Fantasy, Anyone?

SECAUCUS, N.J., Dec. 4, 2007 -- I'm not one to brag (wink), but when it comes to fantasy sports, I'm known as "The Blueprint". Send me your e-mail address and I'll get you a copy of my championship-winning resume.

Maybe that is why my brother and his friends decided not to include me in their fantasy basketball league, which drafted this past weekend (yes, a full month after the season began). Is it really that difficult to find 10 people to be in a fantasy league?

Even though I'm not in their league, it got me to thinking. How would the first round of a fantasy draft play out at this point in the season? I'm sure if owners got a do-over, they probably would draft a little bit differently.

LEAGUE BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

No	Team	Selection
1	Team Defending Champs. This owner is the guy who has the championship trophy from last year sitting on his desk in his cubicle.	LeBron James, Cavaliers. Regardless of when the draft is held, LeBron should be the first pick. Before he was injured, he was filling up the stat sheet in ways not seen in the league in a long time.
2	Team Looking For A Friend. This owner knows nothing about hoops, but you needed another person and he needed something to do.	Dwight Howard, Magic. This guy shoots at a high percentage and he is a stud when it comes to getting points, blocks and rebounds.
3	Team Shutup: This owner says "nice pick" after each selection of the draft.	Carlos Boozer, Jazz. The scoring system in my league rewards players for double-doubles and Boozer is a double-double machine.
4	Team Pay Attention: This owner is the guy who always picks someone who was taken two rounds earlier.	Baron Davis, Warriors. Baron is an injury risk, but when healthy, he does it all. So far this season, he has been healthy.
5	Team Adult Beverages: You know the guy who has too much to drink during the draft and ruins his squad.	Yao Ming, Rockets. He didn't mess up here, taking the Rockets big man midway through the first round. How can Kevin Garnett, who has been the first pick of my real league the past five years still be on the board?
6	Team Make Check Payable To. This owner won't be setting his lineup by the midway point of the season. If your league has an entry fee, be sure to get his loot up front.	Kevin Garnett, Celtics. The trade from Minnesota to Boston hasn't hurt KG's numbers that much.
7	Team Stop Calling Me. This owner must not accomplish much at his job because he spends all day on the phone calling owners trying to make a trade.	Jason Kidd, Nets. So much for Kidd slowing down because of age. He is still a triple-double machine, even though the Nets are struggling.
8	Team He's My Favorite Player. Regardless of who is on the board, this owner will take his favorite player or a player from his favorite team.	Allen Iverson, Nuggets. Although he is scoring less, Iverson is still putting up big points and setting up his teammates for buckets. I guess he can share the ball with Carmelo Anthony.
9	Team I Love Kobe. No explanation needed here.	Kobe Bryant, Lakers. I'm sure a lot of people selected Kobe first or second in their drafts this year. Although his numbers are fine, I'm sure more was expected. With KB24, that is always the case.
10	Team Lame Joke. This owner will have something smart to say i.e. "He's still in the league?" after each pick.	Steve Nash, Suns. He is a two-time MVP, who is playing like he is trying to earn a third MVP award in four years.