I don’t mean this to sound like whoever came up with fantasy basketball created a poor product.  It’s fun, definitely.  But we aren’t playing it the right way.

Fantasy football works so well because you are basically setting your lineup for a Sunday showdown, much like the NFL.  Sure, we have games on Mondays and Thursdays (and sometimes Saturdays), but the NFL plays once a week and fantasy football is played once a week in a head to head format.  It works this way because it feels authentic.  That’s really the purpose of fantasy sports, isn’t it?  To make you feel like you’re actually controlling a team of professional athletes.  Each NFL team plays once a week against another team and your fantasy football team plays once a week against another fantasy football team.  Yes, this works.

Fantasy baseball is another beast.  While there are head to head formats in fantasy baseball, rotisserie baseball is the purest state of the game.  Major League Baseball teams do not play every day from March through October, but there are games every day in that span, other than during the All-Star break.  So if baseball plays every day, obviously fantasy baseball should be played every day.  The marathon season makes you adjust constantly, but ultimately you are doing whatever is best for your team in the long haul because, well, baseball is a long haul.

But basketball is different.  There are games almost every day, but some days only have two or three games.  You can certainly set up a rotisserie fantasy league and grind out your season day in and day out.  But what if you want to go head to head?  That option exists, but I argue that it’s broken, much like head to head leagues in fantasy baseball.

For some reason, the decision was made that in head to head leagues in fantasy baseball and basketball, the appropriate length of each contest was one week.  I assume this is because of the fantasy football precedent, but is it right to do?  Why a week?  Why not two weeks?  Or two days?  The difficulty with this set up is that the balance of games played is never the same.  You could lose a weekly matchup because the players on your team only played a combined 35 games against your opponent who played 40.  How is this fair?  My response: it’s not.

So how do we fix this?  By changing the match up lengths.  Why not change the length of each matchup from one week to two days?  Or instead of a fixed number of days, why not try to get a similar number of NBA games played during each fantasy match up?

Well, we’re trying it out.  Instead of weekly matchups I’ve broken down the NBA schedule so that we have 82 regular season fantasy matchups for 10 teams.  I will be writing about how the league is working out and hopefully we can develop a real game instead of the weekly format that people seem to have been forced to accept.

Our draft was last night and below is how it shook out.  It was a regular snake draft and the scoring system is based on an accumulation of points throughout a fantasy matchup:

1 point scored = 0.5 fantasy points
1 rebound = 1 fantasy point
1 assist = 1 fantasy point
1 block = 1 fantasy point
1 steal = 1 fantasy point
1 three pointer = 0.5 fantasy points
1 missed field goal = -0.5 fantasy points
1 missed free throw = -1 fantasy point

Round: 1
(1) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – LeBron James SF
(2) Trey Bien – Kevin Durant SF
(3) Mazel Tov Amare – Chris Paul PG
(4) NY Could Have Beens – Kobe Bryant SG
** (5) Kingdom of Morland – Stephen Curry PG
(6) Team Allgood – Deron Williams PG
(7) New York Model Franchise – Dwyane Wade SG
(8) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Dirk Nowitzki PF
(9) Team Opulence – Dwight Howard C
(10) Birthright Owners – Pau Gasol PF

Round: 2
(11) Birthright Owners – Carmelo Anthony SF
(12) Team Opulence – Amare Stoudemire C
(13) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Steve Nash PG
(14) New York Model Franchise – Danny Granger SF
(15) Team Allgood – David Lee PF
** (16) Kingdom of Morland – Tyreke Evans PG
(17) NY Could Have Beens – Brook Lopez C
(18) Mazel Tov Amare – Josh Smith PF
(19) Trey Bien – Rajon Rondo PG
(20) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Brandon Roy SG

Round: 3
(21) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Russell Westbrook PG
(22) Trey Bien – Chris Bosh PF
(23) Mazel Tov Amare – Andre Iguodala SG
(24) NY Could Have Beens – Joe Johnson SG
** (25) Kingdom of Morland – Al Jefferson C
(26) Team Allgood – Gerald Wallace SF
(27) New York Model Franchise – Monta Ellis PG
(28) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Paul Pierce SF
(29) Team Opulence – Chauncey Billups PG
(30) Birthright Owners – Jason Kidd PG

