Ryan Anderson's Big Day - 12/26/2011
BY Steve Alexander Day 1 of the NBA fantasy season is in the books and there is already plenty to talk about. We’re going to dive in and get right to it, as a full slate of 12 games is on tap for Monday night (along with the Falcons vs. Saints). The NBA Season Pass and Draft Guide are available, so check them out. Waiver Wire Ryan Anderson started at power forward for the Magic and blew up for 25 points, 10 boards, two steals and six 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Glen Davis quietly came off the bench, while Hedo Turkoglu struggled in the starting lineup on 3-of-10 shooting. Anderson likely locked up the starting gig for the foreseeable future and the rebounds and threes were not a fluke – that’s what he does. He was drafted in many leagues, but certainly not all of them. While it’s a little early to be cutting guys you drafted, this is a case that probably makes sense. If you own Carlos Delfino or anyone else you're unsure ! of and want to drop him for Anderson, do it. Andris Biedrins has essentially disappeared over the past two years, struggling with serious confidence and injury issues. He started for Mark Jackson and the Warriors last night and hit all five of his shots for 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots in 20 minutes. Is one solid, 20-minute performance really enough to cause us all to jump on his bandwagon in fantasy? If you own Brendan Haywood the answer is probably ‘yes.’ Biedrins could easily drop with an injury at any time, or lose minutes to Kwame Brown, but he looked healthy, active and in shape last night. If you&! rsquo;re thin at center he’s definitely worth a look. As for Brendan Haywood, I don’t understand how he can play this badly all season but so far, he just looks terrible. If you want to cut him for guys like Biedrins, Spencer Hawes, DeJuan Blair or even Timofey Mozgov, it could make sense. Brandon Bass hit 9-of-13 shots for 20 points and 11 rebounds off the Celtics bench on Sunday and immediately became a hot fantasy pickup. While Bass’s game was great and opportunities should be there for him to succeed, the stars aligned for Bass yesterday. Paul Pierce was out with a heel injury and Jeff Green’s season ended before it started due to heart surgery. Jermaine O’Neal was also in foul trouble and lasted just 17 minutes, clearing more minutes for Bass. Once Pierce returns, Bass may have trouble posting a line like this, but then again, you have to think O’Neal is going to be injured and missing games soon. And the reality is that Bass and Kevin Garnett are probably the closest things the Celtics have to a starting NBA center once O’Neal’s in street clothes. In other words, Bass is worth owning in most leagues. Udonis Haslem came off the Heat’s bench for nine points, 14 boards and a block, while starter Chris Bosh had a bad day. I’ve been a little worried about Haslem’s rebounding prowess hurting Bosh and it seemed to come true last night. However, I really doubt Bosh is this bad and Haslem is this good very often. Haslem’s worth a look in deeper leagues, but I’d much rather take a flier on one of the aforementioned players. The Lakers got nice performances out of Josh McRoberts (6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks), Troy Murphy (7 points, 8 rebounds, 1 3-pointer) and Steve Blake (12 points, 2 3-pointers) in a tough loss to the Bulls. None of them were huge, but owners in deep leagues should give all three players a look, as Blake appears to have found his shot again after losing it last year, and McRoberts and Murphy should have some value over the next three games while Andrew Bynum finishes out his four-game suspension. Brandon Rush scored 12 points and hit two 3-pointers in 28 minutes off the Warriors bench, making him worth a look in deeper leagues. My guess is he’ll do more to hurt the value of Dorell Wright than he will to help fantasy owners, so I would put him on a watch list rather than picking him up. Christmas Day Highlights Superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant all lived up to the hype with huge fantasy lines. Rajon Rondo’s 31 points, 13 assists and five steals were a thing of beauty for the Celtics, and I can’t wait to see if he can keep his mojo going all season, or if he’ll do a mid-season swoon again. Toney Douglas was solid with 19 points, four assists, three steals and two 3-pointers for the Knicks. He should be in all lineups right now, but be prepared for Baron Davis to make an appearance in the next couple weeks and rain on his parade. Jameer Nelson had 18 points and six assists for the Magic and could end up being one of the better value picks at PG if he can stay healthy all season. James Harden came off the bench but still managed 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, with most of his damage coming from the free throw line. Chris Paul struggled for most of three quarters but got hot late, once he started