If you have a minute check us out on our Roto Assist Facebook group and join us in talking about fantasy sports. This will enable you to ask questions about your starting lineups, interact with other members and receive updates via your Facebook account.  Also, follow us on Twitter @Rotoassist.

By now you’ve most likely heard about the Giants fan that was severely beaten after the opening day game in Los Angeles between the Dodgers and the Giants.  A father of two and a die hard fan of the Giants, he was leaving the March 31 game that he had traveled to from Santa Cruz, CA (approx. 330 miles) to watch his beloved World Champions take on their heated and historic rivals.  After the Giants lost a close 2-1 game, Stow and three of his friends were attacked by two men outside of the stadium in the parking lot.  Apparently it was because Stow was a Giants fan.

Now, I’ve had my share of run ins with rowdy fans being that I am an Oakland Raider and Oakland A’s fan.  Hell, I’ve gotten into it with plenty of Giants fans in my day, but it was always just trash talk.  Never once has it crossed my mind to fight someone because of who their favorite team is.  Trash talking is one of the best parts of being a fan but sometimes it goes too far.  This is a tragic case that needs to seen by everyone.

Here is a composite drawing of the suspects along with some links to follow if anyone wants to help.  There is a $150,000 reward for information leading to arrests. The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for tipsters to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or go to www.LACrimeStoppers.org. To see the LAPD’s flier, click on Attempt Murder Dodger Stadium at www.lapdonline.org. More information about donations and Bryan Stow’s condition can be found on his family’s website www.support4bryanstow.com.  The Dodgers have donated $25,000 and the Giants have donated $10,000 as well as Lamar Advertising has donated more than 300 billboards that will be placed throughout the Los Angeles area, with the suspects’ sketches and the reward offer.

I love the NBA Draft !!!

It’s unlike the MLB Draft, where sometimes it takes 5 or more years before you get to see the new guy on the team.
And with the NFL Draft, it’s just so many different players, so many different positions, so many different draft strategies.

With the NBA Draft, it’s very easy to figure out the impact of getting 2 new players.  Each team is only allowed to carry 15 players ( 12 active, 3 on the IR).  If you break down those 15 roster players even more, it leaves you with 5 starters, 7 players on the bench, 3 on the IR, with a total of only 5 different positions to fill.

And out of those 5 different positions, each and everyone is so important, that on any perticular year (a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, or center) has the ability to be drafted first overall.
It simply boils down to talent and ability.

Every year the NBA Draft build up and wind down is so important if your a fan of the league.

How did your team do ???
Did they get that badly needed starter ???
Did they get that key bench player ???
Did they get someone who is going to be able to contribute some minutes ???
How much longer is the wait til we make the playoffs ???
Are we still rebuilding ???
Is this the year ???
Where is LeBron James going ???

Somewhere along the line, ESPN made themselves the experts in answering all these questions.
They got the exclusive rights to televised games, the five or six 24 hours a day cable channels, the packed to the gills and constantly updated website, unlimited access to all the biggest sports stars, the magazine, the funny commercials.

So after the Draft, after it appeared the Golden State Warriors screwed it all up yet again, Manny Harris moved one step closer to Scotty Thurman’s Legacy.  Scottie Renyolds made history by going undrafted after winning the AP All-American award ( the other 4 winners were all drafted in the top 5).
And almost every team in the league has some new players
or is in a better position to go after one of those marquee free agents ( LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh).

What do the experts have to say ???

You have to be an ESPN insider to read that article.

but I don’t want another magazine subscription.
and that my friends. . . . . ..  is The Roar of the Crowd !!!

This is an interesting link I found that can help you when trying to figure out how many games your fantasy basketball players have on any given week of the season or now more importantly during the Fantasy Basketball Playoffs. It is particularly helpful when trying to figure out how many games your players will have during the fantasy playoff weeks.

I’ve used it to help with making a decision in my weekly roster lock league on whether it is worth it to pick up a player off waivers that I know I probably will only use as a fill in and need to know how many games they have on the weeks that my regular starters play two games. I just thought this might help some of you out down the road. And if you own anyone on the Hornets and think you have a shot at making the playoffs, you might want to check out their weeks 24 and 25 schedule.

Here is the first set of rankings for the upcoming Fantasy Basketball season. These are just preliminary rankings and they will change as we near the beginning of the season.

