Johnny Bravo's Blog

Fantasy football is a great way to build some healthy and sometimes not so healthy competition between friends, co-workers and family. Lucky for you I am an expert at finding strategies to give me and now you a competitive and physiological advantage.

1- Do draft on a laptop or desktop if you can. If you are on the go, then draft from your mobile device but fact is, you have so much more information available to you on a laptop or desktop draft, than doing it on a mobile device. You have been warned.

2- Do not draft Patrick Mahomes in the first or second round. I’ve seen someone draft him 2nd overall!!! When you draft a QB in the first round, your team ends up being pretty thin, especially if you draft a second QB in the late middle rounds. I would personally stay away until the 3rd or 4th round for Mahomes. A late 2nd round selection could be okay but picking him in round 1 is a complete nut job decision. Sorry Miggs.

3- Be patient when selecting a QB. If you miss out on Patrick Mahomes try to hold off on a QB until rounds 6, 7, or preferably 8 before you even think QB. Many top QB’s options like Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson will be there. Sam Darnold and Jimmy Garriopolo are basically free in some leagues.

4- Employ the Zero WR strategy (not drafting a WR within first 3 or 4 rounds) if it makes sense in your league. It should and it should also take you to the playoffs. If you didn’t already know, the most valuable commodity in the fantasy football world is a work horse every down RB. So why not ensure you get the most bang for your buck and grab them all within the first four rounds of drafting? These are where the stud RB’s get drafted. Fact is after round 5, the running back pool becomes super thin, yet WR is still pretty deep. Of course, don’t just go blindly into the situation, if you see a highly valuable WR with a much better adp than where you are currently drafting and the best RB’s available have a much lower adp value than where you are currently drafting, then by all means scoop that star WR. However In rounds 5 -10, you will find plenty of #1 and #2 WR’s who are WR2 and sometimes WR1 status, all getting drafted in this range. While others are using these picks on handcuff running backs, who aren’t getting the workload of the 3 or 4 RB’s you picked up early in the draft, which should become a winning recipe and cause to make you look like a fantasy football hero.

5- Always draft your defense and kickers last. It is nice to get a top defense, like the Bears but drafting them in the 8 or 9th round when really good bench/insurance options are available is not worth it to me. Especially since the top defense for the year tends to be a defense that wasn’t projected as the top defense at the start of the year. So why take that risk? Especially because defenses tend to get moved around throughout the season and are dependent upon matchups.

1. Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors– Player option
Perennial MVP candidate and one of the three best players in the league. It seems like his time with Golden State is coming to an end. For almost a year, it’s been an open secret that he’s headed to New York to make them relevant contenders. Best bet: 4 yr max deal w/ Knicks. Knicks chance of signing: 55%

2. Kawhi Leonard, SF, Toronto Raptors– Player option
Trading for Kawhi really paid off for the Raptors, even if he decides to leave this summer. He’s an MVP candidate and no doubt the best or second best two-way player in the league (Kevin Durant). Does he still desire to flee to LA or NY, or has Toronto done enough to convince him to stay? Best bet: 1 yr deal w/ Toronto. Knicks chance of signing: 10%

3. Kyrie Irving, PG, Boston Celtics– Player option
Great playmaker and only 27 years old. His time in Boston was up and down. Based on his comments as the season progressed, it seems unless he gets a super max offer he is leaving. He’s been hinting to New York or Brooklyn. I give NY the edge to pair him with KD. Best bet: 4 yr Max deal w/ Knicks. Knicks chance of signing: 40%

4. Kemba Walker, PG, Charlotte Hornets– Unrestricted free agent
This one is tricky. Will Michael Jordan offer him the super max? If so, Kemba is staying. If not he’s probably leaving. He was a ASG starter and 3rdteam all NBA. It would appear he’s ready to contribute to a winning team and have a shot at a title, but where exactly will he go? I think everyone with max space and a winning situation will be in the running. If Knicks don’t get Kyrie, the focus goes to him and the chances go way up. Best bet: Kemba signs 5yr super max deal with Hornets. Knicks chance of signing: 15%

