2009-2010 is Year Six of the Ultimate Basketball Challenge. Here are our team reps for the current season:

1. OPENSports.com, Dan Dobish (CLE)
2. Freelance, Jay Gleason (CHA)
3. HoopsKLYCE.com, David Klyce (TOR)
4. CBSsports.com, Sergio Gonzalez (MIA)
5. Beckett Sports Media, Tim Trout (DAL)
6. RotoExperts.com, Hector Castro (NJ)
7. KFBA.com, Keith Wayland & Antonio Delgado (PHI)
8. RotoCommunity.com, Dave Gawron (BOS)
9. Rotoworld.com, Steve Alexander (ATL)
10. ESPN.com, Tom Carpenter (DET)
11. Yahoo.com & BuserSports.com, Matt Buser (GS)
12. ESPN.com, Josh Whitling (SEA)

Player position eligibility provided by the CBS League Commissioner, a GREAT way to manage any league. It's a h2h points league where the scoring system is unique, but fairly similar to the default Yahoo points system (regarding FG%, FT%, 3s, Rb, Ast, St, Bk, TO, Pts) with 12 starters (2C-4F-4G-2FLEX) and 5 reserves. Here's how the draft went down round-by-round, with brief analysis following each round.

ROUND 1

Pick	Player	Team
1	James, LeBron SF CLE	Cleveland Dobish
2	Paul, Chris PG NO	Charlotte Gleason
3	Wade, Dwyane SG MIA	Toronto Klyce
4	Bryant, Kobe SG LAL	Miami Gonzalez
5	Nowitzki, Dirk PF DAL	Dallas Trout
6	Durant, Kevin SF OKC	New Jersey Castro
7	Stoudemire, Amar'e PF PHO	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Granger, Danny SF IND	Boston Gawron
9	Howard, Dwight C ORL	Atlanta Alexander
10	Williams, Deron PG UTA	Detroit Carpenter
11	Roy, Brandon SG POR	Golden State Buser
12	Bosh, Chris PF TOR	Seattle Whitling

No HUGE surprises here, though I was happy Granger fell to me at #8. Taking Dwight early is fine in h2h points, as his FT% just gets aggregated into everything else and doesn't hurt in and of itself. However, our playoffs run from weeks 20-24 (wild card, 2 week semis, 2 week finals), and Orlando's games-per-week schedule is weak down the stretch.

ROUND 2

Pick	Player	Team
1	Gasol, Pau PF LAL	Seattle Whitling
2	Jefferson, Al C MIN	Golden State Buser
3	Harris, Devin PG NJ	Detroit Carpenter
4	Jamison, Antawn PF WAS	Atlanta Alexander
5	Anthony, Carmelo SF DEN	Boston Gawron
6	Duncan, Tim PF SA	Philadelphia Wayland
7	West, David PF NO	New Jersey Castro
8	Johnson, Joe SG ATL	Dallas Trout
9	Lopez, Brook C NJ	Miami Gonzalez
10	Rose, Derrick PG CHI	Toronto Klyce
11	Garnett, Kevin PF BOS	Charlotte Gleason
12	Pierce, Paul SF BOS	Cleveland Dobish

Yes, Jamison was picked right before he got hurt. WAS (3-4-4-4-4) and SA (4-4-4-4-4) have amazing playoff schedules, which helped Alexander decide to take Jamison and Wayland to take Duncan, for sure. I think 'Melo bounces back this year and was happy to take him here.

ROUND 3

Pick	Player	Team
1	Lee, David PF NY	Cleveland Dobish
2	Nash, Steve PG PHO	Charlotte Gleason
3	Aldridge, LaMarcus PF POR	Toronto Klyce
4	Iguodala, Andre SF PHI	Miami Gonzalez
5	Parker, Tony PG SA	Dallas Trout
6	Calderon, Jose PG TOR	New Jersey Castro
7	Carter, Vince SG ORL	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Arenas, Gilbert PG WAS	Boston Gawron
9	Butler, Caron SF WAS	Atlanta Alexander
10	Smith, Josh PF ATL	Detroit Carpenter
11	Billups, Chauncey PG DEN	Golden State Buser
12	Martin, Kevin SG SAC	Seattle Whitling

Arenas was Top 5 in our system back before the injuries. Round 3 is the proper place to take him for the potential first round value (and for me, the great UBC playoff schedule).

