KC Commentary: The Role of the Mediocre
KC Commentary: The Role of the Mediocre
Have No Pity for the Shitty’
About the Writer: Kevin “kcearnal” Cearnal lives and works in the most dangerous city in the country, St. Louis, Missouri. He has obtained the nickname ‘KC’ throughout the daily fantasy community due to the confusing nature of his aforementioned screen name and his overall ‘hoodness’. He has no sport of expertise and has the distinction of being the most recognizable loser in the industry. ‘KC’ works as Communication Coordinator for a not-for-profit foundation and the sports teams which he most enjoys include the St. Louis Cardinal and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Let’s begin this week’s edition with a bit of a rant. Oh, the CAVS got their first win of 2011! Thank goodness because I don’t know if I could put up with much more sympathy TV time for this franchise. The media and the public seem to feel bad for this team. Everyone wants to run up and give Boobie and Ramon big hugs, except the daily fantasy player of course. This team, more than any other, has moderately priced players who have been putting up fantastic numbers. It makes no nevermind to a Grinder what the final tally is on the scoreboard. It’s player stats that make the difference to us. And the Cavs sure do put out some bang for the buck. So feel better NBA men of Cleveland, we watch with great interest and intrigue nightly, even though very few others do. Dan Gilbert may look on with sheer disappointment and embarrassment but his eyes have vision far different than ours. Because we don’t see a team muddled in mediocrity. No, No, No. We see a team poised to pad our bankrolls. And for this we are thankful. And I further emphasize, “HAVE NO PITY FOR THE SHITTY”
This Week’s Large Field Results:
1. Wednesday NBA SLAM Analysis – Double the Lineup, Double the Benjamins
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tshaw7 | 351 | $1,000.00 |
| 2 | showtime24 | 345 | $600.00 |
| 3 | Generalv | 340 | $325.00 |
| 3 | Generalv | 340 | $325.00 |
| 5 | Naapstermaan | 337 | $170.00 |
| 6 | zpa5003 | 336 | $170.00 |
| 7 | rotostud75 | 333 | $100.00 |
| 7 | rotostud75 | 333 | $100.00 |
| 7 | PolishRifle | 333 | $100.00 |
| 10 | reidood | 327 | $70.00 |
GeneralV and Naapsterman make appearances in the top 10 here. GeneralV’s 340 and 340 lineups were goood enough to earn him $700, but they bring up a far more intriguing question. The identical lineup play in the large tourney. I know that I would never have the confidence to do such a thing seeing, as I can enter 3 or 4 teams and have none of them make it. I can also say that I’ve never had a day where I felt so confident about my team that I was compelled to enter it twice. Kudos to GeneralV for having the skill and courage to take home the double cash on his lineup, I just don’t think that this strategy is realistic for the typical player.
2. NBA Rebound Analysis – A Pretty Leaderboard
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generalv | 340 | $200.00 |
| 2 | PolishRifle | 332 | $150.00 |
| 3 | sclipson1 | 331 | $100.00 |
| 4 | Dabigu | 326 | $75.00 |
| 5 | sprtsnut4ever | 324 | $75.00 |
| 6 | Boomboom | 323 | $50.00 |
| 7 | emge | 320 | $50.00 |
| 7 | tk24balla | 320 | $50.00 |
| 9 | Dbirocci | 316 | $45.00 |
| 9 | primetime420 | 316 | $45.00 |
As you can see there are a ton of names we all know on this leaderboard. GeneralV brought down the top spot with the same lineup from the SLAM. NBA grinding superstars Dabigu and Primetime420 made their way into the mix. Rounding up the Grinder top players were dbirocci and boomboom who both managed to field solid lineups. This is the type of leaderboard I like to see. It’s just so pretty when it’s filled up with our own. On a scale of 1 – Giselle, I would call this a nine.
3. Inaugural Wednesday Large Field – DRAFTSTREET – Look Who it Is!!
| Pos. | Player | Score | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | postalmailman | 323.25 | 1st: $150.00 |
| 2 | Kenny Chase | 303.5 | 2nd: $95.00 |
| 3 | clint08911 | 292.5 | 3rd: $70.00 |
| 4 | jericwgriffin | 289 | 4th: $55.00 |
| 5 | Andrew11432 | 282.5 | 5th: $45.00 |
| 6 | RotoGrinders.com | 278 | 6th: $35.00 |
| 7 | radifier | 277 | 7th: $25.00 |
| 8 | Waiverwire | 276.25 | 8th: $15.00 |
| 9 | rkv2812 | 276 | 9th: $10.00 |
| 10 | Kenny Chase | 275.75 | $- |
More about these tourneys can be found in the ‘Looking Forward’ portion of this article. But as for the leaderboard you will notice two names that haven’t been seen yet, but are certainly known in Grinder Nation. Cam and Waiverwire cracked the top 10 of this inaugural tourney with big scores of 278 and 277. Congrats guys, maybe Draftstreet’s new tourneys were just the opportunity you needed to make a grand entrance onto the scene…Or maybe, at least for Cam, this was a one-time fluke.