5. Klay Thompson, SG, Golden State Warriors – Unrestricted free agent
Assuming Durantleaves, I highly doubt Klay leaves too. Any team would be lucky to get him because his style of play fits anywhere. He’s originally from LA, so they have the best shot outside of GS. However, leaving Steph and Draymond seems almost unfathomable, plus GS can offer more than anyone else. Best Bet: Klay stays with Golden State on a 5 year max deal.Knicks chance of signing: 5%

6. Jimmy Butler, SF/SG, Philadelphia 76ers– Player option
Known as one of the best two way players in the game, Jimmy wants to win and he wants to get paid. Philly has the inside track but only if they offer the max. Any top city with a max slot and potential to win is in consideration. Knicks will only make offers if they fail to get KD or Kawhi. If they fail, the chances of Jimmy signing to the knicks are as good as anyone else’s chances. I do think the Lakers may be the most likely destination after Philly. Best bet: Jimmy signs with the Lakers or Clippers on a 4 year max deal.Knicks chance of signing: 15%

7. Tobias Harris, PF/SF, Philadelphia 76ers – Unrestricted free agent
After giving up assets the 76ers are committed to keeping him on the roster. How much will it cost? Max contract maybe? Best bet: Tobias stays in Philly.Knicks chance of signing: 5%

8. Khris Middleton, SF, Milwaukee Bucks– Player option
He was an all-star but if the Knicks miss out on everyone in the top 6 of this list and resort to Khris Middleton, all hell breaks loose in NYC. For the Bucks, unless they have a chance at anyone in the top 7 of this list, they will be very motivated to keeping this core together. Chances are he stays in Milwaukee. Best bet: Middleton stays with the Bucks.Knicks chance of signing: 5%

9. D’Angelo Russell, PG, Brooklyn Nets– Restricted free agent

D’Angelo’sfree agency should be interesting if Kyrie signs with the Nets. He’s still very young and played well leading his team to the playoffs. If it wasn’t for his restricted status, he would have been #6 or #7 on this list. His age and his lower earning potential make him even more desirable than Kemba in my opinion. If the Nets get Kyrie, the Knicks will attempt to sign him. Best bet: D’Angelo stays with the Nets for 4 more years. Knicks chance of signing: 15%.

10. Kristaps Porzingis, C, Dallas Mavericks– Restricted free agent
Mark Cuban traded for Kristaps with the intention to extend his contract. The Knicks traded KP because they are claiming he demanded a trade. I don’t fully trust the Knicks front office on this but things between them are obviously not good. Best bet: KP signs 4 year max deal with Mavs. Knicks chance of signing: 0%

11. Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic– Unrestricted free agent
He expanded his game by making 88 threes, averaging almost 21ppg and 12 rebounds. He also made his first all-star game and surprisingly lead the Magic to the playoffs. Does he get a max contract? Probably not from the Knicks. Best bet: Nikola gets a max deal with the Magic.Knicks chance of signing: 1%

12. DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C, Golden State Warriors – Unrestricted free agent
High risk and high reward/potential. I highly doubt he gets a multi-year contract, much less a max contract from anyone coming off of another major injury. My guess is he stays with Golden State to help maintain their elite status. Best bet: One more year in GS. Knicks chance of signing: 5%

13. Malcolm Brogdon, PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks – Restricted free agent
He’s a restricted free agent coming off of a 50-40-90 season. Brogdonmay very well be the second best player on the Bucks roster and could turn out to be one of the best signings. My feeling is the Bucks intend to keep him, but what if another team offers him a max deal? Will they match? I think so, but I don’t know for sure. Best bet: Stays in Milwaukee.Knicks chance of signing: 5%

14. Al Horford, C, Boston Celtics – Player option
Horfordhas a player option for around 30 million next year. He’s 33 years old. My gut feeling is he opts in and returns to Boston. Best bet: Stays with the C’s. Knicks chance of signing: 1%

15. Julius Randle, PF, New Orleans Pelicans– Unrestricted free agent
Randlebet on himself and won, putting in an impressive season, 21ppg and almost 9 rebounds. New Orleans would like to keep him, especially if they trade Anthony Davis. Randle will go to the highest bidder. Probably not the Knicks. Best bet: NO keeps him. Knicks chance of signing: 3%.

