Top 5 Fantasy Point Guards

The fantasy basketball season is right around the corner and there are a few hazards to be weary of. For instance, make sure you're picking players who will bring in big numbers, not necessarily win games. I will give you my top 5 point guards to take in this year's fantasy games. When reading this post keep in mind that the fantasy game that I'm guiding you through is the Sportingnews Ultimate Salary Cap Challenge. In this particular fantasy game you are given a 35 million dollar salary cap. You need 2 guards, 2 forwards, a center, and a sixth man.

1. Chris Paul (NO)

Estimated cost: 11.6 Million $

CP3 will likely cost you a decent chunk of your salary so be prepared to bargain hunt for the rest of your draft. That being said, Paul is the most productive point guard in the league. Last season Paul led all point guards in both points (22.8 PPG) and in assists (11 APG). More likely than not Paul's numbers will increase this season as they have for the past 3 years. With the addition of center Emeka Okafor (in exchange for Tyson Chandler), Paul will most likely tally at least 1 or 2 more assists per game.

2. Derrick Rose (CHI)

Estimated cost: 9.8 million $

It will be very interesting to see what Rose is priced at this season, it will either be very high based on his potential, or very low based on his numbers last season. It will probably be somewhere in the middle. If it is below 10 million get him. Expect Rose to far surpass his rookie numbers of 16.8 PPG and 6.3 APG. My prediction is that Rose and Paul will be the top two in PPG and APG for point guards. Be very careful with Rose, with him turnovers seem to come in bunches. If you see that he had a 5 turnover game, sell him, and buy him back 2-3 games later.

3. Deron Williams (UTA)

Estimated cost: 10.4 Million $

Deron Williams is on par with Rose and Paul. It pretty much just comes down to which player you like better, although Williams and Paul will almost definitely be more expensive than Rose. Williams' numbers were just behind Paul's last season (20.2 PPG, 10.8 APG) , those numbers will for the most part stay where they are. Keep in mind that Williams led all point guards in turnovers last season (4.2 per game). Much like Rose, monitor his assist/turnover ratio as often as possible.

4. Rajon Rondo (BOS)

Estimated cost: 9.0 Million $

Rondo's numbers have been consistently jumping throughout the first 3 years of his young and promising career, that pattern won't end anytime soon. With scoring options all around him, expect Rondo to make the jump into double digit assists this season. Last season Rondo's numbers were 11.9 PPG, and 8.2 APG, nothing special. However after the 2009 playoffs I expect Rondo to soar into the point guard spotlight. Rondo has a tendency to play to the level of his opponent. Sometimes that can be a great thing, but most of the time it holds him back. For instance in the first round of the 09' playoffs (against Derrick Rose), Rondo nearly averaged a triple double. But in the next round, when he was put up against an inferior point guard, his numbers dipped. Rondo is an excellent player to take if you're planning on breaking the bank over someone like LeBron James.

5. Tony Parker (SAS)

Estimated cost: 8.7 Million $

The Spurs had an unusual year last year as Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan all missed games due to injury. Now that all three are healthy at the same time Parker will have many weapons in his arsenal. With his veteran bench and an imported Richard Jefferson expect Parker's APG to skyrocket, somewhere in the 11-13 range. The reason why he's at number 5 is because as his APG goes up, his PPG will go down drastically. I predict his numbers this season to be: 14 PPG, 10.5 APG (ballpark numbers).

Is Rose Ready to Step Up into the NBA Elite?

Chicago Bulls' guard Derrick Rose did not disappoint in his rookie season but now, after losing Ben Gordon to the Pistons, the Bulls will be expecting Rose to be their go to guy on offense.

In his rookie season Derrick Rose scored 16.8 PPG, while dishing out 6.3 APG. This year I predict that Rose will score anywhere from 20-25 PPG and 7.5-10 APG. The main reason for this spike in numbers, along with the fact that he has a year of experience, is the loss of Ben Gordon. With Gordon out of the picture Rose will definitely be taking more shots and as a result will get to the line more often. It has been well documented this offseason that Rose is working on his jumpshot and extending his range to the three point line, which makes him that much more dangerous to other teams.

Many (including me) envision that Rose will step up into the NBA's Mt. Olympus of point guards sometime in the next 1-2 seasons, this is the elite group which includes Chris Paul, Deron Willaims, Tony Parker, and Chauncey Billups. But the question that everyone wants to know is when, when will Rose step up and make the Bulls a dangerous team again. What Rose has to work on the most if he wants that to happen is his assist to turnover ratio. In the playoffs every possession is important, he can't be turning the ball over 5 times a game like he did in last season's first round bout with the Celtics. 

Ask yourself this question, if you were the Bulls and you could trade Rose for any other point guard in the league who would it be, Chis Paul immediately comes to mind but consider this: Rose is a Chicago native and he would be more likely (than Paul) to express loyalty to the Bulls when his contract is up. I wouldn't trade him for anybody, the Chicago Bulls have a real gem in Rose, I strongly believe that Rose is going to be a top 1-2 point guard in the league by the time this season ends, whenever it ends. Rose's ability to score makes him so much more dangerous because teams are going to be forced to double team him which will give the green light to Hinrich, Deng, and Salmons to knock down some shots. 

Derrick Rose is a young player with the sky as his limit, don't be surprised to see Rose in the MVP voting at the end of the season. He is ready to take the NBA by storm.