ROUND 4

Pick	Player	Team
1	Boozer, Carlos PF UTA	Seattle Whitling
2	Ellis, Monta SG GS	Golden State Buser
3	Westbrook, Russell PG OKC	Detroit Carpenter
4	Rondo, Rajon PG BOS	Atlanta Alexander
5	Wallace, Gerald SF CHA	Boston Gawron
6	Kidd, Jason PG DAL	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Mayo, O.J. SG MEM	New Jersey Castro
8	Turkoglu, Hedo SF TOR	Dallas Trout
9	Murphy, Troy PF IND	Miami Gonzalez
10	Love, Kevin PF MIN	Toronto Klyce
11	Gordon, Ben SG DET	Charlotte Gleason
12	Randolph, Zach PF MEM	Cleveland Dobis

This round basically highlights the fact that if you want Westbrook, you might have to nab him early. Wallace seemed like the best value for me at this juncture. I really wanted Rondo. Do beware that Kidd's value could be less, depending on the scoring system (he generally is more valuable in straight roto than points leagues). I like Mayo, but not THAT much, with Zach and Iverson in town. Love was drafted before his injury. I'd wait a bit longer for Zach. He could go sour if Memphis loses, like they should do.

ROUND 5

Pick	Player	Team
1	Okafor, Emeka C NO	Cleveland Dobish
2	Millsap, Paul PF UTA	Charlotte Gleason
3	Brand, Elton PF PHI	Toronto Klyce
4	Okur, Mehmet C UTA	Miami Gonzalez
5	Nene, C DEN	Dallas Trout
6	Horford, Al C ATL	New Jersey Castro
7	Davis, Baron PG LAC	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Bynum, Andrew C LAL	Boston Gawron
9	Salmons, John SF CHI	Atlanta Alexander
10	Bargnani, Andrea C TOR	Detroit Carpenter
11	Villanueva, Charlie PF DET	Golden State Buser
12	Miller, Andre PG POR	Seattle Whitling

I was very happy to get Bynum here. He's having a great preseason and is in line for a big year. Bargnani is nice there, too. I'm not a big fan of Andre in Portland (plus they have a week UBC playoff sked). Maybe in roto a round or two later, but not in this format.

ROUND 6

Pick	Player	Team
1	Scola, Luis PF HOU	Seattle Whitling
2	Richardson, Jason SG PHO	Golden State Buser
3	Gay, Rudy SF MEM	Detroit Carpenter
4	Oden, Greg C POR	Atlanta Alexander
5	Biedrins, Andris C GS	Boston Gawron
6	Griffin, Blake PF LAC	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Beasley, Michael PF MIA	New Jersey Castro
8	Green, Jeff PF OKC	Dallas Trout
9	Howard, Josh SF DAL	Miami Gonzalez
10	Felton, Raymond PG CHA	Toronto Klyce
11	Harrington, Al PF NY	Charlotte Gleason
12	Ginobili, Manu SG SA	Cleveland Dobish

Oden is looking awesome this preseason, but I'll happiy fill my second center slot with Biedrins. Griffin, Beasley, and Green are all nice upside picks here.

ROUND 7

Pick	Player	Team
1	Artest, Ron SF LAL	Cleveland Dobish
2	Gordon, Eric SG LAC	Charlotte Gleason
3	Williams, Mo PG CLE	Toronto Klyce
4	Jackson, Stephen SF GS	Miami Gonzalez
5	Marion, Shawn SF DAL	Dallas Trout
6	Chandler, Wilson SF NY	New Jersey Castro
7	Redd, Michael SG MIL	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Randolph, Anthony PF GS	Boston Gawron
9	Nelson, Jameer PG ORL	Atlanta Alexander
10	Lewis, Rashard PF ORL	Detroit Carpenter
11	O'Neal, Shaquille C CLE	Golden State Buser
12	Terry, Jason SG DAL	Seattle Whitling

Chandler offers upside, and I was SO happy to get Randolph with pick #80. If there's one upside player to grab this year, it's Randolph. Feel your draft out, but it's not crazy to take him as early as #60. That's the right spot for Rashard, considering the suspension. Centers are at a premium in our league, so that's a reasonable spot for Shaq.

ROUND 8

Pick	Player	Team
1	Allen, Ray SG BOS	Seattle Whitling
2	Diaw, Boris SF CHA	Golden State Buser
3	Stuckey, Rodney PG DET	Detroit Carpenter
4	Smith, J.R. SG DEN	Atlanta Alexander
5	Hawes, Spencer C SAC	Boston Gawron
6	Bogut, Andrew C MIL	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Camby, Marcus C LAC	New Jersey Castro
8	Ariza, Trevor SF HOU	Dallas Trout
9	Thompson, Jason PF SAC	Miami Gonzalez
10	Hibbert, Roy C IND	Toronto Klyce
11	Prince, Tayshaun SF DET	Charlotte Gleason
12	Ford, T.J. PG IND	Cleveland Dobish

That felt a little early for Smith in my estimation. I was very happy to get Hawes here. I think he and Thompson will excel together in 09-10. Ariza could turn out well, but he could flop being exposed to more minutes in Houston. That's certainly early for Hibbert, but again, centers are at a premium here, and Klyce took a calculated risk (which is okay to dofrom Round 8 on).