16. Bojan Bogdanovic, SF, Indiana Pacers– Unrestricted free agent
Bogdanovichad a really good season. He isn’t a max worthy player but he is a gifted shooter. He is going to the highest bidder and that won’t be NYK. Best bet: Re-signs with Pacers.Knicks chance of signing: 0%.

17. Marc Gasol, C, Toronto Raptors – Player option
Marc Gasolis no longer in his prime at 34 years old. He has a player option that is likely to be picked up for next season. If he opts in, he will make over $25 million. I think he stays in Toronto.Best Bet: Toronto.Knicks chance of signing: 0%.

18. Brook Lopez, C, Milwaukee Bucks – Unrestricted free agent
The Bucks have a lot of important free agents this summer. I think he’s much too important to this team and they find a way to keep him. He would be a nice addition anywhere, so if a team is desperate enough to overpay, he could be pried away. I think he stays in Milwaukee. Best bet: Re-ups with Milwaukee.Knicks chance of signing: 1%

19. Paul Millsap, PF, Denver Nuggets– Team option
Denver has a team option of $30 million next season. It’s up to the Nuggets if he stays or goes or reworks his deal. The team is in contention so I’m guessing he finds a way to stay for at least one more season. But if the Nuggets decline the option anything is possible. Best bet: DenverKnicks chance of signing: 5%

20. JJ Redick, SG, Philadelphia 76ers – Unrestricted free agent
He’s a great shooter and still a valuable commodity in today’s NBA. The Sixers would love to have him back but probably not if they go into the luxury tax bracket. The Sixers may try to keep Jimmy and Tobias and may explore trading Simmons. JJ Redick may be back but he may also have to take a pay-cut. This one is anyone’s guess. I think he leaves for the highest bidder on a winning team. Best bets: Nuggets, Raptors, Lakers or Bucks. Knicks chance of signing: 5%

21. Patrick Beverley, PG, Los Angeles Clippers– Unrestricted free agent
Beverleygave the Warriors all they could handle in the playoffs this year. He is a valuable 3 and D player (Shooter/defender). His hustle is infectious and a winning intangible. The Clippers have several young point-guards-in-waiting in Gilgeous-Alexander and Shamet, so I thinkBeverleyis very attainable. He is only a deep sleeper, backup option for NYK. Best bet: Leaves Clippers. Knicks chance of signing: 5%

22. Elfrid Payton, PG, New Orleans Pelicans – Unrestricted free agent
Injured through most of the first half of the season, Payton still found a way to raise his stock. He averaged 11.3 points, 9.1 assists and 6.5 rebounds after the All-Star break. In March, Payton had five straight triple-doubles, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to do this, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson… He is too deep of an option for the Knicks but will find a new team this year. Best bet: Finds a new team.Knicks chance of signing: 1%

23. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, New York Knicks – Restricted free agent
He’s coming off his most productive season. He’s only 25 years old and he is an improving 6 foot 5 guard. He won’t lead your team to the playoffs anytime soon, but within a few years, you may be able to strike silver, if not gold with this guy. I don’t think the Knicks bring him back. I feel another team will be more willing to pay him more, but the Knicks can match and they do have his bird rights. Best bet: Follows the money to a new team. Knicks chance of signing: 10%

The 2018-2019 NBA season just started this week. It’s already feeling like a great season. There are so many elite players in the league right now, you could easily make your brain hurt just attempting to name the top 5 best players. I’ll give it a try… Lebron, Durant, Anthony Davis, Kawhii Leonard and… Steph? Westbrook? Giannis? Harden? CP3? It’s too difficult.

