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Over the first half of September, while much of the sports world focused on the start of football season, I spent countless hours participating in fantasy basketball mock drafts in preparation for the season ahead.It was a fun and enlightening exercise, to be sure, helping to shed light on trends such as rising and falling players, strong and weak parts of the draft, and average draft positions of pivotal names like Ben Simmons and Chris Bosh.Through it all, I found one piece of advice that stands out like LeBron James on a fast break, at least for those in standard snake-style drafts. It is simply this:Make sure you draft point a point guard in the first two rounds.This might seem like common knowledge for longtime fantasy hoops players who realize the importance of a point guard-heavy roster, but it rings truer in 2016-17 than it has in years.Humor me for a second and think back to your youth, when you passed time by playing tic-tac-toe. You remember, dont you? If you were anything like me, typically your first turn always seems like a good move.Thats similar to the way the first round of fantasy hoops drafts feel this year.Looking through ESPNs updated rankings, you see a top 12 filled with big names like James Harden, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, who tantalize you with their upside and overall talent at positions other than point guard.{C}On the surface, it seems fine. It seems like any of the 12 make for a great foundation. At the same time, its worth realizing that four of them are point guards (Westbrook, Curry, Paul and Lillard).Going back to the tic-tac-toe analogy: The second move usually seems like a good one as well.For those playing in 12-team leagues, that move likely involves selecting one of the next 12 on ESPNs updated rankings:{C}This is a group that includes several big-name, well-rounded point guards who contribute as scorers, distributors, shooters and defenders, while shooting a high percentage either from the field or the free throw line.But, like before, theres also temptation to pass on a point guard for one of the other notable stars like Antetokounmpo, Whiteside, Millsap, Green, Butler or Griffin.Look up after two rounds, and itd be easy to be without a point guard without even feeling bad about it. After all, you might have a studly duo of Harden and Griffin or Durant and Butler or something like that.You might be thinking: How could that possibly be a problem? Arent there other point guards to get later in the draft that can round out the roster?While there are other lower-ranked point guards, the problem is the steep drop-off after the first two rounds; Rajon Rondo (46) and Goran Dragic (50) are the next two point guards in the top 50, and both are over 20 picks lower than Bledsoe.In case it isnt already apparent, that means the value in Rounds 3 and 4 lies in the other positions, particularly power forward and center. So if you already drafted a pair like Cousins and Griffin, that means you are suddenly set in the frontcourt while a swarm of bigs remain available: Kevin Love (35), Marc Gasol (37), Pau Gasol (38), Andre Drummond (39), DeAndre Jordan (40), Derrick Favors (41), Rudy Gobert (44), Nikola Vucevic (45) and Nikola Jokic (47).If you enter Round 3 without at least one of the 10 point guards ranked inside ESPNs top 25, youll feel like you just got trapped heading into your third turn of tic-tac-toe. Youll find yourself with an unbalanced roster thats too deep up front and woefully thin in the backcourt, dependent on second-tier fantasy point guards like Reggie Jackson, Brandon Knight and/or Mike Conley to carry the load despite incomplete fantasy résumés.Now imagine the flip side, going into Rounds 3 and 4 with a combination of Curry and Thomas or Paul and Lowry, for example. If you can pull something like this off, youll be set in the assist, steal and 3-point categories and benefit firsthand from all the frontcourt value that falls your way between picks 25 and 50. Gerald Green Rockets Jersey . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Austin Rivers Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. http://www.therocketsofficial.com/Authentic-Austin-Rivers-Rockets-Jersey/ . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Chris Paul Rockets Jersey . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. PJ Tucker Rockets Jersey . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. DETROIT -- Jose Abreus home run drought had lasted over a month, and the Chicago slugger was well aware.It was a tough time for me, because Ive never experienced something like that in my career, Abreu said through a translator. Bad stretches when I couldnt hit homers, but not a long bad stretch like this.Abreu can stop worrying about it now. He and Avisail Garcia both went deep in a five-run second inning, and the White Sox chased Jordan Zimmermann early in his return from the disabled list, snapping Detroits eight-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory over the Tigers on Thursday.Abreus two-run shot was his first homer since June 23.Its been a long time, and I think somewhere in there, its been dragging on him, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. I think his swings today were great, and he hit a lot of balls right on the nose, which is a good sign for him.Zimmermann (9-5) had been out since June 30 because of a right neck strain, and now a lat issue has come up. The right-hander was to have an MRI, and the Tigers were taking a wait-and-see approach on his next start.His lat was a little bit tight, not really related to what the issue was when he was on the DL, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. He just couldnt seem to get loose. There was no pain, he was just having trouble getting extended and locating the ball.Zimmermann allowed six runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings, failing to strike out a batter. Jose Quintana (9-8) allowed three runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings.David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 30 chances, and Chicago won for only the second time in eight games.Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler homered for Detroit, but the Tigers fell to three games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland.Zimmermann labored through the first, allowing a run on Justin MMorneaus sacrifice fly, but it was the second inning that was his undoing.dddddddddddd Garcia homered into the second level of bushes beyond the wall in center field to give Chicago a 2-1 lead. Not long after that, trainer Kevin Rand went to the mound to check on Zimmermann, but the right-hander remained in the game.Melky Cabrera added an RBI single, and Adam Eaton hit a sacrifice fly. Abreu then made it 6-1 with a drive to left.It was Zimmermanns shortest outing since he also went 1 2/3 innings for Washington against Miami on April 9, 2014.MORE SUPPORTQuintana had received one run or fewer of support in nine of his previous 14 starts. He protected the big lead without much drama Thursday after a shaky first inning.POWERKinslers homer was his 21st of the season and Miguel Cabreras was his 25th.Kinslers leadoff homer tied the game at 1, and the Tigers nearly scored again in the first on J.D. Martinezs double, but the relay home was in time to retire Nick Castellanos for the third out.In the seventh, the Tigers scored on an RBI single by Tyler Collins, and Miguel Cabrera hit his solo shot an inning later.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: Rookie SS Tim Anderson left in the first inning with a bruised left hand after being hit by a pitch. X-rays were negative.Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin sat out with a sprained left thumb.UP NEXTWhite Sox: Chicago hosts Baltimore for three games. Miguel Gonzalez (2-5) of the White Sox faces Yovani Gallardo (3-3) of the Orioles on Friday night.Tigers: Justin Verlander (11-6) takes the mound against Noah Syndergaard (9-5) in the opener of a three-game series against the New York Mets.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '