Mid-Season Review: West

Now that fantasy football is over, it's time to turn our (full) attention in the direction of basketball. The NBA has been brilliant this season -- in no small part due to the resurgence of the Celtics. It seems like a transitory year as old stars are winding down a bit and new ones are emerging. How are our fantasy teams doing? Here's the overall stats for each team up to this point in the season and we'll explore brief capsule reviews of each team as we move along the next few days.

First up, the Western Conference. Unlike the NBA, the West is definitely struggling. Only two teams are over 0.500 and those two teams (Chunky Monkeys, Buffy) are the ones suffering from injuries to their biggest stars, Elton Brand and Gilbert Arenas. The West also fields easily the two worst teams in the league, Funk Coalition and Phanatics, who have won one game each. Let's take a look.

Chunky Monkeys (6-3-1)
The Monkeys are reeling from the loss of Gilbert Arenas and have lost two in a row recently. However, with a soft schedule (only 34 PA), they have maintained their top spot in the West. They are second to last in games played and are weak in PTS and REB, a strength for them last year. The Monkeys aren't dominant in STL or BLK like last year either. They are average in most categories -- aside from 3PT where they are top three -- but that's enough to lead the West. Joe Johnson, Mo Williams, and Manu Ginobili are holding it down but Mehmet Okur and Gilbert have been huge disappointments.

Buffy (6-4)
Buffy started off hot at 6-1 but have dropped three in a row. Similar to the Monkeys, Buffy suffers from a dearth of games played (third to last) due to injuries. They are horrible in FT% but are pretty good in PTS, REB, and excellent in 3PT. They are below average in most of the other categories but so far they've obviously been able to win. Tim Duncan and Antawn Jamison have been outstanding, as has Mike Dunleavy. But the team is hurting from the on and off exploits of Baron Davis, Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, and Kenyon Martin -- all of whom have missed significant time.

Sour Snails (4-5-1)
After sporting the worst record in the league last year, it's a huge season for the Snails already as they've won 4 games and tied 1. Trieu has definitely been paying attention as he's used the most linieups by far in the league, looking for the pieces that will put him over the top -- they've won three in a row. As a small team, they're excellent in FT%, AST, STL, and 3PT (where they almost double their next nearest challenger). They're also ranked top three in PTS. They're horrible in the big man categories but that's to be expected. With Allen Iverson and Steve Nash leading the way, as well as solid contributions from Ron Artest, Jason Richardson, an off the chaini Hedo Turkoglu, and rookie of the year Kevin Durant, the Snails are no longer in the slow lane.

Fat Jubas (4-5-1)
Last year's reigning West regular season champion, the Jubas are experiencing an up and down season despite an eye-poppingly talented roster. They're shooting horrifically (9th in FG% and FT%) but scoring tons of PTS, good enough to lead the league. They are however, very middle of the pack in REB, AST, and BLK. Andre Igoudala, Josh Howard, Corey Maggette, and Al Jefferson are great so far and the team still boasts Tony Parker and Leandro Barbosa -- along with nice looking rookie Yi Jianlian. But with Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Jermaine O'Neal on and off, it's been a bit of a struggle. The Jubas are too deep to stay near 0.500 for long though.

Funk Coalition (1-9)
Choosing to fight in only five categories, the Funk have always been delicate. Last year, they were a respected if vulnerable team. This year, the wheels have fallen off and they're suffering from six losses in a row with no end in sight. They're 4th in PTS/STL/3PT, and only dominant in AST -- along with ranking 6th in FT%. Last year, they were near the top or dominant in PTS/AST/STL/3PT. Michael Redd and Carmelo Anthony aren't 30 point scorers anymore, TJ Ford is out, and the team suffers from a severe lack of depth. Only Leron James has been a bright spot this season (29 PTS, 7-8 REB/AST, 2 STL). GM Yang has built the real life version of the Cavs; a one-man band built only to lose.

Phanatics (1-9)
This team was capable of winning eight games last season but they're in severe trouble this year. With multiple injuries -- as always -- and little manager attention, the Phreaks have played the least games in the league. In addition, they're horrible in AST and STL. Then again, they are very powerful in REB and TO. What they need is to push every other category up to average status and estabalish some true strengths. Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Marcus Camby, Richard Jefferson, and David West should be enough to win more than one game so far.