ROUND 9

Pick	Player	Team
1	Hamilton, Richard SG DET	Cleveland Dobish
2	Jefferson, Richard SF SA	Charlotte Gleason
3	Young, Thaddeus PF PHI	Toronto Klyce
4	Sessions, Ramon PG MIN	Miami Gonzalez
5	Thomas, Tyrus PF CHI	Dallas Trout
6	Brooks, Aaron PG HOU	New Jersey Castro
7	Gasol, Marc C MEM	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Robinson, Nate SG NY	Boston Gawron
9	Conley, Mike PG MEM	Atlanta Alexander
10	Noah, Joakim C CHI	Detroit Carpenter
11	Deng, Luol SF CHI	Golden State Buser
12	Barbosa, Leandro SG PHO	Seattle Whitlin

I like the upside of Young and Tyrus. I needed a guard here, and Robinson is solid in that NY system. This is the right spot for youngsters Brooks and Conley.

ROUND 10

Pick	Player	Team
1	Nocioni, Andres SF SAC	Seattle Whitling
2	Williams, Lou SG PHI	Golden State Buser
3	Crawford, Jamal PG ATL	Detroit Carpenter
4	Frye, Channing C PHO	Atlanta Alexander
5	Lee, Courtney SG NJ	Boston Gawron
6	Bibby, Mike PG ATL	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Evans, Tyreke SG SAC	New Jersey Castro
8	Curry, Stephen PG GS	Dallas Trout
9	Azubuike, Kelenna SF GS	Miami Gonzalez
10	Brewer, Ronnie SG UTA	Toronto Klyce
11	Thornton, Al SF LAC	Charlotte Gleason
12	Maggette, Corey SF GS	Cleveland Dobish

I'm a fan of Lou Williams this year. I was happy to get Lee here, as he should definitely average 15 points and hit some threes. Evans was a nice upside snag, and Brewer should be solid. I'm not a fan of Thornton or Maggette at all.

 

ROUND 11

Pick	Player	Team
1	Iverson, Allen SG MEM	Cleveland Dobish
2	Miller, Brad C CHI	Charlotte Gleason
3	Bass, Brandon PF ORL	Toronto Klyce
4	Jack, Jarrett PG TOR	Miami Gonzalez
5	Hinrich, Kirk PG CHI	Dallas Trout
6	Harden, James SG OKC	New Jersey Castro
7	Odom, Lamar PF LAL	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Chalmers, Mario PG MIA	Boston Gawron
9	Battier, Shane SF HOU	Atlanta Alexander
10	Williams, Marvin SF ATL	Detroit Carpenter
11	Miller, Mike SG WAS	Golden State Buser
12	Foye, Randy SG WAS	Seattle Whitling

That's the right spot for Iverson. I took Chalmers because I still needed guards and he still has a shot at improving this season. Marvin is a good Round 11 pick. Dude needs to stay healthy this season, though.

ROUND 12

Pick	Player	Team
1	McGrady, Tracy SG HOU	Seattle Whitling
2	Wallace, Rasheed C BOS	Golden State Buser
3	Kaman, Chris C LAC	Detroit Carpenter
4	Warrick, Hakim PF MIL	Atlanta Alexander
5	Jianlian, Yi PF NJ	Boston Gawron
6	O'Neal, Jermaine C MIA	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Flynn, Jonny PG MIN	New Jersey Castro
8	Chandler, Tyson C CHA	Dallas Trout
9	Duhon, Chris PG NY	Miami Gonzalez
10	Gooden, Drew PF DAL	Toronto Klyce
11	Perkins, Kendrick C BOS	Charlotte Gleason
12	Rush, Brandon SF IND	Cleveland Dobish

That's a decent spot for McGrady, as he could help when he returns. I took Yi for his upside, but I probably should've taken Flynn for guard depth. I like the Warrick pick, too, as he's having a solid preseason.

