areers, but the relationship will natural get further apart, but I know | Forum

I love the NBA, and I have as long as I can remember. Adidas Eqt Trainers Uk . One of my earliest memories is my uncle hoisting me on his shoulders next to the Lakers team bus to meet rookie A.C. Green outside the Seattle Coliseum in 1987. Later that season, I remember my dad pulling over to the side of the road so we could listen to the end of a thrilling Sonics playoff victory over the Rockets.In my teenage years, one of my greatest memories was the weekend spent with my dad painting a giant Sonics mural that spanned the entire length of my bedroom wall -- something my friends still talk about to this day. It was a magical time in the Pacific Northwest, with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, George Karl, Detlef, Big Smooth, Kevin Calabro, Sir-Mix-A-Lot and Pearl Jam.All these years later, I still love the NBA -- even without the Sonics -- for all the reasons so many of you do; the intense competition, the incredible talent, the high-flying dunks. But I also love it because of DFS.While every sport holds its own appeal in terms of DFS, the NBA is hard to beat for a number of reasons. Most appealing is how the action doesnt stop, as it does in many of the other sports, because players can accumulate stats on both offense and defense.And unlike baseball and football, basketball doesnt have nearly the same statistical variance on a game-to-game basis, which makes it a more enjoyable DFS experience. You know that LeBron James and Kevin Durant are good for right around 25-30 points on any given night, for example. Compare that to baseball, where paying up for a star like Josh Donaldson or Mike Trout can easily lead to 0-for-5 night with three strikeouts. Or football, where there are less than five reliable running backs left in the league.NBA DFS isnt like that -- the results are more predictable, so it doesnt take hours and hours to create a roster. On many nights, when theres a short slate of games, you may only have to decide between two or three players at certain positions (especially at shooting guard and small forward).Is it simple? No. Is it challenging? You bet it is. But if you ask me, its just another part of the draw -- coming up with strategies, concepts and approaches, based on the matchups and available options each night, that can lead to success and money in your pocket.Whether youre playing in GPPs (big tournaments with thousands of entries) or in cash games (a smaller group of people with a much better chance of winning), here are 10 tips that will help you fall in love with NBA DFS as I have and take your lineup-building to the next level:1. Minutes per gameMore time on the court means added opportunity to accumulate stats, so this is a good starting point. Here are the minutes-per-game leaders from last season. You want players who can be counted on to play over 30 minutes a game, whenever possible. That means players like James Harden, Kyle Lowry and John Wall, just to name a few. Keep in mind, any starter without a suitable backup is often forced to carry a bigger workload, and more minutes mean more opportunity.Its also important to consider whether a game has a good chance of being a blowout. A simple review of the days point spreads (ESPN PickCenter for Insider subscribers) can help with that. If a game gets out of hand, it increases the chances that the best players will spend more time than usual on the bench. This was a problem in Golden State last season, when the Warriors pulled out to big leads and often were able to sit their starters for the entire fourth quarter.Its also important to know which coaches have a tendency to keep their starters on the court, even when the score is lopsided. Tom Thibodeau was famous for that in his years in Chicago, leaving Jimmy Butler (and Luol Deng) in the game even when the contest was well in hand. Thibs is now in Minnesota, which raises the DFS values of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and the rest of the Timberwolves regulars this season.2. Usage rateSo you know that finding players who play a good portion of the game is important, but how often do they have the ball in their hands while theyre on the court? How often do they use a possession? Thats what usage rate can help you figure out, and its a very useful tool in DFS.Here are the usage rate leaders from last season.As you can see, players like Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins and Harden are not only high-minute players but also high-usage players. So its easy to understand why they are able to put up such big DFS numbers on a nightly basis. Others, like Reggie Jackson and Dennis Schroder, dont get as much fanfare, but their high usage rate gives them the potential for monster statistical games on any given night.Note: Next-level DFS players can delve even deeper into the usage rate stats. The website nyloncalculus.com enables you to filter it down to more specific stats such as scoring usage - the percentage of plays used by a player in terms of scoring attempts (whether from the field or at the free throw line).Whether you use the basic usage rate numbers or the more advanced version, this is something to strongly consider whenever you enter lineups. Its that important. You can also utilize nbawowy.com to see how a players usage rate fluctuates when other players are on or off the court. This is incredibly useful, particularly whenever a key player is injured and you want to find out something like how LaMarcus Aldridges numbers are impacted whenever Pau Gasol is off the court.3. Pace factorThis stat measures the amount of possessions each team uses per game. Last season, the Sacramento Kings led the NBA (102.2) while the Utah Jazz ranked last (93.3). Either style can win NBA games, but as far as youre concerned you want players on teams that consistently play more possessions.Were talking about the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets, the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.So what happens when a faster-paced team like the Kings plays a slower-paced team like the Jazz? Typically, things average out, so in the