Round: 4
(31) Birthright Owners – Al Horford C
(32) Team Opulence – Darren Collison PG
(33) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Stephen Jackson SG
(34) New York Model Franchise – Tim Duncan C
(35) Team Allgood – Andrea Bargnani C
** (36) Kingdom of Morland – Carlos Boozer PF
(37) NY Could Have Beens – Devin Harris PG
(38) Mazel Tov Amare – David West PF
(39) Trey Bien – Joakim Noah C
(40) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Marcus Camby C

Round: 5
(41) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Blake Griffin PF
(42) Trey Bien – Marc Gasol C
(43) Mazel Tov Amare – Mo Williams PG
(44) NY Could Have Beens – Rudy Gay SF
** (45) Kingdom of Morland – Kevin Love PF
(46) Team Allgood – O.J. Mayo SG
(47) New York Model Franchise – Danilo Gallinari SF
(48) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Troy Murphy PF
(49) Team Opulence – Manu Ginobili SG
(50) Birthright Owners – Derrick Rose PG

Round: 6
(51) Birthright Owners – Rashard Lewis PF
(52) Team Opulence – Luis Scola PF
(53) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – John Wall PG
(54) New York Model Franchise – Zach Randolph PF
(55) Team Allgood – Jason Richardson SG
** (56) Kingdom of Morland – Brandon Jennings PG
(57) NY Could Have Beens – Antawn Jamison PF
(58) Mazel Tov Amare – Hedo Turkoglu SF
(59) Trey Bien – Eric Gordon SG
(60) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Baron Davis PG

Round: 7
(61) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Kevin Martin SG
(62) Trey Bien – Tony Parker PG
(63) Mazel Tov Amare – Andrew Bogut C
(64) NY Could Have Beens – Gilbert Arenas PG
** (65) Kingdom of Morland – LaMarcus Aldridge PF
(66) Team Allgood – Andray Blatche PF
(67) New York Model Franchise – Aaron Brooks PG
(68) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Paul Millsap PF
(69) Team Opulence – Lamar Odom PF
(70) Birthright Owners – Marcus Thornton SG

Round: 8
(71) Birthright Owners – Raymond Felton PG
(72) Team Opulence – Nene C
(73) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Caron Butler SF
(74) New York Model Franchise – Chris Kaman C
(75) Team Allgood – Anthony Randolph PF
** (76) Kingdom of Morland – Trevor Ariza SF
(77) NY Could Have Beens – Jeff Green PF
(78) Mazel Tov Amare – Luol Deng SF
(79) Trey Bien – Ray Allen SG
(80) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Andrew Bynum C

Round: 9
(81) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Yao Ming C
(82) Trey Bien – John Salmons SG
(83) Mazel Tov Amare – Vince Carter SG
(84) NY Could Have Beens – Kevin Garnett PF
** (85) Kingdom of Morland – DeMarcus Cousins PF
(86) Team Allgood – Jamal Crawford SG
(87) New York Model Franchise – Michael Beasley SF
(88) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Andrei Kirilenko SF
(89) Team Opulence – Boris Diaw PF
(90) Birthright Owners – JaVale McGee C

Round: 10
(91) Birthright Owners – Jason Terry SG
(92) Team Opulence – Leandro Barbosa SG
(93) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Channing Frye PF
(94) New York Model Franchise – Rodney Stuckey PG
(95) Team Allgood – Emeka Okafor C
** (96) Kingdom of Morland – J.J. Hickson PF
(97) NY Could Have Beens – Jrue Holiday PG
(98) Mazel Tov Amare – Roy Hibbert C
(99) Trey Bien – J.R. Smith SG
(100) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Elton Brand PF

Round: 11
(101) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Ben Gordon SG
(102) Trey Bien – Anderson Varejao PF
(103) Mazel Tov Amare – Andre Miller PG
(104) NY Could Have Beens – Al Harrington PF
** (105) Kingdom of Morland – Jameer Nelson PG
(106) Team Allgood – Mike Conley PG
(107) New York Model Franchise – Robin Lopez C
(108) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Richard Hamilton SG
(109) Team Opulence – Andris Biedrins C
(110) Birthright Owners – Mike Miller SF

