FANTASY ANALYSIS OF THE 1999 NBA DRAFT July 4, 1999   Here is a look at some of the draft picks and some of the more subtle aspects of their addition to their respective teams from a fantasy point of view. Elton Brand will get all the playing time he can handle with the low scoring Chicago Bulls. As a rookie he should have good fantasy value since in addition to points and rebounding his long arms should be able to block some NBA shots. He will play the power forward which is Dickey Simpkens natural position. Simpkens's fantasy value benefited from the exodus of most of the talent from the Championship Bulls. His playing time and stats tripled and he was headed towards being a top 100 fantasy player. The arrival of Brand will put a halt on the growth of Simpkens and he will either get reduced minutes off the bench or play out of position at center (like he did frequently last season). Steve Francis will most likely start at the two guard position next to Mike Bibby in Vancouver. Towards the end of the season Felipe Lopez had been getting 30+ minutes as a starter at the shooting guard position. He wasn't go crazy racking up the stats but he was coming along. The reduction of playing time caused by the addition of Francis should halt Lopez's fantasy development. So who benefits from the Hornets pick of Baron Davis? Perhaps Troy Hudson with the Clippers who would have lost his job had Davis had gone to a California team as he wished. Last season Hudson averaged 3.7 apg in 21 minutes per game and had some nice nights towards the end of the year. He can now be considered a fantasy sleeper for next year. The starting front court for the Clippers will be Lamar Odom, Maurice Taylor, and Michael Olowokandi. This will lower the fantasy value of Lorenzen Wright and Lamond Murray (who did not help himself by shooting 39% last season). Expect Rodney Rogers to leave through free agency. Jonathon Bender was traded from the Raptors for Antonio Davis. Coming straight from High School he will be unable to replace the 27 minutes per game Antonio gave the Pacers. This should increase the playing time and fantasy value of Dale Davis who has not seen more the 30 minutes per game over the past two seasons. Look for Davis to average 13 points and 10+ rebounds per game. People have been going nuts over the potential of Wally in Minnesota. I saw a poll saying Minnesota overwhelmingly had the best draft (they also took William Avery) and an expert predicted Wally will be rookie of the year. Even my wife, who has never shown much of an interest in basketball, asked to be notified when Wally was playing after seeing him on TV. All of the enthusiasm could inflate his perceived fantasy value in your league far beyond its true level. Realize that Wally plays the position best suited for Kevin Garnet, his movement abilities have been questioned, and he comes from a small college where he hasn't seen top notch competition on a regular basis. Let someone else use a high draft pick for Wally. At 6-6" Richard Hamilton should be able to play two guard or small forward for the Wizards. If Richmond re-signs (and perhaps even if he doesn't) Hamilton's arrival will eliminate the possibility that Tracy Murray and Calbert Cheany will have any fantasy value as Washington Wizards. Hamilton has 3 years of big time college basketball experience and his three point shooting combined with his slashing ability should generate some good fantasy value as a rookie. With everybody excited about Wally, Hamilton could be the sleeper of the draft. The arrival of Andre Miller in Cleveland makes it clear that Brevin Knight's days as a good fantasy player are over. In the past Knight had strong fantasy value because of his assist and steal totals but in the real world he can be a liability since he does not have a great outside shot, can't score in double figures, and gets posted up on defense. Horace Grant (and future picks) were traded for Corey Magette, Don MacLean, Billy Owens, and Dale Ellis. Who was the winner in this trade? Perhaps Bo Outlaw who now doesn't need to fight with Matt Harpring for playing time. If Bo goes elsewhere through free agency and MacLean makes the team, Maclean could be a sleeper if his late season performances are an indication of he true ability. Don't expect Grant to do much in Seattle. He has been injury prone through much of his career and the full season he put in last year was the exception. If Vin Baker goes elsewhere and Grant gets hurt, it could give an opportunity for Jelani McCoy to continue his development. Last season McCoy averaged 5 pts, 3 rebs, and 0.8 blocks in only 13 minutes per game. You may not want to use a draft pick on him but be ready to jump on him if he starts getting some decent playing time. Mookie Blaylock was traded for Bimbo Coles and draft pick Jason Terry. Don't expect Terry to be able to step right an and be an effective NBA point guard. Coles is coming off a solid year where he averaged 9.5 pts, 4.6 ast, and 0.8 stl in only 26.5 minutes per game. Coles would be a good late round selection in your fantasy draft. I am busy studying the draft picks themselves to more accurately project what their fantasy potential will be next season. To get a fantasy ranking of all players including rookies (customized to your leagues scoring system) order the HoopsKlyce Player Rating Report.   Previous Article Next Article Copyright © Hoops Klyce 2000 - All Rights Reserved Website Designed by Lelnet Failed to execute script '../cgi-local/ax.cgi': Win32 Error Code = 2