By G-Money Gortex

Every draft day it’s the same thing. Willy comes screaming into the parking lot in his Iroc-Z28, does a couple of "burn-outs", tosses on his jean jacket and proclaims himself league champ. Of course, he’s already nearly an hour late due to a "wicked hangover" he got from the Warrant concert the night before. But as he stumbles into the draft room, smelling of Debbie Gibson’s Electric Youth pefume & stale Marlboros, he is a man with a plan. And this year it’s gonna totally work for Willy’s All-Stars.

Willy is amazed that even though he was skipped in the first round, his top pick is still available. When asked for his pick, he raises his arms and shouts triumphantly “GRANT HILL!”. Since it’s already time for his second pick he pulls out the double-whammy and snags Karl Malone because, "don’t you know that the Mailman always delivers?"

The next several rounds he inevitably spends filling out his backcourt by selecting Gary Payton and Penny Hardaway. "That means I get Lil' Penny, too suckers!" he exclaims. Then it’s time to take a break and order some pizza. Willy always says he doesn’t care what kind of "'Za" we get as long as we get one with "extra peckeroni." After returning with the pizza, he’ll ask if anyone drafted Michael Jordan yet, and when told no, he’ll pick him up because "you never know when he'll be back again." Yep, he’s the guy that’ll draft Vin Baker. Horace Grant? Sign him up. Mark Jackson? Just TRY to beat that triple-threat at guard. Yes, he'll wince when he just misses out on Vlade Divac - who was his "sleeper" pick, but Willy will settle for Alonzo Mourning.

But I think you get the point. Don’t be Willy, the guy who hangs his whole season on yesterday’s stars. Trust me, there’s one in every league. There are plenty of young up & comers that you can’t afford to overlook on draft day. Take a look at players changing teams, or players who stayed put while a veteran starter who played in front of them left. With so many off-season moves, a fantasy basketball draft strategy requires a complete overhaul each season.

So remember to do your homework, and don’t worry about the "Willy" in your league. Just let him strut out of the draft KNOWING he’s got every beat, hop into that bad-ass Iroc and crank up the Freebird!
"Lord knows, I can’t cha-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-nge!"