Let’s start with a warning. Fantasy basketball may not for you if you are not ready or willing to:

  • Wake up in the middle of the night thinking “how’s my star player foot after he limped off the court yesterday” or “is there a free agent I can pick up before my competitors sniff him out” or “I’ll better check the rumors about the possible coaching change at Cavs/Hornets/Kings…”
  • Starting your day by sprinting to computer to check current standings in your league(s)…
  • Watch NBA games with an excel spreadsheet handy to track performance of your favorite player rather than enjoy the beauty of the game in its’ raw form.
  • Hoping for two or three overtimes in every game featuring your players just to give them few extra minutes to collect those priceless stats
  • Having your New Years Eve party ruined due to a foot injury of a player you just traded for (true story!)
  • And having a rollercoaster of emotions on a daily basis

If you’re fine with the above – you will love fantasy basketball.

Remember – once you start playing fantasy sports (and basketball in particular) your life will never be the same again. Ever.

As a potential manager of a fantasy basketball team you are faced with a very important choice – what sort of league would you like to play? The main choice is between open leagues where you will play with total strangers.

Or you can set-up a new or join existing private league which gathers managers by invitation. It usually is a group of friends or members of a fantasy basketball forum (or for that matter any other community).

There are pros and cons for both. Open leagues tend to have managers who lose interest during the season and that can significantly decrease the fun of competition (not that private leagues do not have that issue – but to a much lesser extent). Private leagues may be hermetic and if you join a group of people who know each other – you may be seen as an “easy prey” – especially if their experience is much bigger than yours.

But the first and most important requirement to become a successful fantasy basketball managers is being ready to give your best between October (when most of the drafts take place) and mid-April (when NBA regular season ends).

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