Round: 12
(111) Birthright Owners – Terrence Williams SF
(112) Team Opulence – Serge Ibaka C
(113) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Corey Maggette SF
(114) New York Model Franchise – Drew Gooden PF
(115) Team Allgood – Wesley Johnson SF
** (116) Kingdom of Morland – James Harden SG
(117) NY Could Have Beens – Jose Calderon PG
(118) Mazel Tov Amare – Shawn Marion SF
(119) Trey Bien – Greg Oden C
(120) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Tyrus Thomas PF

Round: 13
(121) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Spencer Hawes C
(122) Trey Bien – Anthony Morrow SG
(123) Mazel Tov Amare – Wilson Chandler SF
(124) NY Could Have Beens – Carl Landry PF
** (125) Kingdom of Morland – DeJuan Blair PF
(126) Team Allgood – Nicolas Batum SF
(127) New York Model Franchise – Beno Udrih PG
(128) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Samuel Dalembert C
(129) Team Opulence – Linas Kleiza PF
(130) Birthright Owners – Josh Howard SG

Round: 14
(131) Birthright Owners – Taj Gibson PF
(132) Team Opulence – Carlos Delfino SF
(133) White Chocolate Peanut Butter – Ron Artest SF
(134) New York Model Franchise – Marvin Williams SF
(135) Team Allgood – Lou Williams PG
** (136) Kingdom of Morland – Toney Douglas PG
(137) NY Could Have Beens – Charlie Villanueva PF
(138) Mazel Tov Amare – Amir Johnson PF
(139) Trey Bien – Mehmet Okur C
(140) Yao Ming’s Broken Foot – Jason Thompson PF

However, have you ever noticed that we don’t get this same feeling from fantasy sports.  People argue that fantasy sports make you a better fan because you are well informed about more players than just the team you root for (if you even root for a team).  Whether that’s true or not is another discussion, but we really have no idea which players are winners in fantasy sports.

Can Derek Jeter lead you to a fantasy baseball championship?  Can Tom Brady or Kobe Bryant?  Who knows?  While I don’t have access to the Yahoo! Fantasy Sports or ESPN.com Fantasy statistics, I’d love to see an article about whether there are certain players that always wind up on championship fantasy teams.  Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out that while he can’t help his team win on the court, Zach Randolph has actually been on more winning fantasy basketball teams than any other player in the NBA?  I’m not saying you’d go out and draft Randolph ahead of Dwight Howard, but it’s something to think about.

So, if there is anyone from Yahoo! or ESPN.com reading this, please pass along my idea and hopefully someone will take charge and write about it.

2. Kevin Garnett (2)
Though he doesn’t want to touch the ball for a game winning shot, he is more than happy to grab the rebound and kick it out for a game winning assist.

3. LeBron James (8)
The new triple-double machine of the NBA, how long until he averages one for a whole season?

4. Kobe Bryant (3)
Moves down again, not because of his lack of play, but because of great play by others.

5. Yao Ming (5)
An 86% free throw shooter out of the center position is amazing.

6. Chris Paul (11)
He is slowly becoming the best point guard in the league.

7. Dwight Howard (13)
Moving up significantly thanks to his increased scoring. He may pass Yao this year as the best center in the NBA.

8. Steve Nash (6)
Losing his spot as best point guard in the NBA, but can still dominate the assist category with Amare and Marion on the wings.

9. Caron Butler (NR)
Getting many more looks now that Arenas is out, Butler’s scoring was the only thing holding him back from being a top-10 fantasy player.

10. Tim Duncan (9)
20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks per game will get you in the top 10. He’s even shooting 70% from the line!

11. Dirk Notwiztki (5)
Moved down because he doesn’t shoot as many threes, but he still fills it up every night.

12. Marcus Camby (17)
Well on his way to another Defensive Player of the Year Award, the only question is if he can make it through a whole season.

13. Paul Pierce (12)
Garnett may be getting most of the hype, but with the game on the line, they want the ball in Pierce’s hands.

14. Deron Williams (18)
Another fantastic point guard; the battles between Williams and Paul for the next decade will be great to watch.

15. Carlos Boozer (14)
His 35 and 15 nights are great, but can he play any defense?

16. Tracy McGrady (10)
Back from an elbow injury and playing well. If his back holds up, he will be a beast this year playing alongside Yao.