example from last season you could expect right around 97-98 possessions to be used by each team in a Kings-Jazz game.That adds a little value to the Jazz players, who can be expected to play around four more possessions than usual, and it also slightly downgrades the Kings players, who can be expected to play around four possessions less than usual.4. Opponent defense versus positionAs good as a player might be (high minutes, high usage, fast-paced team), he might not be worth rostering if hes matched up against a top-notch defender like San Antonios Kawhi Leonard. This is always something to take into consideration.There are several websites that show how well each team defends at every position, and its up to you to find the one that works best for you. One example, 82games.com, shows important stats for every team such as their opponents effective field goal percentage at each position. The Atlanta Hawks, for example, held opposing small forwards to a 45.1 eFG% last season, so thats a team you probably shouldnt have started small forwards against on any night with a full slate of games.5. Injuries equal opportunitiesAny time a starter gets injured and misses time, figure out which reserve(s) will fill in for them and assume a bigger role, because there is no better time to find a bargain in DFS.Salaries dont fluctuate much on a game-to-game basis, so when low-priced reserves are thrust into a starters role, they often remain a top value for several weeks before their price comes up. Its up to you to capitalize on this as much as possible. Remember the way JaMychal Green emerged in Memphis when Zach Randolph missed time last season? He was available at close to the minimum salary for weeks, and thats exactly what were talking about here.I recall a game two seasons back when Brooklyn faced San Antonio and Kevin Garnett sat out, giving Mirza Teletovic a chance to play extended minutes in the Nets short-handed frontcourt. That night, Teletovic went off for 26 points, 15 rebounds and added five 3-pointers, despite being near the minimum price point, and anyone who rostered him had a huge advantage over the competition in GPPs.Injuries are a reality in the six-month grind of the NBAs grueling regular season, and there are sure to be many again in 2016-17. In DFS, look at that as an opportunity to go bargain shopping.6. Pay up at the right positionsA couple years back, this fascinating piece by Bryan Mears at numberfire.com examined the top-scoring nightly NBA DFS lineups through the first few months of the 2014-15 season. The findings were both fascinating and revealing.In a nutshell, the sheer number of high-quality point guards currently in the league makes it advisable to pay up for point guards on most nights. From time to time, values will be out there, but you always have to measure whether a low-priced point guard with a ceiling of 30 points is worth rostering over a high-priced point guard who might put up twice that. Most of the time, it isnt.On many nights its also advisable to roster a cheaper option at shooting guard and/or small forward. The lack of depth at those positions in the NBA leaves many nights when the top-priced small forward is someone like Trevor Ariza and it often makes sense to go cheap there so you can load up elsewhere.Power forward is pretty top-heavy in terms of elite options, while center can range from thin to deep depending on the nights schedule.7. Consider ownership percentage and pick your spots to be a contrarianGoing against the grain can be your ticket to big winnings in GPPs, but you have to be smart about when you apply it.Fading a superstar who ends up having an uncharacteristically poor performance -- say James or Durant -- can give you a leg up on the competition, but only if its on a night when their ownership levels are high.Some nights, its very difficult to roster James and Durant, and the contrarian play might actually be to add both to your roster.One of my favorite approaches is to play the late-night GPPs that include only 2-4 games on the NBA schedule. Many DFS regulars shy away from these contests because less skill is required since there are fewer choices at every position -- leading to many duplicate rosters -- but there is no better time to be a contrarian than in these late-night tourneys.One of my biggest cashes of from the 2014-15 season came when I faded Harden despite him being one of only two or three shooting guards who appeared to be worth rostering. It was the last night before the All-Star break, Hardens ownership was well north of 80 percent, and he shot just 3-for-12 from the field (0-for-7 from 3-point range) and finished with only nine points. It was one of only two games all season when he failed to reach double digits, and it left me well ahead of everyone else who rostered him. Boom!8. Factor in back-to-backsSome players arent impacted much when they play the second game of a back-to-back. Others see their shooting percentage and scoring average take a big dive. And some veterans are all but restricted from playing in the second game of back-to-backs.Wall is a good example of a player whose performance last season was heavily impacted by the amount of rest he had entering the game. He shot just 41.7 percent in the 19 games he played in the second of a back-to-back. That number rose to 42.4 percent with one days rest in between games, and jumped to 45.2 in games when he had two days rest.Make sure you spend a moment and think about how much rest a player has before you roster them. It affects every player differently, but it matters.9. Ride the hot hand (or the cold hand)Certain players are streakier than others, and at time a situation arises where a player steps up into a larger role. The bottom line here is that you should always be aware of the players who are running hot or cold.Players who are in a groove can provide a big boost to your roster, particularly while their price tag remains low. Dwight Powell stepped into extended minutes with the Dallas Mavericks early last season, and he was a great value play at power forward for a good stretch. Omri Casspi had a nice run with the Sacramento Kings for a while in each of the last two