By JIMMY D / The trouble with normal: are the Flyers worse? | Jimmy's archive

“It’ll all go back to normal, if we put our nation first,
But the trouble with normal, is it always gets worse.”
Bruce Cockburn, 1983

On an anniversary of sorts for Jimmy D, he senses a metaphorical kinship with his Philadelphia Flyers and with tree-hugger Canuck troubadour Bruce Cockburn.

Old Bruce’s The Trouble With Normal decries the perils of not getting involved and feeling powerless to improve a situation.

In an online chat a few years back, he sagely typed “If you don’t tackle the problems, they’re gonna get worse.”

For two decades, the Flyers were solid NHL contenders and fantasy producers, where some bad luck, bad judgment and bad personnel sometimes undermined their success. They were weak in key areas (sometimes in net with Beezer, Burke, Esche, Niittymaki) and sometimes on the blueline (with Pitkanen, Hatcher, Delmore) where they were sometimes too clumsy or too soft in protecting their goalie.

And they had a nemesis in the Devils – a divisional rival from down the road who seemed to always stick in a dagger just when things seemed to be going well, usually at playoff time.

They didn’t tackle the problems and last season was the worst on record for the franchise.

They were losers and everybody knew it.

They brought in a nice-guy coach and they still finished last overall. They didn’t stick up for each other or work very hard.

It was a season for Flyer fans to hide their faces and hang their heads, to endure taunts and to wish the time away.

Slow forward to 2007-2008 and the Flyers have skated to a quick 6-1 record, an improvement predicted by many after a busy offseason and some key personnel moves at the trade deadline.

But should fantasy owners fill up on Philly players in anticipation of a return to Flyer normalcy? Have the problems been sufficiently addressed to permit you to trust them again on your fantasy roster?

You should get a clearer picture of whether this is an honest change or a phony one starting this week. Philly embarks on a soul-searching and victory-searching eight-game road trip starting Wednesday. It ends with a three-games-in-four-nights blasts against the Rangers, Devils and Penguins.

That is tough sledding early in the season and November is a blizzard of tough games – at Carolina twice, two each against Jersey, the Rangers and Pens and a visit to Ottawa.

So if scoring and winning becomes ‘normal’ in the coming weeks, you can start believing that things won’t get worse.

Of note, they finally have a lot more awareness of protecting home ice (they started 4-0 after losing more games at home in 2006-2007 than in any other season). Martin Biron has been excellent.

NBA Top 10

NBA fantasy and pools have never taken off locally, but those who follow fantasy roundball are among the most diehard Jimmy has encountered.

Like he has done the past two seasons, Jimmy breaks from conventional wisdom (he was rewarded the past two seasons) by making Shawn Marion his No. 1 overall pick.

In a Yahoo!-style of game, Marion’s scoring tailed off slightly a season ago but he remained the best fantasy producer. Other than assists, which could be a bit higher than two per game, he is brilliant across the board and chips in usefully with steals, blocks, treys, high free throw and field goal percentages.

Many experts are pegging Kevin Garnett as their No. 1, but KG has been on the IR too much lately. Will his move to Boston rejuvenate him, playing catch with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen on the revamped Celtics?

Maybe, but both of those players are 30+ years old too and were also injured last season. He is too much of a risk for me with Marion’s durable excellence available. Marion has mouthed off a bit – uncharacteristically – about being traded, but expect him to get back to work next week.

Speaking of mouthing off about being traded, other fantasy gurus peg Kobe Bryant as No. 1. He is capable of exploding for 81 points or, as he did last March, going for 50+ points in five of eight games (which included two of 60+).

LeBron James still enjoys the hype, but he tailed off in every important category last season. He is capable of being No. 1 by a mile, but his weaker supporting cast still means he can be keyed on too much.

Dirk Nowitzki is the safer play at No. 3, as the reigning NBA MVP tries to atone for last season’s playoff bust against Golden State.

Top 10 Overall:

Shawn Marion, PF, Suns
Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers
Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Mavericks
LeBron James, SF, Cavaliers
Kevin Garnett, PF, Celtics
Steve Nash, PG, Suns
Gilbert Arenas, PG, Wizards
Chris Paul, PG, Hornets
Pau Gasol, PF/C, Grizzlies

Honourable mention:

Yao Ming (too much injury worry), Jason Kidd (can’t stand him or the Nets), Amare Stoudemire (how’s that knee?), Josh Smith (watch this kid fly!), Andre Iguadola (do-everything 76er), Dwyane Wade (injured, will miss first month), Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh.

Stay busy, stay lucky. Don’t stay normal.

Jimmy D