 | Bye, Bye Blake - 01/14/2010
BY Steve Alexander I usually handle game news on Wednesday nights, leaving Matt Stroup with the daunting task of trying to summarize a 13-game night in one column, but the tables have been turned this week due to a few schedule changes. Blake Griffin, DeJuan Blair, Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant, Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks and even Chuck Hayes! all made headlines on Wednesday. Now let's try to figure out what should matter to fantasy owners going forward.
See Ya - Blake Griffin Out For Year
Blake Griffin will not play this season due to the stress fracture in his left knee that will now require surgery. Obviously it would have been a better plan to have the surgery when he was first injured, but the Clips were trying to avoid the worst-case scenario. Go ahead and drop him if you were holding him, and expect for Marcus Camby (20 rebounds after leaving his last one early with the flu) and Chris Kaman (back) to continue ! to hold things down in the paint. It sounds like Kaman's MRI went well and he is hoping to play on Friday. If you want to pick up DeAndre Jordan in the meantime, feel free to do so. As injury prone as Camby and Kaman are, Jordan should get his chances over the second half.
Kobe can still play when he should be in street clothes
Kobe Bryant played through a sore back and his numerous finger injuries to score just 10 points in 35 minutes last night. Of course, two of his 10 proved to be the game-winning points over Dallas, as his shot with 28 seconds remaining proved to be the difference. I am officially concerned about Kobe missing a game or two, as he almost chose to sit out last night's win. And if you somehow had the sack to bench him this week, congratulations are in order (depending on who you actually ran out there instead). Othe! r things that went down in this game that you need to know about:
Andrew Bynum had 22 & 11 as Pau Gasol missed another game with a hamstring injury.
Gasol is due back on Friday, so Bynum's run could be about to end - again. Ron Artest double-doubled, but is still not a fantastic fantasy option this season, while Lamar Odom also posted one with 18 & 14. Everything is coming up roses right now for fantasy owners of Lakers who aren't named Pau or Kobe. As for Bynum, I'm still going to stick with him, as Gasol is clearly not out of the woods yet and he has shown in the past he can play with PG. We'l! l see.
For the Mavs, they got 30 points and 16 boards out of Dirk Nowitzki, while Josh Howard finally replaced Juan Jose Barea in the starting five and had 18 points and three 3-pointers. Time to roll with Howard if you can.
DeJuan Blair Needs More Minutes
DeJuan Blair took advantage of a Tim Duncan DNP-CD on Wednesday for career highs of 28 points and 21 rebounds in 31 minutes, as the Spurs beat the Thunder in OT on Richard Jefferson's game-winner. Gregg Popo! vich acted shocked at what Blair had done after the game, but we're not sure why. Every single time the kid has gotten minutes this year, he's flirted with double-doubles and solid numbers.
The bad news for Duncan is that this might encourage Pop to be more willing to bench him for Blair going forward. We hinted that Duncan's minutes were about to get funky after Tuesday's game, and also had his DNP posted well before the game started on Wednesday, so it pays to keep up with our news blurbs. I've been preaching doom and gloom with Duncan's DNPs all year, and while we've only seen two of them so far, we've got a long way to go. And now it sounds like Duncan could sit either end of several back-to-backs in the future. The Spurs have 10 sets of them coming up, including one this weekend, two in February, five in March and two in April. Let the good times and guess work roll. Tony Parker was solid with 28 points, eight assists and three 3 -pointers, while Manu Ginobili was not, going 0-for-10 for two points. Russell Westbrook had another big night for the Thunder with 25 points, six boards and 13 assists in the tough loss.
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Brandon Roy's Hamstring Problem Sounds Serious
Brandon Roy's hamstring tightness is officially a big deal. "I don't want to have to miss two weeks of basketball," said Roy. "After it got really tight, I told coach, 'This could be serious' ... I've strained it before, so I know the feeling, and i! t's like we are on the cusp again.'' Roy said he wants to keep playing, but the Blazers' training staff will probably have the final word. Consider him questionable for Friday's home game, but it sounds like a couple missed games here and there are better than the alternative.
Other Injury Concerns
Kevin Martin should return from his broken wrist on Friday, freaking out Tyreke Evans owners worldwide. I don't think Martin is going to completely ruin Evans, nor do I think he's going to make him unplayable. Yes, Evans owners should be slightly concerned, but that's about it. But if you own Beno Udrih, prepare for a big drop off.
Stev e Nash suffered a nasty lip injury last night that required stitches both inside and outside of his mouth, but played through it to finish with 20 points and nine assists. He should be good to go.
Vince Carter missed Wednesday's game with his shoulder injury and remains day-to-day. That makes three straight games missed, as Matt Barnes blew up for 28 points, nine boards and two 3-pointers last night. Barnes and Mickael Pietrus have both been playing well in Carter's absence, and Carter's availability for Friday will likely be based on what he does at today's practice. Stay tuned.
