By Daniel

Each new NBA season brings some new faces into my ongoing SWS hoops league. And with it, a new round of emails from owners puzzled with the scoring system. This isn't the place to delve into the ins and outs of setting your lineup and planning for the unique scoring system, but what I will do is share some of my experiences with late draft picks and the waiver wire.

Obviously, we all want a lineup jam-packed with all-star talent, and through some astute trading, it's possible (just ask the suckers who took some of my offers last year). Not only do you need some value to trade if this is your plan but it's not the easiest or most likely plan anyway.

So let's just say it's time for Plan B: Focus on the Draft.

Once you get past the first 4 or 5 rounds, you're looking at some thin talent. Now, you should definitely take a few chances on landing the diamond-in-the-rough player. Last year, 'Melo immediately comes to mind as a great late-round player who contributed at a really high level. Players like that can propel you to an elite level in your league from the jump.

Luckily, the SWS scoring system allows for some late picks that pay huge dividends without a major gamble--perfect, right? Right. If you've played here before, you know what I'm talking about, or at least you caught on late and had to use the waiver wire to fill the few 10-15 minutes/game guys that grab great points per minute statistics for you. A couple backup players who grab those limited minutes at a .8 PPM level are responsible for the difference in so many games. Plus, they're so easy to throw into trades.

So in Round 10, instead of gambling that Penny Hardaway is going to take over for the gimpy Allan Houston and return to 1993 form, grab someone like the 2003 Brian Cardinal and take the chance that could turn you into the champ.