The All-Buzz Killington Team

When writing these types of articles, normal writers would describe players that currently have minimal value but were expected to succeed as the "least valuable" players on their fantasy teams. However I am not normal and I didn’t want to deem anyone on this list "valuable" by any means. Declaring a player "valuable" in some shape or fashion would infer that he brings some sort of value to the table. The types of players I had in mind should have minimal value at the very best and therefore can be considered "buzz-kills." Just when your team is having a good time and succeeding, your supposed superstar comes along and ruins the fun time you were having…Hence I brand them the "Buzz Kill-ingtons."

To avoid further depressing myself (Hint: I may roster a couple of these players in my leagues), I’m limiting the players to one per position. Which player will be crowned the ultimate buzz-kill at the halfway point? Stay with us after the jump to find out…

Guard

Brandon Roy, Portland Blazers

Look I know the poor guy has undergone surgery on both knees this year resulting in Roy declaring himself never being able to work at 100% health. If you didn’t want to draft Roy and his balky knees, the warning signs were there. I’d be surprised if Roy is ever close to 100% healthy again; I mean this is a sport where you are constantly sprinting and jumping, and your knees are kind of useful in order to succeed, you dig? Normally health shouldn’t be a factor in determining the Buzz Killington’s, but Roy was a consensus top-25 player in the preseason, albeit a risky one. We’re not talking about an injured player who’s missed the first few months of the season. Roy has actually played in 23 games this season and even sat out certain games in order to rest his knees. Roy can normally be counted on to be a 20-5-5 SG; the guy has been an absolute stud the past three seasons. However, his numbers lagged along with his injured knees this season, and as a result, he burned the teams that took a risk on the top SG.

Forward

Troy Murphy, New Jersey Nets

What did Troy Murphy do to Coach Avery Johnson? Is there any reason Johnson doesn’t want Murphy and his impressive repertoire in the lineup? It’s not like the Nets are the 1996 Bulls here. Prior to "joining" New Jersey (I use that term loosely because has Murphy really joined the Nets, per se?), Murphy was a double-double monster in Golden State and Indiana. The 6’11" PF from Notre Dame adds something most big men don’t offer: 3-pointers made, making 289 his past two years in Indiana. After putting up 14.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 1.8 3PM/G in Indiana last year, Murphy is down to 3.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 0.2 3PG, respectively. He barely sniffs the hardwood. If your fantasy league includes DNP-CD as a category, then you’re in luck as Murphy leads the Nets in that statistic.

Center

Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets

While we’re on the topic of the Nets, let’s discuss Lopez and his interesting case of Rebound-aphobia. Does it surprise you that the Nets are currently 15-34 on the season? It shouldn’t as Lopez, supposedly the next best Center in the league, has taken a step back this season. Centers typically supply you with a good dosage of rebounds, blocks, points and FG %. Lopez was a lock for all of these categories prior to the season as he averaged 1.8 BPG, 19 PPG, and almost 9 RPG the prior season. On the bright side, Lopez’ scoring average is up to 19.6 points per game. Unfortunately that’s the only thing that improved so far this season. Every other aspect of his game is down this season, most notably rebounds. The man is 7 feet tall and only averages 5.7 RPG, less than a number of guards! When Landry Fields and Trevor Ariza are out-rebounding you, something is wrong. Hopefully the all star break does Lopez some good and he finds an elixir for his newfound phobia of rebounds.

Runners-up:

Mo Williams, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers

OJ Mayo SG, Memphis Grizzlies