17. Josh Smith (20)
He is a monster defensively, but offensively he is a big question mark. He will hit a couple of threes, but at the same time shoot 5-18.

18. Vince Carter (16)
Came back from an ankle injury and is playing well again. Don’t underestimate his ability to finish the year averaging 25-5-5 again.

19. Baron Davis (NR)
Nothing like a game against the Knicks to really get you going. Davis is a great talent, who just needs to stay healthy.

20. Antawn Jamison (NR)
Similar to Caron Butler, it was consistent scoring that kept Jamison out of the Top 20. With Arenas gone, it’s time to step up.

Dropped from the Top 20: Gilbert Arenas, Amare Stoudemire, Allen Iverson

Honorable Mention:
Manu Ginobili
Kevin Martin
Allen Iverson
Amare Stoudemire
Rashard Lewis
Andre Iguodala
Ray Allen
Jason Kidd

Previous week’s ranking in parentheses

1. Shawn Marion (1)
The team has been struggling a little bit, but Marion has still been filling the stat sheet.

2. Kevin Garnett (2)
The guy has been the definition of a beast, logging a double-double in every game so far.

3. Kobe Bryant (3)
Still getting his stats despite not being happy and he’s even winning a couple of games. Moves down only because Garnett has been so good.

4. Yao Ming (NR)
Yao is now the premier center in the NBA and not having him in the top 20 previously was simply foolish on my part.

5. Dirk Nowtizki (4)
He’s still getting burned for the loss in last year’s playoffs, but he’s coming back with a vengence.

6. Steve Nash (6)
The engine that makes the Suns run is still running and gunning like he’s still 29.

7. Gilbert Arenas (5)
His knee is clearly bothering him early on, but it’s only a matter of time before Agent Zero gets out of his funk and takes it out on everyone that’s been doubting him so far this year.

8. LeBron James (9)
Somebody forgot to tell LeBron that after last year’s Finals appears and this summer’s FIBA Americas Tournament that he was supposed to start slow.

9. Tim Duncan (10)
The big fundamental keeps filling up the stat sheet with what seems like 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks every night.

10. Tracy McGrady (NR)
Somehow I underestimated Yao and his teammate T-Mac, but with the way he has been playing so far, watch out for this tandem.

11. Chris Paul (11)
21 assists in one game??? If you own Paul, you own assists.

12. Paul Pierce (16)
It’s clear that KG and Ray Ray want to help P2 win, but it’s also clear that he’s ready to do the work himself.

13. Dwight Howard (17)
The only guy who will give Yao a run for his money as the best center in the NBA, is there anything this guy can’t do?

14. Carlos Boozer (13)
He’ll have his 30 and 15 nights, but is 1 block really too much to ask for?

15. Amare Stoudemire (7)
The knee is clearly bothering him; is he really only going to play one out of three games all season? I doubt it, but he definitely isn’t playing every game.

16. Vince Carter (8)
He was an injury risk to start and now he’s clearly living up to that belief.

17. Marcus Camby (NR)
When he’s healthy, he’s a beast…and right now, he’s healthy.

18. Deron Williams (18)
If you don’t have Paul, but do have Williams, you should be good to go on assists.

19. Allen Iverson (NR)
The scoring of Carmelo Anthony, but with steals, assists and threes? I’ll take it.

20. Josh Smith (NR)
How did this guy miss my first list? He’s a defensive MONSTER and will even put in a couple threes for you.

Dropped from the top 20: Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Jason Kidd, Baron Davis

Also receiving votes:
Ray Allen
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Andre Iguodala
Chris Bosh
Antawn Jamison
Caron Butler
Manu Ginobili
Kevin Martin
Rashard Lewis

1. Shawn Marion, F, Phoenix Suns
Marion has been a top fantasy player for the past five seasons and this year should be no different, despite his apparent frustration with being a third wheel to Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. But you know what? This is fantasy, so who cares how he feels? Marion puts up solid numbers across all stat categories, which is why he is here at #1.

2. Kobe Bryant, G, Los Angeles Lakers
Though his scoring is his best attribute, Bryant contributes consistently over more categories than pretty much everyone except Marion.

3. Kevin Garnett, F, Boston Celtics
His scoring may go down because he actually has legitimate teammates now, but rebounds and assists should only improve. With more long range shooters, Garnett should get some easier looks inside too, which will increase his field goal percentage.

