Fantasy Basketball Commissioner Advice

How to be a good fantasy basketball commish

written by fantasy basketball guru Matt Bohannan

Being a commissioner is tough, that’s why we came up with this section on how to be a good fantasy basketball commish and run a successful, fun league. This section is designed for fantasy basketball NBA Commissioners of all sorts: long time managers who are becoming commissioner for the first time, veteran commissioners, and fresh commissioners new to fantasy basketball altogether. We will discuss a number of topics pertaining to being a good Commish.

If you’re starting a league with friends and family it may be a good idea to consult with all or a few of the managers who will be playing before finalizing league settings. However, it is ultimately up to the commish to set these standards – remember, when unsure, use the default settings won’t steer you wrong.

(Some good sites to use are Yahoo and ESPN)

In today’s NBA there is a plethora of talent at virtually every position, so I would recommend at least a ten (10) man league if at all possible. This will keep the competition up and maintain good balance among teams. Whether you choose an online or offline draft will rely heavily on the logistics and location of every manager in your league.

Fantasy Basketball Commissioner Settings – Scoring and Positions

Please keep in mind that the lion’s share of the Fantasy Couch comments are primarily Head-to-Head format (you are pitted against other teams weekly with a season schedule). Another popular scoring method is roto scoring (best stats accumulated throughout the entire season). Most leagues have a typical 9 category (9-cat) scoring system: accumulated points (PTS), rebounds (REB), assists (AST), steals (STL), blocks (BLK), free throw % (FT%), field goal % (FG%), and turnovers (TO). A common change to the categories is dropping TO’s which will affect the draft. For instance, this makes players such as Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash and Deron Williams much more valuable by dropping their only major weakness.

Most leagues will roster 14 players with the following starting positions: PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, and UTIL. This may vary, as some leagues start two C and two UTIL. This positioning setting could also alter the draft by causing more C eligible players to jump up most draft boards primarily because of the need to start two C instead of one. We recommend only have one true center (C) position as the modern NBA has changed the position of the “big man,” we recommend doing the same in your fantasy basketball settings.

Fantasy Basketball Draft – Online vs. Offline Draft

Online drafts are vastly becoming the wave of the future with computers becoming a staple in today’s society. But by any means, if you have the ability to draft in person I strongly recommend this draft method. It builds camaraderie among the league as well as gives everyone a chance to visit with old friends, meet new members, eat pizza and have a few drinks. For example, in the league I have been the Commish of for five years running, we will be meeting up at a central location for the fifth consecutive year. For a good portion of the day we will draft, reminisce and watch NFL. For those leagues who don’t have the luxury of living in a fairly close area or don’t have the time to do so, online drafts will not alter the outcome.

Online drafts are extremely valuable and not as time consuming. In either online or offline drafts I recommend setting time limits on each pick. The online default of 90 seconds can easily be adjusted. While I do feel it is best to set a firm limit, taking a poll and getting opinions from other owners in your league is a good way to come up with this time limit.

Someone is going to win regardless, and may even run through the league fairly easily. But simple alterations in league settings can even out the playing field for all. This is what Commissioner David Stern attempts to do year in year out. As the fantasy basketball commish, you should always have the entire league in your best interests.

Draft Methods, Settings and Playoffs

Another setting to determine pre-draft is what kind of draft you will be doing. The most common is the snake method. Random lottery by either a) good old fashion pulling names out of a hat- from last to first (12-1) preferably with a witness or two, or b) have the computer randomly pick the order. (Note: if you are going to have the computer determine the order make sure to give the league at least 72 hour notice. Some sites have a default of one (1) hour prior to draft time). Once you have determined the draft order, follow in ascending order from 1-12 in Round 1. In Round 2 draft in descending order from 12-1, flip-flopping throughout the draft. An easy way to remember is odd-numbered rounds simply draft in order, and in even-numbered rounds draft in reverse.

Other draft methods include auction style and straight draft throughout with each team using their respected draft position exclusively throughout the draft (no snake).

Another key factor is determining when your league will compete in the fantasy basketball playoffs. There are twenty four (24) weeks of regular season NBA action, with fantasy playoffs typically in weeks 21-24. I have had my share of disappointing finishes due to my top players being benched during the playoffs. The worst feeling for a manager is to earn a bye for the playoffs (typically top 2 finish during the regular season: weeks 1-20) only to see your team diminish to a bunch of last-minute waiver wire adds.

Fantasy Basketball Settings – Managing Adds/Drops, Waivers, and Trades

I would also set a maximum of transactions throughout the season, unless you are okay with some teams streaming (adding players to maximize vacant positions) – especially during the playoffs. A typical range of 30-60 total adds and drops throughout the season and playoffs. You can also put a cap on playoff-only transactions, I’ve seen anywhere from 2-10.

Typically you won’t want to put a maximum number on the trade transactions, since there likely won’t be too many throughout the season. The way you approve trades can vary; (x) number of days owners must wait for the trade to process, a certain amount of votes by a certain deadline amongst fellow owners, or simply on good faith that teams won’t try to “throw in the towel” or try any “monkey business” – we call this Fantasy Gate.

Waivers can typically be handled by whatever site you choose to compete on. Usually last pick in the draft gets 1st priority, and so on down to 12th (1st pick overall). Waivers are players who haven’t been drafted, dropped from a team either as an add/drop or a trade resulting in a player being dropped. A team holds their current waiver position until they either add someone on waivers (falls back to 12th) or someone ahead of you adds someone causing your waiver position to advance closer to number one. Let us know if this was helpful, or if you still have any questions get the fastest response by mentioning us on Twitter @fantasycouch