I don't care. It's not just Fantasy to me!!!

So it's that time again, kids. The beginning of the NBA season is about 2 weeks away and while most people have gotten their fantasy teams ready to go, some people are still trying to get a few more owners for their leagues, or updating their player-rankings one more time before the draft. It's amazing how much time and effort we put into this stuff.

A friend of mine once asked me, after watching me spend no less than 16 hours with my pre-draft ranking of over 400 NBA players, "...And you're not getting paid for any of this?"

But what does she know? I may not be making any money, but I will win the right to call myself KING OF THE FANTASY REALM!!! Or at least brag to my friends that I beat them.

Here's my key to a successful Year of Fantasy Basketball - Superstars and Sleepers. Most Players in the NBA are going to average around 10 -13 points, 3-5 rebounds, 2-4 assists, etc, etc, etc. Now, while it's important to draft people who will be near the higher end of those averages, it's not going to make a huge difference. Those are the players that everyone is getting in the middle rounds. You'll hear people saying things like "Oh, he's still available, I have to take him there." or "I'll take him now, hopefully, he won't get injured." Not a big risk, not a big reward. Those are the middle rounds. In a 13 round draft, with a 12 team league, those would be approximately rounds 4 through 9. They're the fluffer rounds. Nothing Gained, nothing lost. Fantasy Basketball, though, is won at the beginning and the end.

See, everyone knows who they're going to pick first. You have your list of eleven or twelve players and if you're first, you know you're taking CP3 or LBJ, if you're 8th, you know you're taking Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudemire. Whatever it is, there's not much excitement. but rounds 2 and 3? That's when you get to look over last year's list of "budding superstars" and make that decision: "Who is going to take a step back because they can't handle the pressure (Bogut, Tinsley, etc) and who is going to break out of the pack? Who will be the next "Greatest thing since Sliced Bread"? Will it be Brandon Roy or Kevin Durant? Should you pick Danny Granger, Rudy Gay or Josh Smith? These are the questions that can make and break a season in those 2nd and third rounds. Last year, I felt that I was right on the money when I took Al Jefferson in the late 3rd round last year (34th overall pick). This year, there's no way he gets close to the end of the 1st round. My breakout SUPERSTAR picks for this year are - in order:

Josh Smith
Brandon Roy
Danny Granger
Rudy Gay
Tony Parker (at least until Manu gets healthy)
Jamal Crawford (He will remind you of Bernard King and score 40 at least 5 times this year)
Lamarcus Aldridge
note: I know that all of these players are already good. TP already has a finals MVP to his credit, after all. But this is the list of players that, after you see what they do this year, you will think "There's no way I'm letting him get past me in the first round next year (a la Amare Stoudemire).

But that's not all you have to manage. Because, while picking the right breakout candidate can move you from middle-of the pack- to leader-of-the-pack, if you want to leave the pack behind you, you're going to need at least one sleeper. What is a "sleeper", you ask? Well, that's someone who is "Slept On", and then has a good showing that no one really expected them to have. Now, this is the biggest kept secret in Fantasy Sports because the minute that someone get some hype around them, they're no longer a sleeper. I.E. Greg Oden, who is overvalued in Fantasy Circles right now just because of his name. He could have been a nice sleeper candidate if people hadn't been talking about him so much since high school. However, he's got a couple of team mates who might qualify.

Here's my list of sleepers (since no one really reads my blog, I can go ahead and put them out there. But don't tell anyone that I'm in a league with because I don't want them to take my guys before I can get to them in the last couple of rounds.

Ramon Sessions
Nate Robinson (I'll take a small, quick Point Guard playing for D'Antoni any day)
Derrik Rose (he'll be even better than the being the #1 pick would indicate - and soon)
Rudy Fernandez (Maybe not a sleeper after his showing at the Olympics)
Marc Gasol (See note for Rudy Fernandez)
Daequon Cook

If any of these guys are still available and you don't know who to pick last - take one of them. You can't go wrong. Especially with Ramon Sessions. He's going to be the next Jose Calderon and you'll want him on your team and probably try to trade for him by December.