Draft Day Dilemma
A bead of sweat slowly rolled down my forehead and splashed onto my keyboard as I watched the clock in the corner of the screen tick down to my impending doom. I had less than ten minutes left. I still had no idea what I was going to do. I felt like Jack Bauer in an episode of 24; trying to dismantle a nuclear weapon with only minutes remaining on the timer. But this was more serious. This wasn’t a TV show. The life of my fantasy team depended on the outcome. And it was going to be bloody.
Usually, the weeks leading up to the NBA season are a time for rejoicing. We watch our teams with anticipation-filled eyes, six months of basketball stretched out before us like our path to sports salvation. Then, of course, you have the fantasy draft. Without a doubt, the most important time of the fantasy season. Not only because the decisions made on draft day are likely to seal your team’s fate, but because the fantasy draft is a time to reconnect with old friends. It’s like the official beginning of the holiday season. Only better. I ask you, what other occasion brings together friends from all around the globe, puts them in a competitive situation and then allows them to rip on each other for three straight hours? The fantasy draft is the pinnacle of male bonding. I have plenty of friends from college and even high school that I only talk to once a year; during our annual fantasy draft. Forget Facebook. The live-draft chat room is the only social networking we need.
This year, however, I’m facing the black mamba of fantasy dilemmas. And the clock is ticking. The situation is this: I have the third pick. The first two picks in the draft are cut and dry. You’re either taking CP3 or LBJ. No question. Then the waters get a little murky. With pick three, you’re looking at Kobe, D-wade or Kevin Durant. All these players posted similar numbers last year. They were all top-five in the NBA in scoring. They all grab about six boards a game. Kobe and Durant make more threes but Wade finished second in the league in steals. As a Lakers fan, my gut tells me to go with Kobe. As the reigning fantasy GM champion, my head keeps saying things like, “There are just too many good players on the Lakers… Kobe’s numbers may suffer this year with the addition of Artest and a healthy Bynum” and “D-wade averages more than seven assists a game and gets to the line a ton” and “Durant is on a terrible team, you know he’s getting his numbers, no matter what”.
It almost reminds of Lamar Odom’s wedding this summer: the clock ticking on the hastily arranged marriage ceremony as LO desperately struggles with the prenuptial agreement; to have or not to have. But then I remember that my decision is actually difficult and the parallels cease. I’m sticking with the Jack Bauer metaphor.
After three minutes of nail-biting and frantic pacing, I get my brother Parker on the phone:
Me: ”Parker, I’m freaking out man!”
Parker: ”Whoa! Bryan, calm down… tell me what the problem is.”
Me: ”(Heavy Breathing) I have the third pick in my fantasy draft. It starts in–oh my gosh!– less than six minutes! I don’t know what to do! Kobe or Wade or Durant?!?”
Parker: “Dang bro, that’s a tough one… Hmmmm…. I think you gotta go with Kobe.”
Me: “That’s what I thought at first too! But I was just looking at the numbers, and now I’m leaning toward Durant! I’m lost, man, lost.”
Parker: “Just take a couple of deep breaths; it’s going to be OK. I can see how you’re leaning toward Durant… it would be a gamble but he could have a monster year and it could really payoff.”
Me: “But Kobe… D-Wade… I… Only four minutes left!”
Parker: “I think in this situation, you have to go with consistency. You can’t gamble on the first pick. D-Wade is always hurt and Durant is just too young. You gotta go with the Mamba.”
Me: ”(Breathing slower) Yeah… Yeah I think you’re right! Thanks bro!”
It was decided. I was going with Kobe. I was done thinking about it. No more pro/con lists, no more side-by-side comparisons. Kobe was my guy. All I had to do now was wait.
Then the draft began. First pick, Chris Paul (no big surprise there). Second pick, Kobe Bryant (What?!?). After spending the last 45 minutes freaking out, looking at pages and pages of statistics and possibly giving myself an ulcer, there was no decision for me to make. For some insane reason, my friend Glen picked Kobe over LeBron. Now, with the King available at pick number three, I made the easiest decision of my life. Who says fantasy basketball isn’t exciting?
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October 22nd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Great Artical. I have enjoyed the other two you have posted but this one made me laugh out loud at my desk. Thanks for that! Let us know if you win your fantasy league. Could I have Parker’s #? I need help with my 6th pick in the first round!
October 25th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
[...] Draft Day Dilemma (Study of Sports) - A fantasy basketball owner struggles with his first round pick and ends up having his decision made for him through a strange twist of events. [...]