 | Slump Buster - 03/05/2008
BY Steve Alexander Injury Report
Andris Biedrins - Hopes to return Friday after appendectomy.
David West - Game-time decision Wednesday with a sprained left ankle.
Andrei Kirilenko - Day-to-day with hip injury. Very iffy for Wednesday.
Gilbert Arenas - Practiced Tuesday, I've got general target date of March, 25.
Caron Butler - Still not practicing but hip rumored to be improving.
Gerald Wallace - Shooting drills. Could return next Wednesday in Texas.
Elton Brand - Half-court practice Tuesday, two weeks away from return?
Etan Thomas - Returned to practice Tuesday after heart surgery.
Chucky Atkins - Targeting Friday return from groin injury.
Chris Webber - Likely to miss whole week with sore knee.
Corey Maggette - Missed practice with finger injury. Questionable for Wednesday.
Chris Kaman - ! Missed practice with sore back. Should play tonight.
Acie Law - Targeting Saturday return after missing nine games with wrist.
Delonte West - Death in family, questionable for tonight.
Linas Kleiza - Tweaked left ankle in practice, questionable for tonight.
Mike Miller - Set to return tonight night from back injury.
Yi Jianlian - Iffy with ankle sprain, not playing well right now anyway.
Here's Your Sign
Sam Cassell was officially signed by the Cel! tics on Tuesday but left Boston for a funeral. It sounds like he'll play on Friday, but don't plan on using him in fantasy for a couple weeks, if at all.
Theo Ratliff signed with the Pistons and could be a source of blocks in deep leagues.
Tyronn Lue was signed by the Mavericks and will help back up both guard spots in Dallas. With Eddie Jones still hurting, he could see a little bit of run.
Chris Andersen was reinstated by the league after his two-year drug ban and will rejoin the Hornets. It's doubtful he'll have fantasy value, but is worth keeping an eye on.
Tuesday's! Game Notes
Devin Harris made his first start for the Nets with mixed results. He hit just 5-of-17 shots and committed five turnovers, but also finished with 13 points and seven assists. Marcus Williams came off the bench to hit 6-of-10 shots and three 3-pointers for 16 points, and probably saw some extra run with Boki Nachbar out. Harris can be started in fantasy leagues now, while Williams should be held onto until we see how this shakes out.
Andrea Bargnani was probably a popular start this week with Chris Bosh out, but hasn't really answered the call. He's 4! -of-19 from the floor with 12 points in his last two games. I'm guessing he'll blow up for a 28-point game soon, but inconsistency is his middle name.
Baron Davis broke out of his funk last night hitting 16-of-25 shots after making just 16 of his previous 58. He had 35 points and nine assists in the Warriors 135-118 win over the Hawks. The 135 was a season high for Golden State, while they've now topped 100 points in 23 straight games, going 17-6 over that stretch. As for the rest of the Warriors, the news was a little strange, and either good or bad depending on your team. Brandan Wright started again at PF, but played just 12 minutes for five points and two boards. Matt Barnes started at ! center and had eight points, four boards and two assists. Mickael Pietrus came off the bench for 19 points, 12 boards and two blocks and has now hit double digits in three of his last four games. Al Harrington played just 19 minutes and hit 5-of-13 shots for 13 points. As usual, the Warriors are one of the most complex teams to try to gauge fantasy value for. By the time you get Pietrus in your lineup, Harrington will be back in the mix, Biedrins will be back, etc. Again, outside of Baron, Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis, no one else is reliable. But one or two otheer guys will go big each week and there's never any rhyme or reason to it. My condolences if you started Wright th! is week, and nice, gutsy call if you have Pietrus in your lineup.
Johan Petro outplayed Nick Collison for the Sonics last night, but I don't expect it to happen often. Then again, Petro needs to be developed and there isn't much else to play for in Seattle. Chris Wilcox has been a beast for three straight games, averaging 23 points and 10 boards over that timeframe. Luke Ridnour played just 10 minutes off the bench last night, missed all four of his shots and failed to score. No word of an injury, so we'll see. Earl Watson is back in full effect, going for 23! points and seven dimes last night, and was probably Ridnour's ailment.
Detroit's Rasheed Wallace has been inconsistent this season and had just seven points and six boards last night. He did have three blocks and a 3-pointer, but his inability to go on a week-long tear this season has been annoying. Chauncey Billups returned from a personal absence for 20 points, nine assists, four threes and five steals. Wow.
Charlotte's Matt Carroll kept his hot streak going last night with 18 points, six boards, four assists, three steals and three 3-pointers. Congratulations if you ran him out there this week, but the run could be over if Gerald Wallace returns next week. Raymond Felton and Emeka Okafor both double-doubled last night and both have been nice since Jeff McInnis was dropped from the team.
Kirk Hinrich had 19 points and 12 assists last night while most of the other "big named" Bulls had nice lines. That meant that it was finally time for Larry Hughes to take a backseat, as he had just eight points and five assists. Drew Gooden had his best game as a Bull with 21 points! , 14 boa rds and three blocks, and has rendered Tyrus Thomas completely useless.
Darko Milicic has somehow put together decent back-to-back games, but hasn't blocked a shot in either of them. Something is weird about that, as his main fantasy value this season has been shot blocking. He had 21 points and seven boards last night, and 11 & 11 in his previous game. The Memphis backcourt is more confusing than Nellie's rotation in Golden State. Kyle Lowry and Javaris Crittenton looked like All-Stars again last night, while Mike Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro looked like they are ready for the D-League. When Mike Miller gets thrown back into the mix tonight, it will become even more confusing. I'm staying away from all four of the aforementioned guards in Memphis, but Miller should be worth playing again next week.
Kobe Bryant scored 17 fourth-quarter points, leading the Lakers on a 24-5 run to comeback and beat the Kings last night. He finished with 34 points and 10 boards, and had the dunk of the night on a breakaway 360. Pau Gasol had his best game as a Laker with 31 points, 10 boards, four dimes, two steals a! nd three blocks. Vladimir Radmanovic returned to action, but I get the feeling Luke Walton's going to start the rest of the way. For the Kings, John Salmons got hot early and scored 17 points, marking his best performance in about a month. But we'll need to see that a few more times before he'll be worth picking up. | | This e-mail is being sent at your request. To stop receiving these e-mails, click here. | |
