Andres Nocioni is the “Argentinean Pitbull.”  He is relentless on defense and fearless in crashing the boards. Case in point in the picture, Nocioni is giving a lesson to the New York Knicks on how to grab a rebound. In fact, I will wager my NYC counterpart that Nocioni will out rebound both Eddy Curry and Channing Frye this year!

Round 5, Pick 6: Andres Nocioni, SF, Chicago Bulls

Last year, Nocioni found his 3-point stroke and found his way on to fantasy rosters. He made 1.1 3PG at an efficient 39.1%. Nocioni was arguably the best Bull in April 2006 and the playoff run. In April, he averaged a double-double: 17.4 ppg and 10.7 rpg. During the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat, Nocioni led the Bulls with 22.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg against the eventual World Champs.  Nocioni’s hustle on the court does not translate into blocks or steals for fantasy owners as he averaged 0.5 spg and 0.6 bpg last season. Kinda like my charming ways don’t necessarily result in a lot of female phone numbers. “Yeah, I write for DroppingDimes.com…” is not a great pick-up line yet with the ladies.

The Bulls have added some key veterans to their lineup. Ben Wallace was added via free agency and Tyson Chandler was traded from the Bulls for P.J. Brown from the New Orleans Hornets. Both additions will be the starting 5 and 4. That leaves Nocioni fighting for minutes with Luol Deng for minutes at the 3 spot. With the emergence of Nocioni at the end of the season and playoffs and with Deng’s ineffectiveness from beyond the arc, it should push Deng to the bench. Nocioni should emerge as Chicago’s third option on offense and at times the second option when Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon are sitting on the pine. With Wallace and Brown drawing most of the attention on the boards, Nocioni should get some easier weak-side rebounds. 

This year, Andres Nocioni should average 15+ points, a triple per game and more rebounds than the Knicks bigs. Whatcha ya gonna do Frye and Curry?  Eating your vitamins and saying your prayers aren’t going to save you when Nocionimania runs wild… ON… YOU!

Other team members:

1.6. Dwyane Wade, SG/PG, Miami Heat
2.7. Jermaine O’Neal, PF/C, Indiana Pacers
3.6. Jason Richardson, SG, Golden State Warriors
4.7. Boris Diaw, PF/C, Phoenix Suns