Dwyane Wade played through a sore wrist and looked great, hitting 10-of-15 shots and 15-of-15 free throws for 35 points, seven boards, nine assists and three steals. Crisis avoided.
Devin Harris also played through a wrist injury and had 15 points and six assists on 5-of-13 shooting. I saw a question on Twitter about trading Jose Calderon straight up to get Devin Harris, which I am in favor of. While I don't trust Harris from an injury standpoint, he at least has upside, while Calderon offers the same injury risk, yet will be locked in a timeshare with Jarrett Jack the rest of the way.
Vladimir Radmanovic left last night's game with an Achilles' injury, which is not cool. After all the time I've spent writing about him and all the times he's been picked up by fantasy owners, it's quite an unfortunate turn of events. We'll hopefully know more on his condition Thursday for Friday. And with Vlad-Rad now down, Anthony Morrow will be forced back into the spotlight. He responded last night with 24 points and four 3-pointers, meaning it's time to jump back on his bandwagon. Andris Biedrins had six points, eight boards and three blocks, and will also be forced into more minutes if Vlad-Rad is down for a while. C.J. Watson also left with a finger injury and is day-to-day.!
Al Harrington played through his calf injury to finish with 17 points and seven rebounds, as he continues to defy the odds and play through injuries.
Rudy Fernandez returned from a back injury and had two points on 1-of-5 shooting. He might be worth a deep-league pickup, but will only be truly valuable if Roy were to be shut down with his hammy.
Other Big Performances From Wednesday
Aaron Brooks went off for a career-high 43 points in a triple-OT win over the Timberwolves, adding in five assists and just one turnover in more than 59 minutes. Shane Battier added 1! 4 points, 12 boards, three assists, two steals, five blocks and two 3- pointers the night, while Al Jefferson went off for the Timberwolves by dropping 26 points and 26 boards on the center-less Rockets. Brooks and Jefferson should obviously be starting for fantasy teams, while Battier is worth owning in some instances. We all know he has the potential to post bit numbers every night, but he simply doesn't do it consistently. Ryan Gomes scored 18 points off the Wolves bench and we still think he's worth a close eye, while Chuck Hayes had the night of his life for Houston, finishing with 10 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks. Keep in mind this was a triple-OT game and that Hayes is simply not an offensive weapon. In other words, ! he's a sucker bet.
Ersan Ilyasova hit 9-of-15 shots for 24 points, five boards and four 3-pointers last night. Jodie Meeks scored a career-high 21 on 9-of-17 shooting with three 3-pointers, and could be good for more good games with Michael Redd out. Luke Ridnour had 12 points and eight assists, and remains a solid pickup if you need a guard.
Jermaine O'Neal scored a season-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting and had seven rebounds. And yes, owners should be thinking "sell high" after this one.
Mike Dunleavy scored 30 and hit four treys for the Pacers, whi ch may or may not have been a fluke, but it does appear that the slump is over.
Marvin Williams had 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks in a win over the Wizards, and has been playing pretty well lately. Check out his game log and recent stats and see if he might be able to help your team.
Samuel Dalembert stayed hot with 12 points and 21 rebounds, but there are serious concerns about him missing time after last night's devastating earthquake in Haiti. I imagine basketball isn't the No. 1 thing on his mind today.
Peja Stojakovic's most recent slump is over after he scored 20 and hit four threes last night. He's available in many leagues and ! is worth a grab if you need threes.
Jeff Green double-doubled last night with 16 & 10, and if anyone figures out how to predict what he will do from night to night, just let me know.
Not So Big Nights
Rafer Alston missed all four of his shots and had just one point in 27 minutes. He'll eventually get it going, so just stick him on your bench for now.
Andre Iguodala was just 2-of-9 for four points last night, but should remain in all starting lineups.
Lou Williams had just five points last night on 1-of-7 shooting, and is getting weird minutes from coach! Eddie Jordan. I expect him to bounce back, so consider him in a mini- slump for now.
Dwight Howard hit just 1-of-7 shots for eight points in last night's loss. He did have 13 rebounds, but Stan Van Gundy isn't doing something right with Dwight, as opposing big men usually dominate against the Nuggets. And why Dwight is only getting seven shots is beyond me.
A.J. Price had just three points last night, finally cooling off. Dunleavy got hot and Earl Watson played well again, leaving Price without as many touches as he'd been getting. Roy Hibbert was demoted (again) but had 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in a loss to Phoenix. And the fact he did so o! n a night when Troy Murphy played well (not great, with 9 points, 14 boards), gives Hibbert owners hope for the future.
Email and Twitter
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