4. Friday NBA DUNK Analysis – Big Scores for Big Names
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | sclem21 | 327 | $1,200.00 |
| 2 | Headchopper | 323 | $800.00 |
| 3 | kaiseroll13 | 320 | $416.67 |
| 3 | Beermakersfan | 320 | $416.67 |
| 3 | iwasoncelost | 320 | $416.67 |
| 6 | nfcnorthchamps | 317 | $225.00 |
| 7 | sclem21 | 315 | $175.00 |
| 8 | rotostud75 | 311 | $150.00 |
| 8 | rotostud75 | 311 | $150.00 |
| 10 | tshaw7 | 308 | $125.00 |
Another pretty leaderboard here. Sclem21, Headchopper and Beermakersfan accounted for the three top scores of the evening. That’s a combined cash of more than $2,400 if your counting. Sclem21 managed to sneak another lineup into the top 10 as well, rounding out an excellent week of NBA Lineups for him with over $1,400 in winnings.
5. Friday NBA REBOUND Analysis – The Tourney Where Grinders Disappear
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | emge | 322 | $200.00 |
| 2 | Beermakersfan | 320 | $125.00 |
| 2 | kaiseroll13 | 320 | $125.00 |
| 4 | emge | 318 | $75.00 |
| 5 | emge | 317 | $75.00 |
| 6 | ucfparker75 | 316 | $50.00 |
| 7 | sclem21 | 315 | $50.00 |
| 8 | tshaw7 | 312 | $50.00 |
| 9 | emge | 310 | $50.00 |
| 10 | emge | 308 | $40.00 |
It is funny to me that this seems to be the leaderboard without Grinders on a weekly basis. I guess the DUNK is more our thing. Just like guys are more Cam’s thing. And chicken wings are more Lowe’s thing. It just is. I’d like to see our presence here grow a bit, but I guess I can’t complain when the DUNK leaderboard is so stacked with Grinders this week. I’ll let it slide.
6. Weekly Zeroes:
Wednesday: Stephen Curry – [13 FD Points] – For the night the problem was fouls. But, on a larger scale, I’m still not convinced he and Ellis can share the ball long term. At times, Curry looks like a PG. He makes great passes into tight spaces. But the majority of times he looks like a scorer playing out of position. Turnovers are a plenty when he’s running things and he seems to force shots at times. If the Warriors are going to win games I think they will need to mix things up. If Grinders are going to win games, Curry is going to have to avoid foul trouble when he has a great scoring matchup.
Friday: Zach Randolph [0 FD Points] – 7:30 ET scratch. This is becoming a trend for the Grizzlies. I’m not sure if its coincidence or the organization as a whole likes to withhold injury information, Bill Belichick style. But either way this is absolutely devastating for a fantasy lineup. We can’t win with a 0. Especially if that 0 comes from a player that cost 9k. I don’t think this injury is serious for Randolph but it sure was serious for people’s bankrolls.
7. Weekly Heroes
Wednesday: David West – [54 FD Points] – This is an impressive line to say the least. Even more impressive is that it came in a game when Chris Paul put up a lackluster 23- point performance. The problem with West is always consistency, but in the past few weeks it seems like no one is all that consistent. Props to those avoided the allure of the huge money guys at PF on Wednesday. It made you some money.
Friday: J.J. Hickson [43 FD Points] – And it came in the first win of 2011 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For a while this guy was unreliable, and would have a big game followed by a weak one. But he seems to be getting 25-30 consistent minutes per game and when he plays he has proved productive. I think he will see a spike in his pricing soon so enjoy his moderate price tag while you still can.
8. Looking Forward
TRADE DEADLINE
The only real big name we hear being shopped right now is Melo. And if he moves, whether it be east or west, I think that the biggest benefactor will be J.R. Smith. He’s flirted all year with being good enough and cheap enough to crack the daily fantasy lineup. This move would push him over the top, and make him just the kind of value play that brings another stud to your lineup.
Keep an eye out for other potential moves. The Lakers and Knicks aren’t the only teams who could use more pieces for a playoff push. The Magic might make a move for a big man, which would only further complicated the madness that is daily fantasy considerations outside of Superman in Orlando.
All these moves, no matter how small, can make a difference to a Grinder. Ten extra minutes off the bench might mean stardom for someone who as of now means nothing to us. Keep your eyes peeled and your brains open to the effect of these potential moves.
DRAFTSTREET LARGE FIELDS
As I said earlier, Wednesday’s tournament was the first of its kind for Draftstreet. According to sources, these tournaments are scheduled to get bigger and more numerous. DraftStreet has a totally unique scoring system as well as a great user interface. If you haven’t player there yet, make sure you head over and give it a try. Hey, if Cam can win there, you can too!
So in conclusion I would just like to say a few things:
- If your playing players on Mediocre teams keep doing it. I’m convinced it’s the key to success
- If you yourself are mediocre, don’t give up. Cam cracked a leaderboard this week. Anything can happen
- Enjoy this week. Happy Valentine’s to you all.
SMOOCHES! I’m out.