPN Line: Yao is the ultimate risk/reward guy in fantasy basketball. If he stays healthy and plays 75-plus games said:

Does anyone see a problem with this or is it just me?

He listed why yao is dominant and said you cannot count on this when drafting him? What else do you count on? cheese?

every player is subject to the risk of being injured. what a bunch of crap.
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batkins · Oct 23, 2007

ESPN said:

Player Profiles: Power Forwards

20. Luis Scola, Houston Rockets

Age: 27 Ht: 6' 9" Wt: 250 School: None Years in League: R Role: Starting PF

This guy will end up being one of the best draft-day bargains of the season. Scola is a two-time MVP of the Spanish League, and he also won the FIBA Americas Tournament MVP award this summer. He is a tough, versatile scorer and a good post passer. He also has little competition for the starting power forward job in Houston. Rick Adelman made great use of skilled big men in Sacramento. In Yao and Scola, he has two good ones to work with. Expect Scola to be the beneficiary when either T-Mac or Yao find themselves double-teamed. He has an excellent mid-range jumper and will get many such shots with the Rockets. Look for season averages along these lines: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, plus a steal per game. He won't block shots, and he has hovered just below 70 percent on free throws during his European career.

Bottom Line: Scola isn't really a sleeper because there is little doubt he will be a valuable fantasy commodity this season. He will contribute well in points, rebounds, field-goal percentage, assists and steals for a big man.
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If he averages that, my expectation will be blown away.

doublehh03 · Oct 23, 2007

u know something's wrong when tracy is not in the top 5 in overall fantasy like he used to.

cmon tracy, you're healthy this year so do it.

yao is an EASY top 3 if he stays healthy. i think injuries are huge (the same w/ tracy) so fantasy players tend to pick him low like that. but no doubt he's the best center in reality and fantasy.

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