NBA basketball isn’t just my favorite sport. It’s my favorite non-essential thing in this world, and I enjoy watching and dissecting NBA basketball more than any other type of media.

Over the years, (like any good father) I have tried getting my children to fall in love with the game as well. Why not? It’s semi-educational, it’s fun to watch and it’s fun and healthy to play! Still, my children would rather spend their recreational time playing video games, making slime, watching Youtube or Nickelodeon shows. I couldn’t really blame them, slime is sort of fun and we’re Knicks fans, so it’s hard to sell anyone on losing all the time.

When my children’s mother and I separated in March this year, we decided all three kids and the dog would stay living in New York with me. It was a difficult time for the kids and for myself. We relied heavily on mom for practically everything at home. Now I had to become Mr. Mom/Dad and assume every single role as a single father, with three kids who all go to different schools.

I quickly became over worked and over tired. My weekdays would start at 5am and I was busy until I could finally shut my eyes around midnight or even 1am. I would sleep for maybe four or five hours and do it all over again the next day.

Weekdays, 7:30pm-8:50pm is recreational time for the kids. During this time, I allow the children to do whatever they want. At this time, I have become accustomed to playing games, making snacks and watching TV or movies with the kids, while still multi-tasking and doing things like folding laundry or checking homework and such.

Most days, we’ll watch kid friendly videos on Youtube or “Henry Danger” (which has one episode featuring Russell Westbrook) and Game shakers on Nickelodeon. I have to admit; sometimes the kid stuff is a bit much for me. I work at a school and I come home with a tiny school of my own children. Sometimes, I just want to watch some NBA or anything related to the NBA but I can’t. I needed a miracle, and it finally happened. We found a little known movie from 2012 on Netflix titled “Thunderstruck” starring Kevin Durant.

Heads up, this isn’t a great movie, but my kids and I loved it. It’s about a small teenage boy who loves basketball but is terrible at playing. One day a bunch of weird stuff happens and he somehow accidentally steals Kevin Durant’s talent to play basketball. All of a sudden this kid can play better than everyone and Kevin Durant can’t.

I won’t go more into the details of this movie, if you want you can watch it for yourself, it’s still on Netflix. This children’s movie turned my children into basketball fans. My eldest child, who is a nine year old girl, is now a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors and her favorite player is both Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. My son, who is only eight years old, plays basketball now and sometimes dreams about acquiring Kevin Durant’s talent, yet his favorite player is now Lebron James, go figure. My youngest child is a five year old girl, who still doesn’t care for basketball, but she will sit and sort of tolerate it, if I let her draw and have a peanut butter snack.

Now when we go to the park, we play basketball! Sometimes I have to ask the kids to put the basketball away, because they work on their dribbling in the home and it disturbs our downstairs neighbor. Best of all and to my surprise, I was able to watch the NBA playoffs, guilt free with my kids. Thank you Kevin Durant! This is why I have adopted the Golden State Warriors as my second favorite team and Kevin Durant as my second favorite player, after the Knicks and Kristaps Porzingis of course!

Coming off a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship, Tiger Woods is finally back! It is not an illusion this time; Tiger is finally healthy and looking good, real good. The 42-year-old former #1 golfer defied spine-fusion surgery last April, the latest of four back operations, to finish just one shot shy of a playoff for 1st place.

Fans and opponents alike couldn’t be happier. Paul Casey who came in at first place said “If I don’t win this thing I actually want Tiger to win it,” Casey expressed these feelings on multiple occasions, including at his winner’s press conference. He along with everyone else knows, when Tiger is good, golf is way more interesting.

