Team Focus: Fat Jubas

Fat Jubas: the origin of the name is apparently Eric-L's pet iguana. I think. Actually, I have no idea, but that makes as much sense as anything else right? In our current power rankings, Eric-L's ranks a lowly 10th. However, his roster looks tight, and benefitting from possibly the biggest steal of the draft (Jermaine O'Neal at 27th overall), this team should be very competitive.

Passing up tempting choices like Shawn Marion and Kobe Bryant, Eric-L took Dwayne Wade at the third spot overall. Wade will bring you great FG% and fabulous numbers across the board, except in 3PT. In the playoffs however, Wade was taking (and hitting) shots from beyond the arc so his game will probably keep expanding. Second round value Tracy McGrady has been a fantasy superstar in the past, but his back might limit him once again. Same story with Jermaine O'Neal; all world talent and numbers, injury prone.

A slightly questionable pick in this draft might be Andre Iguodala in the fourth. Iguodala is physically talented but he only averaged 12-6-3 (albeit with 1.6 STL) last year. And with the other AI around, he's probably not going to get much better numbers wise. Still, Iguodala and Josh Howard (acquired in Rd7) are both expected to be all-around fantasy talents. But Howard, who has similar numbers to Iguodala, was taken three rounds later.

On a team sorely lacking AST, lightning bugs Tony Parker and Leandro Barboso won't necessarily help. Both are great at getting in the lane, pushing the pace, and scoring, but neither will contribute that much in the passing department. Corey Maggette was once a rising star, but now his health, and role, is a bit more in doubt. At his best, Maggette is an offensive force who can really help out your FT% since he gets to the line so much. The other center, Zaza Pachulia, had a great year last year (12-8, 1 STL) and here's hoping his new Jubas' teammate, rookie forward Shelden Williams, doesn't disturb those numbers. The Jubas also won the Darko lottery, meaning he should get 2 BLK a game, and maybe more?

The Jubas rank first in FG% and second in BLK. The problem is, they generate a ton of turnovers (tied for last in the league) without much return in AST (third-to-last). In addition, the Jubas are dead last in 3PT too. So there are some real obvious strengths and weaknesses on this team -- and that's with the roster healthy. What happens if McGrady or JO miss half a season? Let's hope they don't have to find out.

Best pick: Tracy McGrady in Rd2.
Future star: Dwayne Wade in Rd1.
Steal: Jermaine O'Neal in Rd3.
Questionable: Andre Iguodala in Rd4.
NBA copycat: Los Angeles Clippers.