seasons. Cole Aldrich was the bargain center to have while with the New York Knicks a few years ago. If you can find players like this who have the hot hand, you can construct a roster of expensive stars and low-priced overachieving role players.Cold players can make a great contrarian play if you believe, for whatever reason (matchups, injuries to others, role changes), that they are ready to bust out and perform to their normal level. If you time it right and roster someone on a night when they bust out of their funk, it can separate you from the pack.10. Utilize Twitter for late injury/lineup changesThere are several sites out there that report updates on players in the hours leading up to tip-off each night, but the best thing you can do is find a good Twitter list of NBA reporters and bloggers.Here is a good one that I created during the 2014-15 season which includes over 200 NBA reporters, bloggers and analysts.Dont be the person stuck with a player who was a late scratch due to flu-like symptoms. Thats as good as throwing money away.Bonus tip No. 11: Chase overtimeI havent seen anyone mention this strategy, and it may seem like a sucker bet, but when it works its a game-changer. Interested? If you prefer GPPs over cash games and are okay with an all-or-nothing approach, then keep reading.Heres the deal -- games that go into overtime provide an extra five minutes of game time, and typically all of those minutes are taken up by starters or key reserves like Will Barton or Jamal Crawford who regularly finish the game on the court. Thats a big deal in GPPs, when every stat matters, and you can take advantage of this. All it takes is some research and a little luck.What you need to do is find games that feature two high-scoring teams that play at a high pace. Some nights there are none of these games, but most nights there is at least one if not more. But remember, you arent just looking for high-scoring games, youre looking for high-scoring close games that have the best chance of going into OT. With that in mind, I like to limit myself to games with a point spread of under three points, since those are the games Vegas expects to be close.Once youve found a game that fits this description, the next step is to stack as many players as you can from the two teams. On FanDuel, for example, you can load up eight of your nine roster spots, since theres a limit of four players from one team. If this game goes to overtime, theres a good chance its going to be a fun night at your house.There you have it -- 10 keys and one bonus tip to help you improve your odds in NBA DFS action this season. Apply as many of these as you can on a nightly basis, and its only a matter of time before you experience the thrill of success. Discount Adidas Nmd . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Adidas Ultra Boost Outlet Uk . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Yorkshires director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, has vowed there will be no retreat to the insular ways of old after the county responded to the loss of Australian coach Jason Gillespie by promoting Andrew Gale from the ranks.Such assurances were conveyed to the first-team staff minutes before the unofficially Headingley unveiling of Gale, who as Yorkshires 1st XI captain was one of the key figures in a renaissance which has brought two Championships in three years and supplied England with a steady stream of players. His opening worfds? I bet this surprised you.Gale has been an inspirational figure as Yorkshires captain. His pride in the county has been unstinting, his sense of unity strong, his expectations expressed in straightforward terms that translate easily across the Broad Acres. His worth goes far beyond a playing-record of 8217 runs at 36.03. I didnt expect the opportunity to come as early as it has, but it is one that is too good to turn down, he said.Nevertheless, Yorkshires history of self-sufficiency automatically invites the suspicion that they are sometimes overly tempted to trust their own judgment - it would certainly be in keeping with the political mood sweeping across the Western world - but Moxon has a broad outlook on such things and he welcomed the chance to scotch such a notion.We are not seeing this as an insular appointment, absolutely not, Moxon said. I have mentioned that with the players. We dont want to see this as we know best and that we have been successful over the past five years so if we just keep doing what we are doing we will be fine. We know we need an open mind, we need to be looking at new ways of doing things and we need to keep moving forward.Indeed, Gale immediately showed a willingness to question Yorkshire lore by advocating a root-and-branch examination, from junior cricket upwards, to address the countys shortcomings in T20 cricket, and area to which Gillespie was unable to find a solution.I think we could be a bit more dynamic in the way we play our one-day cricket, he said. At times we are a little bit one-dimensional. I dont think we work hard enough on our skills in white-ball cricket and I also think we need to be a bit more fearless.We are very traditional here in Yorkshire. The first thing you would teach a lad at 14-years-old is how to play a forward defence. You can make a career out of playing a scoop now. We need to change the mindset from top to bottom, right down to U-14s, U-15s. I know having played in the second team that there are other lads around the country who are a lot more skilful than out second team with white balls. Red ball is different - the lads know what they have to do - but from a white-ball perspective we are behind with our development.There will be unworthy suspicions, too, that the choice of Gale, who has agreed a three-year contract, represents a cost-cutting measure only a week after Yorkshire protested that potential delays in the redevelopment of Headingley could seriously jeopardise their international future. Its nothing to do with the finances, he said, before adding light-heartedly, Anyway, he might be on more money than Dizzy.Gale has retired immediately, at 32, after first indicating at the end of the season that he wanted to prolong