Toilet Bowl: Round 1Preview

EASTERN CONFERENCE

100AcreWoodPoohBears (7-12-2) vs MoRRie's Pogiboys (2-19)
After a flurry of activity designed to position themselves for a fantastic future, the Pogiboys still need another franchise player. Chris Paul is nice, as is Chauncey Billups and Gerald Wallace, but another big time star is needed here. How about Kevin Durant or Greg Oden? Nobody needs one of the top two picks more than Alvin but he's going to have to go through long time fantasy nemesis J to do it.

Can a team filled with up-and-coming youngsters (Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas, Hakim Warrick) be counted on this week to topple a Pooh Bears team that has really picked it up since the return of Pau Gasol from injury? The Grizzlies play five games this week, and both Alvin and J have loaded up on their favorite Memphis players. Should J win this important matchup, they'll get to add Oden or Durant to an already formidable lineup of Matrix, Gasol, Bibby, Gordon, and Andre Miller.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Phanatics (8-13) vs Sour Snails (3-18)
Actually, let's rephrase. The Sour Snails are arguably the team that most needs a top two pick in next year's draft. After suffering through a season of injuries, mismanagement, and general disappointment, the Snails still have the services of Steve Nash and Allen Iverson, but not much else. With Artest still going loco and Jason Richardson slow to return, can Larry Hughes, Stephen Jackson, Mark Blount, and Hedo Turkoglu be enough?

Oden or Durant would go a long way toward rebuilding the Snails franchise but Trieu has to get through a strong Phanatics team first. The Phanatics haven't won a lot of games this season -- injuries and mismanagement -- but it's not because they've been bereft of talent. Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Lamar Odom, and Marcus Camby are all versatile fantasy performers and they should prove too much for the Snails to handle. It's not about who needs this win more, it's about who, at the end of the week, can pull out a big victory. We're betting on the Phanatics.