Looking back, now that we're nearing the mid-point of the NBA season (and by "mid-point" I mean us fantasy basketball nerds), it's time for me to release some of the pent-up frustration of being manager/owner of the Ala Wai Westheads.

Good News

My draft was pretty solid from top to bottom. Of the 15 players I selected, eight are among the current Top 10 in total stats. That's pretty healthy in a 10-team league (our Larry Bird Association).

LeBron James (No. 1 in our total stats), Steve Nash (No. 5), Al Horford (No. 18), Channing Frye (No. 21), Danilo Gallinari (No. 32), Marc Gasol (No. 37), Joakim Noah (No. 48) and Chris Kaman (No. 49) have made me proud.

Brandon Jennings (No. 78) has tapered off since his 55-point game, but his turnovers are low, which is a big plus in our league. Richard Hamilton is still battling back from an injury suffered in the regular-season opener, so I give him a passing grade.

Now, the bad news.

Bad News (or why too many aggressive moves have doomed the Westheads, for now anyway)

Losing patience, I cut Aaron Brooks (too many turnovers) and Randy Foye (flat stats). I picked up Corey Maggette, the ball hog, only to cut him during a cold two-week stint. I made these changes knowing that Brooks has the keys to the bus in Houston, capable of scoring 10 points one night and 30 the next. Well, now Brooks is No. 50 statistically in the Bird Association. He scored 43 points last night.

I snagged Maggette off the free-agent list in November, only to cut him 10 days later. Maggette, who rarely rebounded in years past, is becoming a double-double machine for Golden State. I cut him even though I knew he'd get major minutes. Even though I knew Nelly would probably play him out of position, and thus increasing his rebounding numbers. I released him even though he is one of the league leaders in free throws made -- another category in our league.

Yep, I cut him, and now he's No. 43 in our stats. Of course, Brooks and Maggette are starring for other teams now.

Foye has picked up the slack since Gilbert Arenas was indefinitely suspended by the NBA for potential felony charges. Since Arenas had been getting better, I had been optimistic about him, even with the 4 turnovers per game. His last game, 19 points and 14 assists with just a couple of turnovers, was a bitter bon voyage for all fantasy owners who drafted Agent Zero.

Rather than add Foye back to my team, which had been rechristended the Ala Wai Gunslingers, and then Ala Wai Nomasarenas in the past week, I picked up Mike MIller, who was due back from a long stint on the injury list. Wrong move. Miller injured his calf two games later, while Foye has been a 20-point, nine-assist man since getting added by another fantasy owner.

My timing and choices have been better. Losing Arenas (22 points per game) means I lose anywhere between 66 and 88 points of offense per game. Nobody else on the free-agent list is close; the next guy is at 13 ppg. Owch.

My lack of patience hasn't ended, though. I got frustrated with Ilyasova, who starts but is losing minutes to Hakim Warrick lately. Of course, the day after I cut Ilyasova, he gets major minutes and scores 24 points.

Another guy I drafted, then cut, but have no regrets about is Shawn Marion. He's no Matrix any more and I knew it two months ago.

So, I quit on Maggette, Brooks and Foye, and have Martell Webster, Boris Diaw, Kirk Hinrich, Jerryd Bayless and DeAndre Jordan in the fold now. Hindsight is 20-20 and a kick in the ass, no doubt about it. Of course, if I knew then what I knew now, I'd be happy to give up Webster, Diaw, Bayless, Hinrich and Jordan for Maggette, Brooks and Foye.

Sometimes, as the SAT teachers say, your first guess, your first instinct, is the right one. But tinkering is part of the fun and worth passing the time with ... if only discipline can rule in the end.

That's why I'm not quite done yet ... second in the standings, but still willing to consider more adds and drops. I'll save the draft-15-players-and-leave-them-alone strategy, the one that would've been right this season, for the 2010-11 season. If Agent Zero is back by then, I can't say I'll be mad enough about his shenanigans to ban him from the Westheads.

Drafting him wasn't a mistake. If my Westheads fall out of contention, I have only myself to blame ... my penchant to not trust my instincts. Psychologists say it's far more common in males than females to act so often rather than exercise patience.

Maybe I'll hang on to Bayless, Diaw, Webster and Jordan after all.

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