tch point guard Dazon Ingram shoot the only 3-pointer of his freshman season before his season ended shortly after due to injury.Johnson didnt h

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Always has been.In the player rater of my heart, it lands squarely in Kevin Durant territory.As a child, Thanksgiving meant a yearly all-expenses paid trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: the City of Brotherly Love. Still does.But as the years have passed? I must admit that the sporting heart of Philadelphia is not as touchy-feely as the citys official tagline previously indicated.Ive witnessed family fistfights at Veterans Stadium. Ive seen Santa Claus duck D batteries. Ive covered my sons ears to prevent Phillies fanatics from expanding his vocabulary.As an adult with children of my own, I view our annual red-eyed Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Yardley, Pennsylvania, as the object lesson it always was:Patience is our greatest virtue.Because I have sat for hours upon hours upon hours patiently listening to Sixers fans describe and defend The Process. And I am impressed with just how long surly Sixers fans have been patiently willing to wait for something -- anything -- to cheer about.Sports fandom shouldnt be easy. Fantasy sports shouldnt be easy. Thanksgiving shouldnt be 100 percent easy.According to my calculations? X amount of struggle endured over Y amount of hours only enhances the level of post-gravy thanks that are ultimately produced. (Its sort of a similar formula to PER.) Patience enhances reward.And you know what? When I think about what I am thankful for in fantasy basketball this season?I am thankful for Joel Embiid.It makes me happy that this Thanksgiving, Sixers fans who have endured eons of The Process can be overwhelmingly thankful for an ambulatory star they can get excited about.Im thankful for Embiids 38.2 usage rate. Im thankful for his per-36 averages (29.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.7 BPG).Im also thankful that Embiid is still on a minutes restriction.Because as a fantasy basketball maven, I am drooling over what Embiid could do averaging 28-30 minutes. And I dont want it to be for a half season. Big men and bad wheels dont mix. Embiid is doing plenty enough to keep fantasy enthusiasts enthusiastic while safely stoking even more excitement for the production to come.I am thankful Kawhi Leonard has struggled with his 2-point shot.Because it means that when Leonard (career-low .451 FG%, .412 3PT%, way-career-low .466 2PT%) resumes hitting shots at his normal frequency (in 2015-16: .506 FG%, .412 3PT%, .528 2PT%), he may finally become a top-5 player.Leonard is already is producing a break-even return on his 8.0 ADP. But hes leaving almost two full player rater points on the floor with his inconsistent shooting.I am also thankful Kawhi Leonard blocked a shot last Wednesday.Because its the only shot hes blocked in the last two weeks. (Were used to about one per game.)I am thankful Earl Watson was retained.Teams with no mandate to make the playoffs, young upside, and gobs of possessions equal unexpected ladle-fulls of fantasy goodness.When Earl Watson was promoted from interim to head coach of the Suns back in February, it was a positive fantasy development. I just didnt know that come November, Watson was going to introduce Seven Seconds Or Less: The Sequel.In fantasy, the most underrated teamwide stat is pace. Possessions equal production. And so far this season, the Suns are dusting the competition at 108.0 possessions per game. (Brooklyn is second with 105.4. Sort of like the Suns, but with less long-term upside. Still exciting, though.)The Suns arent the most efficient team in the NBA (theyre in the lower third). But their inflated pace makes them a must-play-against team in DFS. It ensures they will have at least five players worth rostering in standard leagues. And it also makes them a waiver-wire hotbed.I am thankful Tom Thibodeau is pushing Andrew Wiggins to shoot 3s.During the preseason, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned prioritizing 3-point attempts, a long-missing aspect of Wiggins fantasy portfolio. To take the next leap in his fantasy development, Wiggins sorely needs to start producing in 3s, steals and blocks. Even 3s or steals?or blocks would be a welcome improvement.If I played for Thibodeau, I would do whatever he said, as fast as humanly possible. I have a family. And Wiggins also seems to be acquiescing quickly. He has almost doubled his 3-point attempts from 2015-16, clocking in at 4.0 attempts per game. (Plus, hes hitting a career high 44 percent of them.)I am thankful Gordon Hayward is playing some power forward.Hayward personifies the solid midround pick. His statistical versatility (career averages of 4.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.2 3-pointers) and multi-positional eligibility (SG/SF) add flexibility and volume-based punch.But for me, Hayward is a source of personal perennial frustration. Because if he could function with a little more efficiency, hed be a top-20 fantasy player. Even worse, Haywards replacement-level percentages (.436 FG%, .357 3PT%) have regressed as his shot volume has increased.Hayward is currently plumbing career lows from the field (.399 FG%, .245 3PT%). But in this case, his early-season shooting swoon (even by his mediocre standards) can be attributed to an ugly finger injury.I see two reasons to be bullish on Hayward going forward; hes in the opt-out year of his contract, and hes playing more time at the 4.Because the more Hayward rebounds? The more he brings his offense inside? The more efficient hes going to get. Hayward is currently gathering a career-high 7.6 boards per game.I am thankful Dwight Howard is a Hawk.Not because of Howards production. Seventh-round value seems about right for Howard.Im thankful because Howards less-than-sunny decamping from Houston handed 25-plus minutes a night to Clint Capela.And Capela was handed his newfound minutes when Mike DAntoni arrived as Rockets head coach. Because DAntoni was Earl Watson when Watson was backing up Gary Payton.Capela is returning the favor with a career year. He just doled out the best five-game statistical stretch of his career: 14.