Fantasy NBA Draft

On Saturday, for the second straight year, I attempted a live online NBA fantasy draft. Here's how it went down --

-- Rounds 1 and 2: The school internet is kicking people offline and loading slower than ever before. Perfect timing. My time runs out for both rounds, and the Yahoo! rankings kick in. My team automatically drafts the highest ranked players available. First, I get Dirk. No complaints. It's a rotisserie league, so I need somebody who can do multiple things, like score, shoot a high percentage, rebound and hit three's. Second, the computer takes Chris Bosh for me. I'm not thrilled, but he shoots for a surprisingly high percentage and had a monster year last year.

-- Round 3: Still only two live people in the draft room. With my pick, I take my third PF, Dwight Howard. An absolute beast. Easily the best player remaining.

-- Round 4: This is ridiculously hectic without live players to think things over. I'm on the clock almost immediately thanks to fast computer picks. Tony Parker and his high FG% and FG made fall into my lap with my fourth pick. One of the guys I wanted as part of my pre-season "All-Everything Team." Along with guys like Dirk, Parker is good for most stats at his position.

-- Round 5: Richard Hamilton. I love this guy. My team so far has an incredible collective post-up game and pull-up jumper.

-- Round 6: David West, an up-and-coming PF who averaged over 17 ppg last year and can actually hit some free throws. So much for going with guards. All the very strangely ranked players continue to go to teams whose managers missed the draft. I had a bad dream that C-Webb would be my starter, but he's gone to some unlucky opponent. Damon Stoudamire, AI2 and Derek Fisher all come off the board. It's funny considering how many good players I take after these guys, like...

-- Round 7: Andres Nocioni. I need a SF, and he fills that hole and my need for a three-point shooter (93 last year). The draft is now 17 minutes old and we're on to Round 8 of 14. My brain hurts.

-- Round 8: More recognizable names that I'd never draft are taken: BD, Ridnour and Battier. I'm feeling lucky until Emeka Okafor is selected. That leaves me with a tough choice -- Krstic or bite the bullet longer on a center and take a shooter? Krstic it is (13.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and two pass-first PGs on his team. Sure to improve).

-- Rounds 9 and 10 land me two of the skinniest players available in Tayshaun Prince and Shaun Livingston. They also have similar first names. I know these are all important things Fate is showing me because, as soon as I select Livingston, the sun comes out for the first time all day. These guys are gonna make all the difference.

-- Round 11: *Please let Channing Frye stay on the board, please let Channing Frye stay on the board.* Marvin Williams is selected. I laugh. Channing Frye is mine! BOOM!

-- Rounds 12 and 13: I gamble on Cuttino Mobley as a last-resort shooter and Chris Wilcox as an extra PF to aid a few trades. Matt Bonner is ranked ahead of Kenyon Martin (?!) but both stay on the board.

-- Round 14: Final round. Young guard Kevin Martin of Sacramento is mine. I'm grossed out by the hitch in his shot but he can hit from deep and is a solid sleeper pick. He'll got some serious PT this year, too.

4:38: End draft. I'm exhausted. I feel like I've just run a marathon. I collapse and have bad dreams of the team with Ray Allen and D-Wade tearing me apart.