This is not a joke. This is 100% truth here and who better in the NBA or any sport to have there own CHANNEL than LeBron James? Not just a TV show but his very own channel that he would be completely in charge of. He could play 24 hours straight, day in and day out of his favorite cartoons if he wanted to. Or, he could play replays of that night’s game or some crazy reality show involving himself or half naked women running around washing cars if he wanted to.


Why do I even bring this up, do you ask? Well, the New York Knicks, owned by James Dolan, who also owns Cablevision has come up with the most brilliant idea ever when it comes to recruiting a free agent. Technically, he isn’t recruiting LeBron because that would be a violation of NBA rules since he is still under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. But, word did get out that to increase the appeal of LeBron coming to New York as a free agent, Dolan (or someone else) accidentally let it slip out that this was their plan to up the ante in their efforts to land the best current player in the NBA.


Only in New York could someone pull something like this off and I actually think it is a great idea. There are very few athletes that could command there own channel and LeBron is one of them. I can’t think of a single football player that could successfully pull it off. I don’t even think Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees could pull it off.


The Cleveland Cavaliers have the Larry Bird Clause working for them which means that they may exceed the salary cap to sign LeBron to an extension since he is their own free agent. In most cases this means that the Cavs could offer a lot more money to LeBron than any other team. Well, the Knicks have found a way around that. Tbe LeBron channel would be a significant source of income for LeBron, well exceeding what the Cavs could offer with Larry Bird rights.


The Knicks could give LeBron full control of his own TV channel. He could play Knicks’ games reruns, basketball related instructional videos, pick up games in random neighborhoods or soft-core porn if he wanted to. It would be his very own channel. And, as long as the Knicks don’t arrange any advertising for the LeBron Channel, it is considered an outside of basketball revenue. Therefore easily slipping through a loophole in the NBA free agent system.


L.A> is the only other market that might be able to offer something like this but seeing how it is just waaaaaaay too convenient for it to happen in New York, I foresee LeBron heading to the Big Apple after this season.

I know I have talked a lot about Anthony Randolph but the guy is an absolute BEAST!!! He just put up 42 points in his last summer league game (tying the record) and it is looking more and more like nobody will be able to stop him. I know… I know… It’s just summer league, but you can’t ignore these kind of stats. But he doesn’t just score. In four games he’s averaging 3 blocks and 2.25 steals per game to with 8.5 rebounds per game. He can also pass the ball.

I have compared him to Lamar Odom and now I truly believe that he can become an even better player than Odom could ever dream to be. If he can develop that “killer” mentality on the court, he could become one of the best players in the NBA. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him going in the end of the 1st/beginning of the 2nd round in fantasy drafts a few years from now. I was hoping to steal him this year in fantasy drafts around the 5th or 6th round but it’s looking more like he could go as early as the 4th round or 3rd round depending on how he plays and whether the Golden State Warriors actually make the trade for Amare Stoudemire.

People will say that Monta Ellis is the star of the Warriors and that Stephen Curry is going to be a prolific scorer in Don Nelson’s system. But, Anthony Randolph is the future of the Warriors. He is going to be a stud for years to come and will be a staple for fantasy basketball rosters for a very long time.

Kevin Durant is going to be one of the best players in the NBA someday. Some will even say that he already is one of the best. It’s scary to think that he is only going to be in his 3rd season in the NBA next year and he has already proven that he can play with the best of them. He plays for a young team and he plays a lot. He is the leader of the team and so far seems to keep his nose clean. He can shoot the rock and play defense. He can even rebound the ball.

He is not afraid to take the last shot but at the same time will defer to an open player with a better look. He is confident, athletic and seems to understand the game. He should make the move up to the first round of fantasy drafts this year or at least early 2nd round depending on the size of your league. He will definitely be a fun player to watch come next season. The Oklahoma City Thunder absolutely got the better player in the draft when the Portland Trailblazers took Greg Oden number 1 overall.

I just heard that Ron Artest has said that he will be signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming season. “I’m definitely going to L.A. — to sign, yeah. Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now. I don’t really care about the money,” Artest said. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.” This would almost certainly mean that Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza will be gone. What does this mean for Kobe & Co.?

Artest is a huge risk vs. reward type player. His talents are undeniable but so is his temper. He is known for being a disruption but showed this past season while playing for the Houston Rockets that he can control himself when needed. Will he be able to replace Odom and Ariza both? Probably not, but he will cost less than the two of them put together. He does bring crazy defense to the Lakers, which they will need with the loss of Ariza. This should be very interesting to watch this year.