looking for his shot instead of passing to Chauncey Billups, to finish with 20 points and nine assists. Paul is still a major fantasy stud, but there are too many guards playing for Vinny Del Negro and I’m a little concerned that CP3 could be a little passive in this offense. DeAndre Jordan blocks eight shots and missed eight free throws during “hack-a-Jordan.” Fantasy owners won blocks and lost free throw percentage with Jordan last night, but it really looks like he could lead the league in shot blocking. Billups ! didn’t meet a shot he didn’t like last night, launching 10 3-pointers and hitting just 6-of-19 shots, but his fantasy line was still solid. He’s going to be a fantasy steal this year, although I am worried about him stealing some of Paul’s thunder. David Lee was nice for the Warriors with 21 points, 12 boards and a block, and looked fantastic against the Clippers. Christmas Day Duds Serge Ibaka was awful for OKC, failing to score in 23 minutes and finishing with six boards and two blocks. Ibaka was an early target in fantasy drafts and while it was great to see him start, Scott Brooks’ rotations are a little concerning. Brooks did this to Ibaka at times last year and I’m just hoping this was a fluke and not a sign of things to come. Do not cut Ibaka. Kendrick Perkins wasn’t much better with six points, four boards and a block, while Russell Westbrook hit just 6-of-17 shots and committed seven turnovers. My guess is all three players will be much better in the next one.! Stephen Curry surprisingly played through his sprained ankle but had just four points, four assists and five turnovers on 2-of-12 shooting. Keep in mind with all of these guys that training camps were lost and the preseason was just two games long. There are going to be some slow starters. The good news is Curry’s ankle didn’t appear to be what was causing his problems. Monta Ellis was better, but hit just 6-of-19 shots, missed all five of his 3-pointers and committed four turnovers to go along with eight assists. While I’m not really worried about Monta and Curry (outside of the latter’s ankle), Dorell Wright might be another story. He was just 1-of-6 last night a! nd Rush got too many minutes for my liking. Wright’s preseason wasn’t great, either, and while I’m not giving up on him, it does feel like he was overvalued coming in. Tyson Chandler was pretty awful in his Knicks debut with just seven points and three rebounds, but did add six blocks in 37 minutes. He’s getting to know his new team and should bounce back Wednesday at Golden State. Landry Fields was also quiet with seven points in 34 minutes and could struggle to match the success he saw last season as a rookie. Richard Hamilton started for the Bulls, but had six points and five fouls in 23 minutes. Don’t give up on Rip, as I’m still expecting him to be a real nice fantasy player with the Bulls. Vince Carter started for the Mavs, but may have looked like the worst player in the league yesterday, although Jason Kidd and Brendan Haywood weren’t much better. I have no interest in owning Kidd this year, and am thinking about jumping ship early on Haywood. And given the fact Delonte West scored 10 points and looked pretty good is more bad news for Carter, who hit just 2-of-6 shots for five points in 21 minutes. Lamar Odom was also ejected after arguing with official, finishing with just four points in 13 minutes, while Shawn Marion scored 12 points and hauled in six boards while suffering a broken finger. However, it doesn’t sound like he’ll miss any time. I don’t know if the Heat were just that good or if the Mavericks are really this bad, but it’s probably some sort of combination of the two. Jason Richardson was awful for the Magic, hitting just 1-of-10 shots for two points and three turnovers. Hang tight on him and prepare for him to bounce back tonight. Monday’s Schedule & Notes Pistons @ Pacers – Charlie Villanueva’s suspended so Jonas Jerebko should start. Pacers are healthy. Nets @ Wizards – Brook Lopez is out for a couple months, Jan Vesely iffy for Wiz. Rockets @ Magic – Patrick Patterson iffy for HOU, Samuel Dalembert iffy, but should play. Bucks @ Bobcats – Bogut & Delfino a little iffy, but Bogut should play. Tyrus Thomas doubtful. Raptors @ Cavaliers – Sleeper alert on James Johnson, will Kyrie Irving start for CLE? Thunder @ Timberwolves – OKC should roll, most banged up Wolves (including Love/Rubio) should play. Nuggets @ Mavericks – Ty Lawson expects to play, as does Shawn Marion. Grizzlies @ Spurs – Marc Gasol (ankle) likely, but watch for updates, no Gary Neal for Spurs. Hornets @ Suns – Jarrett Jack is suspended tonight, Marcin Gortat to play through broken hand. Sixers @ Blazers – Sixers are healthy, Marcus Camby should start for Blazers. Lakers @ Kings – Kobe’s going to keep playing despite wrist, Kings will start Chuck Hayes. Bulls @ Warriors – Bulls beat the Lakers Sunday, both teams are healthy coming in. Follow me on Twitter! | 