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, with a .604 field goal percentage.(And, yes, an Andre Drummond-esque .538 free throw percentage. Nobodys perfect. As long as Capela remains under three attempts a night, he wont kill you.)I am thankful Jrue Holiday is back.For one big non-basketball reason. But Im also excited to maybe see what Holiday and Tim Frazier could accomplish in the same Pelicans?backcourt.I know its a bad fit on paper. But the shooting guard tandem of ETwaun Moore and Buddy Hield hasnt exactly taken Bourbon Street by storm. Given Fraziers ascendance and Holidays proven value, what do the Pelicans have to lose by occasionally playing them together?I am thankful Playoff Bradley Beal arrived in November. Because I dont know when well see him in an actual playoff game again. Im the only Wizards fan I know. The Wizards are bad. The Wizards have no depth.But amidst all the thudding disappointment, there is a fantasy silver lining. Because a paucity of rotation-quality players means more touches for Washingtons overworked starting five.And it means Bradley Beal has to play more minutes. (Fun fact: Did you know that Ernie Grunfeld once reportedly turned down a James Harden for Beal deal? Did you know that Grunfeld has his own, less catchily branded version of The Process called The Plan? Patience!)Beal has been an oft-injured regular-season disappointment. His 16.2 points, 3.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 3-pointers and 1.0 steal per game does exactly scream do not trade this guy for James Harden. However, a more assertive and productive Beal tends to arrive in the playoffs (Beal in 11 playoff games in 2014-15: 23.4 points, 4.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 3-pointers and 1.6 steals).Perhaps the combination of max-contract expectations, no one playing behind him, and having the 3-point-deficient John Wall as a running mate is finally forcing Playoff Beal into action early.Beals past three games: 31.3 points, 3.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 3-pointers.The Wizards (4-9) play the Magic (6-8) on Friday. The most beautiful aspect of fantasy sports? No matter how mind-numbing a matchup may appear, every game gives us?something to be thankful for. Swell Waterfles Kopen . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Swell Fles . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. http://www.swellnederlandkopen.com/ .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Swell Bestellen . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Swell Waterfles Nederland . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Last season, Alabama coach Avery Johnson waited seven games to watch point guard Dazon Ingram shoot the only 3-pointer of his freshman season before his season ended shortly after due to injury.Johnson didnt have to wait long Friday night as Ingram made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points to help the Crimson Tide beat Coastal Carolina 70-53.Now hes in a rhythm. He shot quality 3s tonight, Johnson said of Ingram. We think he has triple-double type ability where he can score, pass, and rebound, but also play the defensive end and guard multiple positions.The Crimson Tide opened the second half on a 20-5 run and cruised from there.Corban Collins led Alabama with 15 points. Riley Norris had 14 points and Ingram added 11 for the Crimson Tide, who shot just 3 of 10 from 3-point range in the first half, but finished 10 of 26 from beyond the arc.Colton Ray-St Cyr had 13 points and Elijah Wilson chipped in 12 points to lead Coastal Carolina.Coastal Carolina led 33-27 at halftime. Norriss layup gave Alabama a 39-38 lead four minutes into the second half. Jimmie Taylor split a pair of free throws to cap the 20-5 run and the Crimson Tide led 47-38. Collins scoredd five points during the stretch.ddddddddddddWe took our time more and nothing really changed, Collins said. We just took the same shots that we took in the first half.Ingrams 3-pointer made it 60-48 with 4:43 remaining.The Chanticleers shot 7 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half, but just 2 of 9 after the break.BIG PICTUREAlabama: The Crimson Tides slow start suggests the teams chemistry needs work. Six of the 12 players to see the court had never participated in a regular season game inside Coleman Coliseum before Friday night. We wanted to start off with some really good competition in our first home game, because this one on Tuesday (against Dayton) is going to be a monster, Johnson said.Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers might have second-half issue. They scored only 20 points and were outrebounded 20-16 after halftime.UP NEXT:The Crimson Tide will attempt to avenge a 32-point loss, its worst of last season, when they host Dayton on Tuesday.Coastal Carolina hosts its first home game of the season against the College of Charleston on Monday. ' ' '