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Living the Fantasy: Fab Fours
By NBA TV's Rick Kamla
The NBA has seen some sweet Big Threes over the last 20 years, with Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond, and Tim Hardaway going off in Oakland, Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson, and Jamal Mashburn dominating in Dallas, and Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell rocking Minnesota a year ago.
But like the lost art of the mid-range jump shot, it appears the Big Threes have gone away—or at least phoned in the 2004-05 season.
Take the Suns, who last year had a true Big Three with Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and Joe Johnson after Stephon Marbury was traded to the Knicks. This year, thanks to the offseason additions of Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson, the Suns’ Big Three has exploded into the best starting five in the league.
And in Minnesota, the Big Three of Garnett, Cassell, and Sprewell has been turned into a Big 1.5 because of the Timberwolves’ ridiculously deep bench. The healthy return of Troy Hudson has sullied Sam and the reemergence of Eddie Griffin has buzzkilled Sprewell.
So, as we continue living the fantasy, the question is which team has the best Fab Four for the purposes of fantasy basketball? Here's how I rank the six best Fab Fours in the league:
6. New York Knicks: Thanks to the recent emergence of Nazr Mohammed, who is averaging 12.8 points and 8.9 rebounds after a sluggish start, the Knicks have a true Fab Four. We knew about Stephon Marbury (21.0 points, 8.8 assists), Jamal Crawford (17.6 points), and Kurt Thomas (11.4 points, 10.7 rebounds) coming into the season, but Nazr has turned into the all-important fourth wheel. Steph, Jamal, Kurt, and Nazr are the only Knicks averaging double-digit points and more than one steal per game, and all four are staples in fantasy lineups.
5. Los Angeles Clippers: This was supposed to be the Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Vlade Divac, but the Clippers are L.A.'s team with top Fab Four status. The Clips had one of the league’s best Big Threes last year with Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, and Quentin Richardson, but take away Q and add Bobby Simmonsand Marko Jaric, and you have a true Fab Four. Minutes are kind of weird for every other Clipper, but Brand, Maggette, Simmons, and Jaric all average at least 35 minutes. And all four guys are dominant in at least one category, as Brand is shooting 52 percent from the field, Simmons is shooting 56 percent from the field and 93 percent from the line, Maggette has made 86 free throws, and Jaric is averaging 2.2 steals. And because Kerry Kittles and Shaun Livingston are on the shelf, this Fab Four is good to go for the foreseeable future.
4. Orlando Magic: You’re probably wondering which four I see in Orlando. It’s Steve Francis (20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists), Grant Hill (19.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists), Dwight Howard (9.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks), and Cuttino Mobley (14.2 points). I realize the Turkish nation is ready to storm the U.S. embassy because of my exclusion of Hedo Turkoglu, who is currently third on the team with a 15.6 scoring average. Hedo’s having a great year, but I see Mobley passing him sooner rather than later.
3. Washington Wizards: The Wizards have a true Big Three with Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas, and Larry Hughes, who have combined to average 64.3 points through 13 games. However, it would be unfair to exclude Brendan Haywood, who is averaging 10.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. Kwame Brown may soon supplant Haywood as the No. 4 guy in D.C. or he could turn this into a Fantastic Five like the Suns. Regardless, there are only two Fab Fours better than the one Eddie Jordan runs with every night.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Led by LeBron James, who is rocking all eight categories, the Cavs sport a Fab Four that includes top-five center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, underrated power forward Drew Gooden, and solid point guard Jeff McInnis. James (25.0 points per game), Z (17.5), McInnis (15.8), and Gooden (11.5) are averaging 69.8 of Cleveland’s 96.5 points per game, which is 72.3 percent of the team’s scoring. Wow. And when you consider the Cavs sport the second best fantasy player and three others who are regular starters, this Fab Four is tough to beat.
1. Sacramento Kings: With Doug Christie’s fantasy status taking a huge hit due to age and plantar fascitis, the Kings sport a Fab Four that is inspiring awe in fantasy leagues from Manhattan to Manchuria. Peja Stojakovic (20.7 points per game), Chris Webber (19.3), Mike Bibby (15.5), and Brad Miller (14.9) are averaging 70.4 of the Kings’ 100.3 points. All four are averaging one-plus steals, all four are averaging at least 35 minutes, and all four are automatic fantasy starts regardless of scoring method. Think about it in terms of the fourth wheel on each team and the Kings have the best Fab Four. Sacramento's fourth wheel, Bibby -- ankle injury notwithstanding -- is quite a bit better than Gooden, Haywood/Brown, Mobley, Jaric, and Mohammed.