Mid-Season Review: East

Man, the East is kicking ass. They've got two one loss teams and four teams over five hundred. By the power poll, the third place team in the East (Pogiboys) are better than any team in the West. How you like that for dominance? The Poobic Heirs are milking a four game win strea, the Pogiboys have three going on, and the rest of the conference can compete on most every night. Let's take at what's going on mid-season.

Squirtle Squad (9-1)
The Squad is cruising once again. They aren't dominant in any one category but they are strong in FG% and AST. Actually, the team does suffer from some significant weaknesses, despite their sterling record. They're third to last in FT%, BLK, and 3PT and not great at REB. Then again, they have had Brandon Roy emerge, a mostly healthy season from Jamaal Tinsley, and a great year from Deron Williams. In addition, Carlos Boozer is a maniac. Who else is averaging 23.5 PTS, 11.3 REB, 3 AST, and 1.3 STL? Nobody! The problem is that Boston teammates Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are producing less than they did last year. Can the Squad fend off Poobic Heirs for the regular season crown?

Poobic Heirs (9-1)
With only one loss -- to Squirtle Squad -- the Heirs are in great position to defend their championship. They are tops in games played but that's not the reason they're winning; they're just very good. They are first in REB, FT%, STL, and BLK. Throw in the fact that they are second in PTS and very few teams will beat them. They are only 7th in FG% and AST (and horrible in TO) but no team can afford to be amazing across the board. Former teammates Kobe Bryant and Caron Butler are tearing apart the competition and Yao Ming, Kevin Martin, Monta Ellis, Udonis Haslem, Rasheed Wallace, and Samuel Dalembert are all great fantasy players. The only weak spot here has been the disappointing play of Kirk Hinrich but he's been picking it up of late.

MoRRie's Pogiboys (7-3)
The Pogiboys are the story of the first half of the season as they've gone for seven wins after winning a league low two games all of last year. They are a drastically transformed team with a full season from Chris Paul and his new cave man buddy Chris Kaman. The Pogiboys are no longer devastated by injury and are ranked very high in AST, STL, BLK, and FT%. They still have significant problems putting up PTS and REB but they're certainly very competitive, even handing the Squirtles their lone loss. Chauncey Billups is steady as ever, Rudy Gay has really emerged (and we won't even mention double double machine Kaman here), and Gerald Wallace is healthy and scoring. It's a shame Tyrus Thoomas and Darko Milicic can't really get it together but hey, the Pogiboys have Andrew Bynum and Al Horford to pick up the interior slack.

100AcreWoodPoohBears (5-5)
The Pooh Bears are a nice story themselves. They finished last season with a 38.1% winning percentage but they're playing even so far this season. As always, they can't score (PTS and 3PT are awful) but they shoot accurately and protect the ball. They have excellent FG%, FT%, and are tops in TO. If only they could get their STL and BLK numbers a bit higher, they would be a quite a threat. A full season of Pau Gasol has helped, as well as the return to form of Andrei Kirilenko (6 REB, 5 AST, 1.2 STL, 1.9 BLK). Let's crank up the defense!

Human Amoebas (4-6)
Always an intriguing team, the Amoebas have started off very average so far this season. They are ranked between 5th and 7th in FT%, PTS, AST, TO, and BLK. They are 9th in STL and 3PT with only one strength, REB (4th). They also shoot really poorly -- third to last. Still, this is a team with some serious talent. Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph, Jason Kidd, Amare Stoudemire, and Richard Hamilton are standouts while Marvin Williams, Ben Wallace, and Daniel Gibons are all contributors. However, Raja Bell, Andrea Bargnani, Jarrett Jack, and Quentin Richardson have all turned in craptastic performances so far. What's next for the Amoebas?

Jedi Knights (2-7-1)
Our newest owner, Chris, is suffering from some growing pains. They are almost the exact opposite of the Sour Snails and Funk Coalition. The Knights are strong in REB, BLK, TO, and first in FG%. On the flip side, they're horrible in FT%, PTS, AST, STL, and 3PT. Their best bet to get a few wins is to push at least one of those latter categories up a few notches. Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Emeka Okafor, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have been what you'd expect. However, everyone else aside from Luol Deng and Grant Hill has been somewhat disappointing. The team desperately needs more outside shooting to complement Mike Miller, unless his 3PT are no longer needed at all.