his career only to be persuaded by Moxon that the time was ripe. Michael Vaughan, the former England captain and a member of Yorkshires board, was another person who Gale used as a sounding board.He has immediate challenges, not least the choice of a successor for his own role as captain. Alex Lees holds the role in both limited-overs formats, but Gary Ballance is also an influential figure in a strong-willed dressing room and, if indications are that his England career is losing impetus, he is bound to receive serious considerationAn overseas player is also a priority. It depends on what happens with England and we have one eye on that at the moment, Moxon said. But we are in the market for a top-order overseas batsman, I can say that for sure.The appointment of Gale is a pragmatic response by Moxon, who was solely in charge of recruitment, after high-profile targets such as Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, and Richard Dawson, head coach at Gloucestershire - both former heads of the Yorkshire academy resisted overtures.There was even talk of Andy Flower, the former England coach, who is now in charge of England Lions, and Brad Hodge, the former Australian batsman who is making a name for himself as a T20 coach as assistant coach to Gillespie at Adelaide Strikers and with Gujarat Lions in IPL, also had his advocates.Of course we were looking around and Im sure you would expect me to do that, Moxon said. But when I appointed people like Dizzy or Farby it felt right. That is the biggest thing about this appointment: it feels right. Adidas Nmd Trainers Uk Sale. Yorkshires 1st XI is an experienced group, especially among the bowlers, which has persuaded Moxon that continuity matters. Its important we keep that continuity and protect the environment that weve created, one that has been successful for us.The qualities are the togetherness we have had in the group, the strong leadership we have had, everyone knowing their role, everyone enjoying each others success and an honesty within the whole group. It has been a true team on and off the fieldWhat took up most of my thoughts was running the first team in the short term. It was clear to me he was the best man to do that. It was the least disruptive option. We want to avoid chopping and changing particularly when at a crucial period when the transition of the team is taken place.Gales immediate conclusion when Gillespie confirmed that he would be returning full-time to Australis had been that the vacancy had come too soon for him. But he will take his Level 4 coaching exams as soon as possible - he is already Level 3 - and his involvement in coaching is already substantial.He is the joint owner of the Pro Coach Cricket Academy, which is based next to Yorkshires own academy at Headingley and which delivers a wide range of coaching clinics across the county for children and adults of all abilities - sometimes in alliance with Yorkshire. Yorkshire are expected to examine how that relationship exists to safeguard Gale from suggestions of any conflict of interests.Initially we dont need him to be a top-level coach, Moxon said. We need him to be a leader and a manager of men. He can do that. He will grow into the coaching side of things over the next couple of years. He is highly qualified in the way that he has led the team as captain over the past seven years and has expertise that we didnt want to lose at the club.Gale had admitted to Moxon and Gillespie in mid-season that he was not enjoying his cricket and was contemplating retirement. He had been disappointed to lose not just the captaincy, but only to make fleeting appearances in Yorkshires limited-overs side. His batting had become scratchy and his fielding was showing of signs of wear and tear. In September, he stared down an average of 21 in the Championship and resolved to carry on, but a coaching career was inevitable. It was just a matter of when and where.As potential coaches were openly discussed around the county, Gale was under no lllusions that his Yorkshire career was drawing to a close. He remained under contract, but he had averaging only 21 in first-class cricket in 2016 and Alex Lees had replaced him as Yorkshires captain in both limited-overs formats. His batting had become increasingly scratchy and his fielding was showing premature signs of age.When I drove into Headingley a fortnight or so ago, as a player, I had the feeling of here we go again he said. Now I have driven here today with a real sense of excitement.Obviously, I have experience at grassroots running my own coaching company, and I have worked with young batters as a senior player about how they can improve their game, but I know senior coaching is different. I am willing to learn on the job and I need to learn quickly.Gale is too grounded to be overly concerned by the fact that he was not Yorkshires first choice. Most people are second choice to somebody, theoretically anyway. In fact, as club captain, he could hardly be unaware of the dead ends that Moxon came up against as he tried to find a replacement for Gillespie. But he also knows that when the applications came in, he was rapidly preferred.Im under no illusion that the club would have preferred an international coach, but Martyns philosophy was that if they couldnt get that then they didnt want too much change, he said. I know the players inside out so that transition should be easier than somebody we could have ended up taking a punt on: we could have ended up putting fires out in the middle of the season. The state that the club is in at the moment it just needs to continue the good work we have done.Obviously, you are going to be more distant from the players. You are making judgments on their place in the team, and on their careers, but the relationship will natural get further apart, but I know what makes the players tick and how to get the best out of them. Whether Im captain or coach, thats going to be the key in the short-term for this role.There will have to be that distance there as coach but Ive never been frightened to make those decisions as a captain anyway. I guess there might be a few tough words but thats part and parcel of the job. ' ' '