Our third RDA blog contributor, ORL Jim, comes with his preview of the Atlantic! Come take a look as Jim takes you into the depths of each roster and reveals each team's stealth MVP!
Predicted order of finish: NYK, TOR, BOS, PHI, BKN
BOS, Kostas
Tucked away at his private installation on Mykonos, Kostas played a conservative financial strategy that resulted in a small ball team that should be competitive. After spending $50 to $60 apiece on a solid starting five and making a big early bet on Larry Nance (he what now?), Kostas filled out a roster from the clearance rack at Kohl's. BOS better hope a big bet on Malcom Brogdon pays off because “Larry Bird ain’t walking through that door!”
• Budget Buster: $51 on thirty-two year old, cartilaginously-challenged, Mike Conley could have been spent more wisely.
• Value Play: $5 bet on Stanley Johnson to finally do something.
• Stealth MVP: Tyus Jones. Rookie point guards and the curse of the number two overall pick means opportunity could knock hard if Ja Morant stumbles.
BKN, Jon and Trieu
Jon told Trieu that the draft started Tuesday then proceeded to spend eighty percent of their budget on two players. This left the team with its third best player as a backup to Troy Brown Jr. Other than the ever serviceable Al-Farouq Aminu, the rest of this roster is a fantasy soup kitchen. Somewhere in the distance you can hear the slow clap of Billy King. • Budget Buster: $116 for Steph Curry is steep. This should be a banner year for Curry, load management aside, but thirty-two year old balky ankles may be a factor.
• Value Play: $137 for fifteen years of Karl-Anthony Towns actually isn’t a bad deal.
• Stealth MVP: No idea but as of this writing, BKN has four more slots to fill so Jon and Trieu better hope he’s in there somewhere...
NYK, Brian
If this is how the storied Knicks franchise gets back on the road to respectability, so be it! GM Brian pieced together a good combination of smalls and bigs that should compete across the board.• Budget Buster: $40 for Hassan Whiteside looks like a good deal, but he was just voted most likely to pull a “Luck” and walk away without notice.
• Value Play: $39 for nobody’s friend Chris Paul, a perennial fantasy stalwart.
• Stealth MVP: Lo-Ball finally got some new shoes and away from the Fake Show circus in LA. Look out!
PHI, Joachim and Alvin
Big splurge on Dame D.O.L.L.A. as the franchise cornerstone and then a steady trend of frugality toward soon to be Spanish League MVP Sauce Castillo. Weak in the middle but with some scoring punch, PHI will need big steps forward from Jordan Clarkson and Malik Monk to compete. Don’t be surprised if Nik Stauskas and Marco Belinelli are cut for Theodore Ratliff and Miles Simon. Alllllvinnnnnn!
• Budget Buster: Marco Belinelli. Hey, $3 is still $3.
• Value Play: $8 for Jordan Clarkson is about three cents per shot he’ll be jacking per game in Cleveland this year. It’s a contract year, you think he won’t?
• Stealth MVP: Saric. Who in THAT frontcourt will take his minutes? Who?
TOR, Ghita
Ghita, RZA, and OBD put together a mishmash that is competitive across the eight scoring and defensive categories. TOR made a bold move for LeBron James, who now has a history of groin injuries and will be increasingly focused on the shittiest remake in movie history. Big strides from Jeremy Lamb and Dewayne Dedmon, both stuck in position battles, will really bring the ruckus. With six players aged thirty-plus, TOR better do it soon.
• Budget Buster: $84 for LBJ, who is ten years above the average age for players in this price range.
• Value Play: $14 for Evan Fournier, one of the least respected players in fantasy.
• Stealth MVP: Kemba because f*ck Kyrie!