ROUND 13

Pick	Player	Team
1	Dalembert, Samuel C PHI	Cleveland Dobish
2	Alston, Rafer PG NJ	Charlotte Gleason
3	Augustin, D.J. PG CHA	Toronto Klyce
4	Gomes, Ryan SF MIN	Miami Gonzalez
5	Bell, Raja SG CHA	Dallas Trout
6	Kirilenko, Andrei SF UTA	New Jersey Castro
7	Blatche, Andray C WAS	Philadelphia Wayland
8	McDyess, Antonio PF SA	Boston Gawron
9	Hill, Grant SF PHO	Atlanta Alexander
10	Jennings, Brandon PG MIL	Detroit Carpenter
11	Gallinari, Danilo SF NY	Golden State Buser
12	Stojakovic, Peja SF NO	Seattle Whitling

I was interested in Kirilenko here, but McDyess is a good enough substitute. Remember, SA has that great UBC playoff schedule, and you can never have too many center eligibles in this league. Once again, though, I think I should have grabbed the rookie point guard Jennings for depth.

ROUND 14

Pick	Player	Team
1	Fisher, Derek PG LAL	Seattle Whitling
2	Haywood, Brendan C WAS	Golden State Buser
3	Andersen, Chris PF DEN	Detroit Carpenter
4	Morrow, Anthony SG GS	Atlanta Alexander
5	Haslem, Udonis PF MIA	Boston Gawron
6	Bynum, Will PG DET	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Wright, Julian SF NO	New Jersey Castro
8	Landry, Carl PF HOU	Dallas Trout
9	Douglas-Roberts, Chris SG NJ	Miami Gonzalez
10	Lowry, Kyle PG HOU	Toronto Klyce
11	Martin, Kenyon PF DEN	Charlotte Gleason
12	Ilgauskas, Zydrunas C CLE	Cleveland Dobish

No real excitement in this round. My fave picks were Julian Wright and maybe Anthony Morrow. Blocks specialist Chris Andersen is far less valuable in a points league than straight roto.

ROUND 15

Pick	Player	Team
1	West, Delonte PG CLE	Cleveland Dobish
2	Arthur, Darrell PF MEM	Charlotte Gleason
3	Speights, Marreese PF PHI	Toronto Klyce
4	Garcia, Francisco SG SAC	Miami Gonzalez
5	Davis, Glen PF BOS	Dallas Trout
6	Brewer, Corey SF MIN	New Jersey Castro
7	Blair, DeJuan PF SA	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Dunleavy, Mike SG IND	Boston Gawron
9	Butler, Rasual SG LAC	Atlanta Alexander
10	Outlaw, Travis SF POR	Detroit Carpenter
11	Parker, Anthony SG CLE	Golden State Buser
12	Dampier, Erick C DAL	Seattle Whitling

Garciaand Dunleavy are actually pretty good here, as they could really help when they return from their injuries. Otherwise, I think Brewer and Butler could turn out best.

ROUND 16

Pick	Player	Team
1	James, Mike PG WAS	Seattle Whitling
2	Williams, Terrence SG NJ	Golden State Buser
3	Varejao, Anderson PF CLE	Detroit Carpenter
4	Brown, Kwame C DET	Atlanta Alexander
5	Fernandez, Rudy SG POR	Boston Gawron
6	Ridnour, Luke PG MIL	Philadelphia Wayland
7	Milicic, Darko C NY	New Jersey Castro
8	Turiaf, Ronny C GS	Dallas Trout
9	Collison, Nick C OKC	Miami Gonzalez
10	Krstic, Nenad C OKC	Toronto Klyce
11	Pietrus, Mickael SF ORL	Charlotte Gleason
12	DeRozan, DeMar SG TOR	Cleveland Dobish

I'm not sure why Williams dropped so far, but that was a nice snag for Buser. I like Kwame here too. Rudy is just a guy I can stick in when he has 4-game weeks. DeRozan was a good gamble this late.

ROUND 17

Pick	Player	Team
1	Livingston, Shaun PG OKC	Cleveland Dobish
2	Wilcox, Chris C DET	Charlotte Gleason
3	Budinger, Chase SG HOU	Toronto Klyce
4	Moon, Jamario SF CLE	Miami Gonzalez
5	Young, Nick SG WAS	Dallas Trout
6	Hansbrough, Tyler PF IND	New Jersey Castro
7	Anderson, Ryan PF ORL	Philadelphia Wayland
8	Belinelli, Marco SG TOR	Boston Gawron
9	Blake, Steve PG POR	Atlanta Alexander
10	Telfair, Sebastian PG LAC	Detroit Carpenter
11	Udrih, Beno PG SAC	Golden State Buser
12	Armstrong, Hilton C NO	Seattle Whitling

Round 17 is rough every year in the UBC. Gleason needed center depth, so Wilcox was a good grab here. I actually think Belinelli has a shot at carving out a nice sixth man role with the Raptors. Blake is a pretty good pick that late, though he'll be inconsistent rotating with Miller in Portland.

ALSO

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