Continuing a tradition from last year, we’re gonna take a look at the best of the best on a monthly basis. Just like our season previews, this is based on a 8-category league (i.e. no turnovers). I’m also going to list where they were on our rankings going into the year. Ready? OK:
1. Shawn Marion, F (Preseason: 2) - It is absolute shenanigans that The Matrix fell to DM at the 4th pick in our draft and I will curse the guys that took Kobe and KG before him until the end of the year. Over 1.5 steals, blocks, and threes, over 50/80% shooting, this guy is the best in the league. Period. I know that KG is outperforming Marion so far, but Marion is 2 years younger, shooting more from the arc than ever before (and they’ll start falling eventually), and possibly UNDERperforming in boards and steals. Yikes.
2. LeBron James, SF (1) - Free throws, LeBron, free throws! He’s the only guy right now with a legitimate shot at displacing Marion from the top spot but it all depends on what he does at the line. Also, is it safe to assume that we can forget about the triple-double average? On the plus side, those blocks are nice to see.
3. Kevin Garnett, F (3) - What happened to the passing numbers? Those will improve, but his FT% will drop eventually as well. I like KG as a sell-high candidate right now, actually. I just have a bad feeling about him even though he’s playing as well as ever right now.
4. Gilbert Arenas, PG (6) - I don’t think that his FT% is a fluke. He dedicated himself to his free throws after the playoffs disaster and should end the season over 90%. The assists, on the other hand, may or may not be for real.
5. Dirk Nowitzki, F (4) - The defensive numbers are a concern but I think they should correct themselves over time. Dirk is just going to be a steady force, and that’s why you take him in the first half of the first round.
6. Yao Ming, C (9) - We’ve seen him go on runs like this before. The feet are still a concern, but right now just enjoy the ride. If you can swing him in a one-for-one with any of the above players, though, you should do it.
7. Vince Carter, G/F (19) - Of course we all saw this coming, but he’s still such an injury risk. Carter and Yao could be the best 2 fantasy players in the league this year, but you won’t see them getting much higher on this list because of that risk.
8. Kobe Bryant, SG (5) - Give him time, he’ll be fine. The emergence of some of his supporting cast won’t really hurt his stats - remember, he was pretty sweet even when the diesel was taking up a ton of the offense.
9. Dwyane Wade, G (8) - The three’s are coming, slowly, but at the expense of his FG%. He’s also dropped considerably in boards, but they should come around. Wade may be a decent buy-low right now (18 on ESPN PR), but I’m still concerned about fatigue.
10. Steve Nash, PG (10) - This is right where he’ll be all year.
11. Lamar Odom, F (25) - Odom has buy-fake-high written all over him. DM wrote a good piece on that theory a while back but I can’t find it. Basically, his owners will be looking to sell high on him, but the truth is he’s perfectly capable of putting up numbers like this all year long. If you can get him for a mid-second rounder like Jermaine O’Neal or Jason Kidd, it’s worth considering.
12. Elton Brand, C (6) - Did all the other Elton owners let out a big exhale after his game Sunday night? I know I sure did. He’s still not shooting very much and his FT% has me worried, but last night went a long way in convincing me that he’ll right the ship.
13. Ray Allen, SG (12) - Can 3 3’s a game be a disappointment? Of course not. Let’s hope the rebounds are an anomaly and not a trend, though.
14. Michael Redd, GF (24) - Even before his 57-point outburst, Redd was off to a tremendous start. What happened to his suggestion that he was going to score less this year?
15. Joe Johnson, G (23) - Over 25 points in every game so far and a monster in threes. Is he a sell-high candidate?
16. Paul Pierce, GF (10) - He belongs higher than this, but this is his punishment for shooting 67% from the stripe so far. The rebounds are nothing short of astounding, though. Everything should even out in the end for Pierce.
17. Allen Iverson, G (14) - I know we’re not counting turnovers here, but 5.2 per game? Zoinks. The steals will come around eventually for AI and everything else seems par for the course.
18. Jason Kidd, PG (22) - A bigger triple-double threat than Lebron, it seems like he’s refusing to age more than we thought he would.
19. Chris Paul, PG (13) - His eye-catching stats are nice (19/9, 51% FG) but what’s going on with the FT%, 3’s, and steals? Paul could be in for another brilliant real-life season but may disappoint fantasy owners.
20. Zack Randolph, PF (71) - Fine. There. Are you happy?