The third round of the Valspar increased viewership on the Golf Channel up to 181% more then on the same day last year. The final round drew a 5.11 overnight rating, good enough for the highest audience outside the majors since the 2013 Players Championship, which was won by Tiger Woods. It was the highest non-Masters rating since the 2015 PGA Championship. The event also had 27.2 million minutes streamed across Golf Channel and NBC Sports digital platforms — the most-streamed PGA Tour event ever for the network. Not to mention all the love and support across all social media platforms, from fans, golfers and celebrities.

Today, Tiger is back at it playing at Bay Hill, a place he has done very well at; winning eight times, including his last two trips there, 2012 and 2013. Currently, Tiger is doing well and is on the prowl, sitting atop the leaders at Bay Hill in at 2nd place with a four-under 68, just one back of Jimmy Walker, who just finished up a five-under 67. So far it has truly been a remarkable return for the man who can single handedly carry the sport of golf. With his latest performance it is no surprise that he is back to being the Vegas odds on favorite, which is something we haven’t seen since 2014. It’s hard not to get carried away because this comeback has just gotten underway, but it’s Tiger Woods and we know how great he can be. Can my dreams of him surpassing Jack Nicholas still come to fruition? It’s a long shot, but hey if he’s healthy one can still dream.

If everyone is healthy, the short answer is no. As a matter of fact, only the Houston Rockets could make things interesting. Currently, the Houston Rockets have the best record in basketball with 50 wins and only 13 losses, including an ongoing winning streak of 16 games! Yes, very impressive. The Rockets are also ½ a game better than the Golden State Warriors, who have 50 wins with 14 losses. So why do I believe the Rockets barely stand a chance and only if luck is on their side and if there are significant injuries to the Warriors roster? The Warriors are just flat out better than everyone else. The warriors play like they are bored and are pretty much just pacing themselves through the grueling 82 game NBA season. Whether you want to admit it or not, The Golden State Warriors are already an NBA dynasty. Most fans and followers believe you need 3 championships to solidify those sorts of claims of a dynasty, but the Warriors are not just any other 2-time title winner. They have been to the finals 3 seasons in a row; they have 4 all stars on their roster and the only team to send 4 guys to the all-star game in consecutive seasons. They have two MVP’s (most valuable player) in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. They have the best all-time single season record, two seasons ago with 73 wins and quite frankly they have arguably the best player in the NBA, Kevin Durant (tied with Lebron James of course).

There is no doubt that the Rockets are hungry and no doubt that the pairing of Chris Paul and James Harden works perfectly but the Rockets are playing to the max and with something to prove and the Warriors are just “playing”. Remember when Warriors Coach Steve Kerr handed the clipboard to his players and let them coach themselves? By the way, that was a hilarious boss move, if you were offended, I feel sorry for you. Anyway, you may want to point out the Rockets have beaten the Warriors in two out of their three games this season but were any of those games in the playoffs? You may want to say Chris Paul is the best pure point guard and floor general in the league, and I’ll agree, I love that guy. You may also want to say, the Rockets have this season’s MVP and I’ll agree to that as well. But let me remind you that James Harden has not been to the NBA finals without Kevin Durant and Chris Paul has never made it to the finals, period. The Warriors also have a slightly larger win differential than the Rockets, so even though they coast, they can still knock you out, even if they don’t feel like it. To be fair, I believe it is very likely the Rockets end up with this season’s best record, allowing them home court advantage, something they need desperately if they want any shot at the title; but even that is not a forgone conclusion. To add to that, one game on the road doesn’t stop one of the very best teams to ever step on an NBA court (in my opinion, the 2nd best of all time next to the Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen/Dennis Rodman Bulls of 1995/1996). I give the Rockets a 15% shot of dethroning the Golden State Warriors, and that is more than I give all of the other teams, combined. The Cavs, the Thunder, the Celtics, the Spurs, the Blazers and the Raptors, all contenders, amount to a 0% shot of dethroning the champs. In the end, the Warriors will pretty much accomplish what most non-delusional NBA fans expect and that is win #3 for the NBA Dynasty.

Do you agree or disagree? LMK…