Dein erstes Forum » ook Tuesdays loss to Charlotte parti

Anyone who claims that the NBA preseason is meaningless clearly doesnt have much of a history with fantasy basketball. Those of us who play know better. Much better.As you know, a lot can change, and fast, when you consider the enormous impact of one big preseason injury.?That can alter the fantasy hoops landscape -- its no wonder the Top 200 rankings have to be adjusted so often!This October, we saw several instances of this.We saw it with Anthony Davis sprained ankle; the power forward has been dropped from?No. 9 to 11 as a result.?Given the renewed concern of another injury-plagued season, he is a first-round talent who is dropping into the second round in many fantasy leagues.Gordon Hayward, Reggie Jackson and Ben Simmons are the three others who drop considerably due to injury. Haywards broken finger is expected to keep him out of Utahs lineup until the end of November, causing him to fall to No. 46. Jacksons left knee tendinitis is likely to keep him out for five to seven?weeks, causing him to drop from No. 50 all the way to 82 while also elevating Detroits fill-in starting point guard Ish Smith from No. 175 to 123.And then theres Simmons, whose broken foot will likely keep him out of action until sometime in early 2017, thus ending his rookie of the year chances and dropping him all the way to No. 138. Simmons still makes sense at a higher part of the draft in dynasty leagues, but hes missing too much of the season to be chosen above that 130-140 range in redraft leagues.Here are the other big storylines since our last rankings update:Harden leapfrogs Westbrook for No. 1James Harden and Russell Westbrook are in a class by themselves as the top two fantasy options this season, but until now, weve always had Westbrook ahead of Harden. Not anymore. I explained recently the reasons why Harden now makes sense over Westbrook in category leagues that include 3-pointers, but it can be summed up with this:1. Harden is now eligible at two positions -- shooting guard and point guard -- while Westbrook is still only a point guard. The versatility that multi-position eligibility creates on draft day is a huge advantage for anyone who selects Harden over Westbrook.2. Westbrooks biggest edge over Harden last season was assists (2.9 more per game), but theres a good chance that gap closes now since Harden has more point guard responsibilities and Westbrook is without super-efficient future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant on the receiving end of his passes.3. Harden is a much greater presence from beyond the 3-point arc, and that advantage may grow in the fast-paced offense of new Rockets coach Mike DAntoni.Paul falls, Freak peaksChris Paul drops from No. 6 to 8, falling behind Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James. Weve listed the Los Angeles Clippers star point guard at No. 6 throughout the past two months, but he has continually been passed over for the likes of Leonard and James -- and often times Davis and DeMarcus Cousins -- so it was evident a slight adjustment was in order.Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo rises to his highest spot ever in the ESPN rankings, jumping past Davis to No. 10. While the Greek Freaks ceiling may be slightly lower than Davis if both log close to 82 games, theres no denying that Antetokounmpo is a more durable option who is the safer of the two options. Remember, Davis has yet to play more than 68 games in a season as he enters his fifth year in the NBA.Embiids riseOnly a couple of weeks ago, the general consensus was that Joel Embiid would need some time to ease his way into the rigors of the NBA following back-to-back missed seasons due to foot injuries. While that still may prove to be true, Embiid has wasted no time making his presence felt in the preseason, showing rare skills for a big man who is actually bigger than Detroits Andre Drummond. Embiid has moves down low, and his stroke looks great from beyond the 3-point arc. When you factor in his size (7 feet, 250 pounds) and athleticism, its easy to see why the 76ers thought enough of the relatively unproven talent to select him No. 3 overall in 2014. He moves up 31 spots from No. 130 to 99 on the updated rankings, and if Embiid can stay healthy, he has a chance to be one of the best bargains of the draft for anyone who takes him in this range.Other big movers:Kris Dunn, Minnesota Timberwolves (132 to 105)Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets (123 to 97)Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets (147 to 87)Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers (131 to 118)Ish Smith, Detroit Pistons (175 to 123)Return of ExumAfter missing all of the 2015-16 season, Utahs Dante Exum is fully recovered from ACL surgery on his left knee and highlights the list of newcomers to the Top 200. Any concerns of lingering effects from the lost season have been squashed during the preseason; Exum has looked like a totally different player than the wide-eyed rookie of two seasons ago. His scoring and passing have been on display throughout the preseason, propelling him to No. 157 in the rankings. In 2016-17, he looks to be one of the main guards in the Jazz rotation, along with George Hill, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood. Remember, were talking about a player who is still only 21 and two years removed from being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.Other new additions:Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets (146)Trevor Booker, Brooklyn Nets (153)Nemanja Bjelica, Minnesota Timberwolves (161)Solomon Hill, New Orleans Pelicans (167)Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks (168)Marquese Chriss, Phoenix Suns (172)Kelly Oubre, Washington Wizards (180)T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns (194)Custom Washington Capitals Jerseys . