Empty the Bench

Well there’s no time like the present, and I’d like to hang out but who doesn’t? I’ve made enough mistakes for this lifetime, now I’m here to make amends. Next time I’ll try, for the first time in my life! It won’t pass me by. Procrastinate, it can wait, I put it off. Start! - Gorilla Biscuits, “Start Today”

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Championship, and the Orlando Magic were runners up. Yawn. With the drab business of the actual NBA playing season out of the way, we can all finally sit back, relax over a tall, cold can of Colt 45, and enjoy the best time of the year on the hoops calendar: the offseason.

Mock drafts and draft-day trade speculation for the next week or so. Then draft-pick praise, draft-pick second-guessing, draft-day grades. Free-agent signings, roster retooling, trade rumors, Greg Oden knee scopes, TRADES.

The Vegas Summer League.

And, of course, the promise of another fantasy basketball season: fantasy mock drafts, player rankings, player projections, underrated and overrated fantasy players, rookie wild cards, mid- to late-round fantasy bargains, research, cheat sheets, research, cheat sheets and then… fantasy draft day (or more likely days). We all realize that another year has passed and that we’re still huge dorks–and we’re fine with that.

Mmhmm… there’s a lot to look forward to this summer; God knows all of us at ETB are anxiously waiting for Rotoworld to post as many Goran Dragic updates this summer as they did last. We hung on every nail-biting development about Dragic, guys… every fucking one of them.

Yes, friends, it’s the most wonderful time of the NBA year. The hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow for every NBA franchise (except the Milwaukee Bucks) and for every fantasy hoops manager start today.