Andrew Bynum's continuing saga in Philly really screwed up my fantasy team, needless to say. I took him with my second pick, and then laid off drafting rebounds for several rounds thereafter. So, let's just say I'm hurting in that department now that Bynum's a no-show on the court.
I've been trying to swing a deal for a big man ever since Bynum was ruled out (read - all season long). The catch is, I'm starting to run out of time. If I wait too long to make a deal, I'll be too far behind in rebounds & blocks to catch up. So, I had to act... which, admittedly, isn't a good position to be in when trading. But, I think I made out like a bandit.
At first glance, I'm pretty sure most people would disagree with that assessment, and think I got fleeced on the deal. But looks can be deceiving.
I traded:
Rudy Gay, SF - MEM
Jeff Teague, PG - ATL
for
Tim Duncan, PF - SA
Jason Richardson, SG - PHI
What the hell was I thinking, right? Two young up and coming players for a couple of aged veterans? Am I nuts?
Granted, that does look like a pretty shitty trade for me on the surface. But the numbers tell a different story.
What I traded away:
PPG: 15.85
RPG: 4.4
APG: 4.65
STL: 1.55
BLK: 0.6
3PM: 1.1
FG%: .433
FT%: .813
What I got back in return:
PPG: 15.65
RPG: 7.25
APG: 2.05
STL: 1.3
BLK: 1.45
3PM: 1.15
FG%: .481
FT%: .752
Points & 3PMs are a wash (which was vital. If I lost too much in either category, it would've defeated the purpose of the trade). I lose 0.2 steals per game but gain 1.25 blocks. Similarly, I lose 2.6 assists but pickup 2.8 - 2.9 rebounds. And what I lose in FT%, I gain in FG%.
So, going by the numbers, this is a perfect trade for my team. I can afford to lose the numbers that I am losing, and there's no way I'm going to find a Tim Duncan-like player on the waiver wire (Larry Sanders & Kevin Seraphin are nice, but not top 10 players in fantasy). Granted, when you factor in age and injury history, my side starts looking a bit more sketchy. But, technically, anyone can get hurt, so I always take that with a grain of salt. Gay & Teague could both suffer freak injuries tomorrow, and Duncan & Richardson could finish out the season perfectly healthy for all we know. That's always a crapshoot. But, if we live in the current moment, Tim Duncan is the #1 ranked PF in the game according to the CBS (and ESPN) player rater. And Richardson is also ranked in the top 50 (#41 overall).
Am I taking a risk? Of course. Some would say a big one. But, in my opinion, Rudy Gay is overrated. Sure, he can fill up the stat sheet on any given night, but he needs to either score a lot more points or grab a lot more rebounds before he'll ever be considered a truly elite player in fantasy. He gives you a bit of everything, just not enough of anything. Duncan, on the other hand, is a beast, has always been a beast and will continue to be a beast for the foreseeable future. Yes, he's 36 years old. But the dude is killing it, and so long as he gets an occasional game off to rest, he should continue to average around 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots a night. And that's exactly what I need.
I couldn't afford to sacrifice PPG, 3PM or too much on FT% in a deal for a big man, which limited my targets. I tried to finagle LaMarcus Aldridge away in a deal for Gay, but the owner didn't bite (and I don't blame him). Similarly, I was offered Blake Griffin in exchange for Gay, but he would've taken too big of a bite out of my FT% (plus, he doesn't block shots). And, Chris Bosh, who I was also offered by the same owner, is basically TD-light, and I'd MUCH rather have the real thing on my team than a cheap imitation (granted, Bosh is playing well this season, but I have much more faith in TD). Plus, if I was going to give up 3's, I had to get some back (which is why I added Richardson to the deal. He's in an extremely good situation in Philly and has hit more 3's so far this year than both Gay & Teague combined. Which is somewhat remarkable, given the fact he missed the first few weeks of the season).
With that being said, I didn't have too many options available to me. Most big men will hurt you badly in FT%, and don't score enough to makeup for the points lost in trading a Small Forward. But Duncan is one of the only big men in the league who not only met my requirements, but is severely undervalued due to his age. If I got a 25 year old player who was putting up those numbers, no one would question it. But, age throws the whole thing out of whack (for most people).
Granted, this could all change as the season wears on and old knees start to give way, but for the time being, I'm really happy with this deal, although, it's already been protested by the owners in my league. I expect CBS to uphold the trade, unless they think I got the better end (I wrote an explanation similar to this one, though far shorter, on my league's message board justifying the trade. But it only occurred to me afterward that I might've screwed myself if people think I won out).
CBS Player Rater:
Tim Duncan - #8
Jason Richardson - #41
vs.
Rudy Gay - #39
Jeff Teague - #67
If that's the criteria CBS uses, they may very well deny the trade if they think I'm stealing a top 10 player. But, perception is everything, and Gay & Teague are perceived to be more valuable than Duncan & Richardson, even though they technically are not... for the time being.
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