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. T. J. Oshie Capitals Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. http://www.officialcapitalsfanstore.com/authentic-dennis-maruk-capitals-jersey/ . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). Tom Wilson Capitals Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Mike Gartner Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No.MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota is the NBAs youngest team, averaging 23.6 years of age, yet the youthful Timberwolves entered the season with the hope of finally breaking the franchises long playoff drought.The Wolves, however, arent jelling quickly under new coach Tom Thibodeau, and a Tuesday home loss to the Charlotte Hornets didnt sit well. They will try to turn it around Thursday when they play host to the Philadelphia 76ers.Minnesota (3-7) had won two of three games before Tuesday, and the offenses performance was among the best in the league. Then the Hornets pulled away with a big second half to beat Minnesota, leaving the Timberwolves development as a postgame topic.We could use youth as an excuse forever; your opponent doesnt care that youre young, Thibodeau said. Weve got guys whove been in the league for a while now, were making mistakes that never should be made -- from fouling jump shooters, reckless passes, turnovers -- its all decision-making.The 76ers (2-9) know youthful mistakes, too. Philadelphia, the fourth-youngest team in the league, opened the season with seven straight losses. On Wednesday, the 76ers won for the second time in four games as they held onto a big lead at home to beat the Washington Wizards 109-102.Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said there was just a poise level that was fantastic.The 76ers shot 54.5 percent and had 30 assists (on 42 field goals), both season highs.Just resilient, forward Richaun Holmes said. Just determined to do anything we had to do to get a win, and we are able to stick it out to the end against a tough Washington team. Were getting better.Holmes knocked down a 3-pointer in the final minutes to help finish off the Wizards on Wednesday. Jahlil Okafor scored a season-high 19 points before fouling out. Philadelphia rested rookie center Joel Embiid, its leading scorer and rebounder who missed the past two seasons following a pair of foot surgeries.Embiid is expected to play Thursday. Brown will have both of his young centers at his disposal. Okafor is expected to play and be limited tto 16 to 20 minutes.ddddddddddddIt was my teammates talking to me, Coach Brown challenging me before the game to attack, be aggressive, make good decisions; and it really benefited me, Okafor said.Embiids absence for the home game before leaving for a road trip caught some by surprise.Its just the rhythm that the medical staff has put him on, Brown said. And I think you look back -- back-to-back-type games and those types of things, with the time in between, they felt like ... if we had a choice, this game was going to be it. So I follow the marching orders of smarter people than myself.Embiid will be needed on the road at Minnesota. The 76ers have lost 20 straight games on the road, equaling the second-longest road slump in team history.Okafor should match up occasionally with Minnesotas Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns was drafted No. 1 overall by Minnesota last year, with Okafor picked third by Philadelphia. Towns has lived up to the top-draft status and is averaging 22 points and eight rebounds per game this season.However, Towns took Tuesdays loss to Charlotte particularly tough.I just have to play better, Towns said. All these losses, they fall on me. Its something Ive got to control. Its something that Ive got to be able to help us as much as possible. Third quarter, Im just not doing enough for us, and Ive got to do better.Minnesota is the leagues top-scoring team in the first quarter but the worst in the third period. The Timberwolves were outscored 36-17 in the third by the Hornets.Thibodeau was asked if Tuesdays loss was a step back for his young team.Its the commitment to improve and to learn, to not repeat the same mistakes over and over again, Thibodeau said. A big part of learning is trial and error, so when you go through something and it doesnt work, you should learn from it; the second time around, it shouldnt be the same way. That has to change. That has to change, and it has to change fast. ' ' '