In the world of fantasy basketball, LeBron is king
BY JON KRAWCZYNSKI
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The NBA season is nearly upon us,
and one big question remains: Who is
your No. 1 pick?
From Kevin Garnett to LeBron, Kobe
to Shaq, there are plenty of options.
And the NBA is embracing the fantasy
phenomenon, providing in-depth
analysis and information to help fans
manage their teams.
While prospective fantasy team
owners are fretting over first-round
picks in approaching drafts, LeBron
James knows exactly who he would
take.
“Uh, uh, LeBron James,” he said.
“Because I’m an all-around team play
er, and all I care about is winning.”
Well, LeBron, you might be the No.
1 pick in most fantasy drafts, but it has
nothing to do with your unquenchable
desire for victories.
How many games a player’s team
wins is about as important in fantasy
basketball as how many high-flying
dunks off a trampoline the team mas
cot makes during halftime. It’s all
about the stats, baby.
“Players on bad teams often make
great fantasy players if they can pile
up the stats,” said Matthew Berry, aka
“The Talented Mr. Roto,” NBA.com’s
fantasy guru.
The league hired Berry to headline
a comprehensive new fantasy section
on its Web site and contribute to a fan
tasy magazine. The site offers fans a
nauseating amount of stats, trends
and breakdowns that were once avail
able only to General Managers, scouts,
coaches and players.
“If you want to know how (Timber
wolves point guard) Marko Jaric has
performed against Chauncey Billups
on three days’ rest in the second half
of the season on a Wednesday, it’s
there,” Berry said. “It’s just insane.”
The NBA also is sponsoring the
“All-NBA First Fantasy Team.” At the
end of the fantasy season, the top five
fantasy owners playing on NBA.com’s
free salary cap manager league will be
given the award and allowed to meet
with a real NBA GM.
“It’s the first time in history that a
sports league has recognized playing
fantasy sports as a legitimate skill,”
said Berry, who has been playing fan
tasy sports since 1983. ‘‘When you
had to wait for the USA Today to come
on Wednesday so you could check the
stats and see how your team did.”
Fantasy basketball has exploded
across the world in the last five years,
and the NBA is striving to cater to the
growing demographic.
“It’s not just for geeks anymore,”
Berry said.
The league is offering a plethora of
free services through the fantasy sec
tion of its Web site, including articles
and advice from Berry, who also hosts
his own radio show and has worked
for the Sporting News and ESPN as a
fantasy analyst.
“They came to me and my staff and
said, ‘You guys know fantasy,’ and
gave us the keys to the candy store. It
was cool,” Berry said. “Anything we
asked for, we got.”
And who is Berry’s No. 1 pick?
Well, let’s just say King James may be
on to something. In his pre-season Top
10, Berry leads with James, followed
by Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett, Dallas’
Dirk Nowitzki, Phoenix’s Shawn Mar
ion and Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson.
See a common thread?
“You want a guy that contributes in
many, many categories,” Berry said.
“Points, steals, blocks, 3-pointers, as
sists, field goal percentage. LeBron
James and Kevin Garnett, they con
tribute across the board. ”
An informal poll of NBA players
turns up similar answers.
“It would probably be Allen or Le
Bron,” said Sixers forward Kyle Korv
er, who was ranked 67th overall in
NBA.com’s fantasy magazine. “Jalen
Rose is on there ahead of me? ...
Jalen Rose?”
Timberwolves forward Mark Mad
sen didn’t hesitate.
“Shaq, no doubt,” Madsen said.
Don’t worry, Mark, we won’t tell
Garnett.
“The numbers, the presence, it’s all
there,” Madsen said.
Well, maybe not, Berry says.
“If you were starting an actual team
and wanted to win this season, Shaq
very well could be the pick. But
in fantasy, he kills you in
free-throw percentage.”
Players get penalized for poor
free-throw and field goal
percentages as well as being one
dimensional, which is why players
such as O’Neal and Carmelo
Anthony often are bypassed for less
er stars such as Andrei Kirilenko
and Gilbert Arenas.
This is why James, who stuffed
the box scores with averages of
27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2
assists per game, is on top of the
fantasy world.
“I think almost in every category
my numbers should go up just be
cause of the floor space we’re going
to be able to have this year,” James
said. “Guys aren’t going to be able
to load the box on me. Guys are not
going to be able to double-team me
when I bring the ball up because of
the guys we have on the floor this
year. So I think every category of my
game will go up this year. ”
AP sports writers Tom Withers
in Cleveland and Dan Gelston
in Philadelphia contributed
to this story.
IN BRIEF
Chicago White Sox sweep
Astros in World Series
HOUSTON — Jermaine Dye singled
home the only run in the eighth, and
the Chicago White Sox beat the Hous
ton Astros 1-0 to win their first World
Series title in 88 years.
Chicago’s sweep, its eighth straight
postseason win and 16th in 17 games
overall, made it only the second team
to go through the postseason 11-1 since
the extra round of playoffs was added
in 1995, joining the 1999 Yankees.
On a night when pitching dominat
ed, winner Freddy Garcia and Hous
ton’s Brandon Backe pitched shutout
ball for seven innings, with Backe al
lowing four hits and Garcia five. They
each struck out seven.
