NBL Fantasy | Long way from home
This weekly column is produced by Dean Zardo and Steve Chalmers
Round four is in the books and if you decided to load Shawn Long into your side you're certainly a lot closer to success than those who chose not to (or couldn't fit him).
So you're one who slotted Shawn Long into C or 6th Man? Great job! Now who made him captain?
Bingo.
Success this week, but as the title states, there's still a way to go and you're a long way from hitting that finish line. Plenty more moves to be made so let's take a look back at the week that was before we move into R5.
Creek Freak Streak (Over?)
It was a brash and bold decision for owners to trade Mitch Creek in last week in preparation for the future and to be able to afford him when he matters most (R11), however his Perth showing (or 'missing') was a massive hit for his respective squads.
The 11 fpoints he dished up in the West was simply a nightmare for owners before he slightly bounced back with 40 fpoints against his old side Adelaide at home before fouling out.
Safe to say, those who sided with Creek were bitterly disappointed for a week.
Surprise packet?
New Zealand are the team that's in a stretch of four straight doubles; something that only happens twice this season (Illawarra later on). With many owners siding with RJ Hampton and Corey Webster in their backcourt, it was Sek Henry who did some damage this past week after a monster 61 fpoints kickstarted the week!
Finishing with a combined 82 fpoints for the weekend, Henry certainly put his name into contention for fantasy owners for the next fortnight as he's at a price point just under the $1m mark.
The Stars
Shawn Long - Melbourne United
Could it have been anyone else in Round 4? The Melbourne monster put up consecutive double doubles and showed exactly what pundits expected him to do night in, night out in United colours.
A whopping 141 fpoints puts him firmly on the top of the pecking order.
The Value
Cameron Oliver - Cairns Taipans
We spoke about Sek Henry earlier so we could slide Cam Oliver into this slot because was simply outstanding over the course of the weekend. You can forgive us if you thought 'The Value' was where you were going to find your next bargain basement pick because Oliver is sitting at $1.07m (and rising).
Oliver put up 125 fpoints in his two games this week, while displaying that he can do a little bit of everything for the team up north.
https://twitter.com/AdamWesterhout/status/1188795844973101056
https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans/status/1187912950821965824
Pressure Cooker
Josh Boone - Illawarra Hawks
It really wouldn't have surprised many if some owners decided to start or stick with Boone after finding fresh threads this off-season. However, he really hasn't come back anywhere near his best and it's somewhat of a shame for someone who put on a great show for the competition only a couple of years back.
After copping one in the chops from a teammate, put on the sidelines due to rest and now the whispers of him not playing for the Hawks again, it's a sad situation for the former NBL champ.
https://twitter.com/stevesmithffx/status/1188336354972667904
Never Again
Aaron Brooks - Illawarra Hawks
We never thought kick off the never again file with a tear in our eye, however Aaron Brooks' short NBL stint has come to an end. A season ending, and, by the sounds of things, career ending Achilles injury has meant that no one will see Brooks in their fantasy sides again.
Injury List
IllawarraAaron BrooksAchilles - SeasonMelbourneCasey PratherKnee - TBCNew ZealandFinn DelanyFoot - 1 weekRob LoeSkull - UnknownPerthWani Swaka Lo BulukAnkle - UnknownSouth East MelbourneTai WesleyHamstring - 2 to 3 weeksSydneyKevin LischAnkle - 2 months (~R10)
The Tweets
We see you! Anything that catches our eye, we'll attempt to share with all of our readers.
https://twitter.com/BBall_Blokes/status/1187705637410459653
https://twitter.com/Ogmore_Goat/status/1188797181362233344
https://twitter.com/tomhersz/status/1188338704445628421
https://twitter.com/run2dmax/status/1188361868391284736
The Summary
So, you've come here for a reason haven't you? Who do you bring in for the next round? Let's make it simple, below are a few names (at different levels) who you can target:
Doubles in Round 5: BRIS, MELB, NZ, PER, SYD
PG: Casper Ware (Sydney) $1.29m
PG: Shaun Bruce (Sydney) $0.49m
PG: RJ Hampton (New Zealand) $0.95m
SG: Bryce Cotton (Perth) $1.65m
SF: Scotty Hopson (New Zealand) $1.18m
PF: Nick Kay (Perth) $1.96m
C: Andrew Bogut (Sydney) $2.11m
Now for those you should be keen to oppose:
Cairns Taipans, Illawarra Hawks. Now's probably the time to cash out on John Roberson as well.
Questions
Over the course of the week, we'll do our best to answer a number of questions on here each week. Throw up your question using #NBLFantasy or by tweeting one of us @cp_chalmers and @dean_zardo.
https://twitter.com/Watto_PJ/status/1188974073939812352
Happened to see Casey Prather during the week last week hobbling around. For what it's worth, I still think he's a couple of weeks away post Melbourne doubles which can continue to provide some clarity for the short term. Mitch McCarron a very decent pick up.
https://twitter.com/mwough22/status/1188994978992705536
If the Hawks don't move fast on a replacement then this can certainly be an option in terms of a short term fix at SG bench. I wouldn't suggest going down this path however knowing that Illawarra don't have another double until Round 12 and there could be other bench options at SG that will have a heavier load.
https://twitter.com/MattM_78/status/1189056820536414208
Similar to the above question, but you're obviously in a much better situation owning Cotton to open up your options in terms of position. It's good to also note that (also for the above question) Didi Louzada has been given an SG position addition so he can be used wisely!
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