Living the Fantasy: Fab Fours
By NBA TV's Rick Kamla
The NBA has seen some sweet Big Threes over the last 20 years, with Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond, and Tim Hardaway going off in Oakland, Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson, and Jamal Mashburn dominating in Dallas, and Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell rocking Minnesota a year ago.
But like the lost art of the mid-range jump shot, it appears the Big Threes have gone away—or at least phoned in the 2004-05 season.
Take the Suns, who last year had a true Big Three with Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and Joe Johnson after Stephon Marbury was traded to the Knicks. This year, thanks to the offseason additions of Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson, the Suns’ Big Three has exploded into the best starting five in the league.
And in Minnesota, the Big Three of Garnett, Cassell, and Sprewell has been turned into a Big 1.5 because of the Timberwolves’ ridiculously deep bench. The healthy return of Troy Hudson has sullied Sam and the reemergence of Eddie Griffin has buzzkilled Sprewell.
So, as we continue living the fantasy, the question is which team has the best Fab Four for the purposes of fantasy basketball? Here's how I rank the six best Fab Fours in the league:
6. New York Knicks: Thanks to the recent emergence of Nazr Mohammed, who is averaging 12.8 points and 8.9 rebounds after a sluggish start, the Knicks have a true Fab Four. We knew about Stephon Marbury (21.0 points, 8.8 assists), Jamal Crawford (17.6 points), and Kurt Thomas (11.4 points, 10.7 rebounds) coming into the season, but Nazr has turned into the all-important fourth wheel. Steph, Jamal, Kurt, and Nazr are the only Knicks averaging double-digit points and more than one steal per game, and all four are staples in fantasy lineups.
5. Los Angeles Clippers: This was supposed to be the Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Vlade Divac, but the Clippers are L.A.'s team with top Fab Four status. The Clips had one of the league’s best Big Threes last year with Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, and Quentin Richardson, but take away Q and add Bobby Simmonsand Marko Jaric, and you have a true Fab Four. Minutes are kind of weird for every other Clipper, but Brand, Maggette, Simmons, and Jaric all average at least 35 minutes. And all four guys are dominant in at least one category, as Brand is shooting 52 percent from the field, Simmons is shooting 56 percent from the field and 93 percent from the line, Maggette has made 86 free throws, and Jaric is averaging 2.2 steals. And because Kerry Kittles and Shaun Livingston are on the shelf, this Fab Four is good to go for the foreseeable future.
4. Orlando Magic: You’re probably wondering which four I see in Orlando. It’s Steve Francis (20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists), Grant Hill (19.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists), Dwight Howard (9.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks), and Cuttino Mobley (14.2 points). I realize the Turkish nation is ready to storm the U.S. embassy because of my exclusion of Hedo Turkoglu, who is currently third on the team with a 15.6 scoring average. Hedo’s having a great year, but I see Mobley passing him sooner rather than later.
3. Washington Wizards: The Wizards have a true Big Three with Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas, and Larry Hughes, who have combined to average 64.3 points through 13 games. However, it would be unfair to exclude Brendan Haywood, who is averaging 10.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. Kwame Brown may soon supplant Haywood as the No. 4 guy in D.C. or he could turn this into a Fantastic Five like the Suns. Regardless, there are only two Fab Fours better than the one Eddie Jordan runs with every night.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Led by LeBron James, who is rocking all eight categories, the Cavs sport a Fab Four that includes top-five center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, underrated power forward Drew Gooden, and solid point guard Jeff McInnis. James (25.0 points per game), Z (17.5), McInnis (15.8), and Gooden (11.5) are averaging 69.8 of Cleveland’s 96.5 points per game, which is 72.3 percent of the team’s scoring. Wow. And when you consider the Cavs sport the second best fantasy player and three others who are regular starters, this Fab Four is tough to beat.
1. Sacramento Kings: With Doug Christie’s fantasy status taking a huge hit due to age and plantar fascitis, the Kings sport a Fab Four that is inspiring awe in fantasy leagues from Manhattan to Manchuria. Peja Stojakovic (20.7 points per game), Chris Webber (19.3), Mike Bibby (15.5), and Brad Miller (14.9) are averaging 70.4 of the Kings’ 100.3 points. All four are averaging one-plus steals, all four are averaging at least 35 minutes, and all four are automatic fantasy starts regardless of scoring method. Think about it in terms of the fourth wheel on each team and the Kings have the best Fab Four. Sacramento's fourth wheel, Bibby -- ankle injury notwithstanding -- is quite a bit better than Gooden, Haywood/Brown, Mobley, Jaric, and Mohammed.