Bobby Jenks got his second save
and Astros closer Brad Lidge fell to 0-2
in the Series and 0-3 in the postseason.
Houston was 0-for-ll with
runners in scoring position on the
night and 10-for-48 (.208) in the
Series, and the Astros were shutout for
the final 15 innings, stranding
18 runners.
This year's World Series
gets record-low ratings
NEW YORK — The Chicago White
Sox’s first world championship in 88
years was also the lowest-rated World
Series ever.
Chicago’s four-game sweep of the
Houston Astros averaged an 11.1 na
tional rating with a 19 share on Fox.
That’s down about 7 percent from the
previous low, an 11.9 with a 20 share
for the 2002 World Series between the
Anaheim Angels and the San Francis
co Giants.
While the 2002 World Series, which
went seven games, rated higher over
all, it was only averaging an 11.0
through four games.
This year was a drop of almost 30
percent from last year’s series, in
which the Boston Red Sox swept the
St. Louis Cardinals for their first title in
86 years. That had a 15.8 rating with a
25 share.
Wednesday night’s 1-0 Chicago win
had a 13.0 preliminary national rating
with a 21 share. It was the highest-rat
ed prime-time show on Fox since the
finale of “American Idol” in May, but
still not enough to save the series from
being the lowest-rated.
Despite rating so low in comparison
to other World Series, the four games
of this series were each the highest rat
ed prime-time network programs on
their respective nights.
Saints home games to be
broadcast in Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE, La. — Saints fans
in New Orleans will be able to watch
their team’s home games in Baton
Rouge even if they’re not sellouts.
With the Saints based in San Anto
nio, their fans scattered and the Super
dome severely damaged by Hurricane
Katrina and its aftermath, the NFL said
networks may broadcast the games as
a gesture of good will.
The Saints host Miami on Sunday,
Chicago on Nov. 6, Tampa Bay on Dec.
4 and Carolina on Dec. 18, all in LSU’s
Tiger Stadium.
Cashman agrees to stay
with Yankees
NEW YORK — Hoping the behind
the-scenes matters are behind the New
York Yankees, Brian Cashman is ready
to address the issues on the field.
The general manager is staying with
the only team he’s ever worked for,
agreeing Thursday to a three-year con
tract worth more than $5 million.
Cashman’s deal was set to expire
Oct. 31, and he took more than two
weeks following the Yankees’ divi
sion series loss to the Los Angeles
Angels to decide that he would re
turn to what he called “the hardest
job in sports.”
Following New York’s Game 5 loss
in Anaheim, Cashman became emo
tional when asked about his future.
Though he said he had been told
throughout the season that the Yan
kees wanted him back, he wasn’t sure
that would still be the case after anoth
er playoff disappointment.
Though New York won its eighth
straight AL East title, Cashman said
this season “wasn’t as enjoyable.” He
said dealing with the team’s Tampa,
Fla., office, which houses some of
owner George Steinbrenner’s trusted
advisers, on different issues caused
“too many different philosophies being
injected into it.”
Cashman wants to be the voice in
charge of baseball decisions, and be
lieves he’s been given enough assur
ances that will remain the case.
“We’ve all suffered this past year in
different ways because of the splinter
ing,” he said. “I want to be that filter
that everything goes through me. ”
Cashman dealt mostly with general
partner Steve Swindal, but said Stein
brenner called him on Friday to tell
him he wanted him back.
ACLU files grievance on be
half of NM State player
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The Ameri
can Civil Liberties Union of New Mexi
co has filed a grievance against New
Mexico State football coach Hal
Mumme, saying he discriminated
against a now-released Muslim player
by repeatedly questioning him about
al-Qaida.
The grievance, filed Tuesday on be
half of former Aggies running back
Muammar Ali, also said the football
staff required the team to recite the
Lord’s Prayer at the end of each prac
tice.
The ACLU is seeking a public apolo
gy from Mumme and disciplinary ac
tion against him.
Air Force coach
reprimanded
DENVER — Air Force coach Fisher
DeBerry met the academy’s new su
perintendent for the first time, and
found himself being reprimanded, but
not fired, for statements he made
about black athletes and recruiting.
After his meeting with Lt. Gen. John
Regni, DeBerry issued an apology at a
news conference.
On Tuesday, in discussing last week
end’s 48-10 loss to TCU, DeBerry said it
was clear TCU “had a lot more Afro
American players than we did and
they ran a lot faster than we did. ”
DeBerry first discussed the topic
Monday, telling The Gazette of Col
orado Springs the academy needed to
recruit faster players and noting, “you
don’t see many minority athletes in
our program.”
—The Associated Press
Cross Country: Long, hilly courses provide steep challenges in postseason
Continued from page 9
on the team is awesome. Workouts are
great. We’re working together well and
supporting each other.”
The Pac-10 Conference Champi
onship course is going to push the
Ducks harder than many of the other
courses they might be used to. It is a
very hilly meet including tests of
strength, speed and endurance. This
course has been considered one of
the toughest courses the Ducks have
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“I think our team is young, but I be
lieve that we have the potential to turn
a lot of heads in the next couple of
years,” Winter said.
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