The Colby Echo

Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Sports

Now I realize that many of you are coming off of an exhausting fantasy baseball season and are entrenched in fantasy football allure. You'll notice that Yahoo.com and various other fantasy sports sources have started fantasy basketball drafts. Although my fantasy baseball team has been miserable the last two seasons (eighth place both seasons, but consistent I suppose) and my football team this year is under achieving, my fantasy basketball team is always in the top two in the league.

Part of the reason for this may be that I can stomach watching more NBA basketball throughout the season than any of you can, but there are some easy ways to have a successful season without torturing yourself watching Sonics vs. Kings games at 10:30 p.m. on your Thursday Nights (and no, let's not all jump to conclusions about my social life). Before you consider watching a lot of NBA basketball, you should be aware that fantasy basketball takes as much attention as baseball since most leagues allow nightly roster changes. Here are a few tips to having a good fantasy basketball season:

1) Pick up a fantasy basketball magazine. They sell them in the Colby Bookstore. NBA Basketball can be really painful to watch, trust me. Watching Allen Iverson go 9-30 from the field or watching the "Big Fundamental" Tim Duncan bank 20 foot jump shots can put you to sleep. Plus, since a majority of weekly games are on TNT, you have to deal with the stupidity of Charles Barkley on a bi-weekly basis. A simple glimpse through a magazine and a reliable and updated cheatsheet should be all the tools you need to bring with you into the draft room (along with this column, of course).

2) It really doesn't matter how well or poorly your team starts; just make the playoffs. I've been beaten countless times in the championship game when I have had a 25 game lead going into the playoffs. Your team needs to get hot at the end of the season, not the beginning. Take note that at the end of the year, guys like Tim Duncan, LeBron James and others on guaranteed playoff teams may take some nights off to rest. I'm certainly not advocating avoiding these star players, just be ready when King James decides to take a few nights off during your championship week to "rest his sore ankle."

3) Going along with the previous thought, there is really no sentimental value in fantasy basketball. Paul Pierce doesn't care that you have him on your fantasy team. If he is questionable to play for the rest of the year, cut him and pick up some guy getting big minutes on a bad team. I know it can be painful to cut your number one pick for Tyrone Lue, but sometimes, that's what it takes to win.

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