4. Dirk Nowitzki, F, Dallas Mavericks
He may be higher on the list if he was eligible at the center position, but Dirk is still a statistical beast. He didn’t shoot quite as many threes last year as previous years, but he is rebounding and playing defense better than he ever has.

5. Gilbert Arenas, G, Washington Wizards
Arenas was having a monster fantasy year until he got hurt last year. If he and Caron Butler can recover from late-season injuries, Arenas should have another big season. His ability to get to the hoop or shoot from 30-feet makes him a big-time scorer in the league and he is also an excellent defender, finishing fifth in the league in steals despite only playing 74 games. Hibachi!

6. Steve Nash, G, Phoenix Suns
Notice how many highlights there are of Amare Stoudmire and Shawn Marion throwing down alley-oops? Ever notice who throws them all? Probably, which is why you know Steve Nash deserves to be this high.

7. Amare Stoudemire, F/C, Phoenix Suns
Though off-season knee surgery may slow him a bit at the beginning, Stoudemire had a breakout season last year following micro-fracture surgery and will only look to gain more attention if Shawn Marion is sent packing.

8. Vince Carter, G/F, New Jersey Nets
Not many people realized how big of a season VC had last year, possibly because he plays for one of the most boring teams in the league. I can’t wait until they move to Brooklyn.

9. LeBron James, G/F, Cleveland LeBrons
Surprised to see LeBron this far down this list? Maybe it’s because he shot under 70% from the line and was near the top of the league in turnovers. After carrying his team to the NBA Finals last season, and then helping Team USA win the FIBA Tournament of the Americas, he has to be a little tired.

10. Tim Duncan, F/C, San Antonio Spurs
He doesn’t shoot much, but when he does, it usually goes in. Not to mention his impressive rebounding numbers and excellent shot blocking figures.

11. Chris Paul, G, New Orleans Hornets
He was hurt for some of last season, but you have to remember how great he was before it happened. Expect an above-solid year for Paul.

12. Chris Bosh, F/C, Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are looking to take a leap into the Eastern Conference elite this season and it will be squarely on the shoulders of Chris Bosh to get them there. Don’t expect him to disappoint. And also don’t forget he is only 23.

13. Carlos Boozer, F/C, Utah Jazz
He’s been a huge surprise ever since he joined the league, look for Boozer to increase his impressive scoring and rebounding figures this season.

14. Luol Deng, F, Chicago Bulls
Deng had a near breakout season last year and this time around I think he takes the next step. He is slowly becoming the go-to guy for this team and the scoring tandem of Deng and Ben Gordon should be a fierce one to contend with for the other Eastern Conference teams.

15. Andre Iguodala, F, Philadelphia 76ers
Iguodala took over this team after they traded Allen Iverson and he will still be the focal point this year. He is an extremely athletic wing who could be a top 5 or 10 player if he developed a legitimate three-point shot.

16. Paul Pierce, F, Boston Celtics
Pierce was already a legitimate fantasy player, but his scoring will most certainly suffer thanks to the incoming Garnett and Ray Allen…not that he’s complaining, he should get more assist opportunities and will stay active on the defensive end.

17. Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic
Howard already had the rebounding numbers and the blocks were coming along nicely. Look for his scoring to increase this year thanks to more open looks created by Rashard Lewis and a newly developed touch from the free throw line.

18. Deron Williams, G, Utah Jazz
Williams is set to take the leap this season, write it down.

19. Jason Kidd, G, New Jersey Nets
Similar to Steve Nash, you will pretty much always see Kidd on the passing end of an alley-oop. He looked amazing during the FIBA Tournament and there is no reason to expect his distribution numbers to go down.

20. Baron Davis, G, Golden State Warriors
With Jason Richardson gone, Davis will have to do more of the scoring, which I bet is perfectly fine with him. If the playoffs are any indication how good he can be, he may crack the rankings top-10 by mid-season.

Also receiving votes:
Allen Iverson
Yao Ming
Caron Butler
Carmelo Anthony
Ray Allen
Gerald Wallace
Marcus Camby
Kevin Martin
Manu Ginobili
Leandro Barbosa

Out with injuries:
Elton Brand
Dwyane Wade