Not Kissing Cousins - 01/02/2012
BY Steve Alexander DeMarcus Cousins, Zach Randolph and Michael Beasley are making headlines for all the wrong reasons, while there are plenty of injury questions heading into Week 2 of the NBA season. Monday’s Dose will break it all down. First of all, the Hawks, Bucks, Thunder and Spurs all play five games this week, while the Clippers play two, and the Celtics and Sixers play just three times. Everyone else goes four times in Week 2. In leagues that use actual games played (not averages, or position-start limits), consider picking up and starting Marvin Williams, Jeff Teague, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova, Kendrick Perkins, DeJuan Blair, Richard Jefferson and Tiago Splitter. Conversely, owners of DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups (groin) will have to think long and hard about whether to start them, and I'm leaning toward benching them if you have four-game options available. I’m no longer going to cover every injury here on Mondays, but all the information you need is in the Rotoworld Injury Report. Click on the link for all the (bad) goodies. The NBA Season Pass is up and running, so check it out! Weekly projections and rankings, exclusive live chats, the schedule grid and breakdown, customizable scoring, and much more is all there. Top Stories Not Kissing Cousins DeMarcus Cousins reportedly demanded a trade on Sunday and has hit just 17-of-53 shots this season for the Kings. Word out of Sacramento is that it will be up to Cousins whether or not he goes on the upcoming road trip with his teammates, and he was sent home by coach Paul Westphal prior to Sunday night’s game. Geoff Petrie also said he doesn’t plan on trading Cousins, but you have to think they would listen to any and all offers right now. In any case, Petrie plans on meeting with Cousins on Monday and then we should know a lot more about his future with the Kings. Based on how bad he was playing before the ridiculous meltdown, I was already benching him this week. J.J. Hickson started in his place on Sunday and struggled, but is worth a look if Cousins is! going to miss multiple games due to his tantrum. Bench Cousins if you own him, but don’t cut him. Just wait and see how this all plays out. Down Goes Z-Bo, Conley Iffy Zach Randolph left Sunday’s game with a sprained knee and is iffy for the upcoming week. The good news is it’s just a sprain, but the bad news is that I saw it referred to as a “bad bruise” on Twitter, as well as the fact that he will need an MRI. We should know more information on Monday, so just keep an eye on the Rotoworld NBA news feed. My gut says it’s not a serious injury and that he won’t miss too much, if any, time with the problem. Both Dante Cunningham and Josh Davis would benefit from the loss of Z-Bo, but neither are must-own players unless he’s going to miss significant time. While we’re talking about the Grizzlies, who looked absolutely awful on Sunday, Mike Conley is day-to-day with his sprained ankle, but he tried to warm up and play last night. Again, stay tuned to Rotoworld for an update on his status, but for now, I’m benching him where I own him. Jeremy Pargo will benefit if Conley misses more games. The Beas’ Finger & Rise of Rubio Michael Beasley suffered a pretty gruesome left index finger injury on Sunday, when you could clearly see him freaking out on television by seeing his bone after suffering a “laceration” to the digit. It sounds like he’s going to try to play through it after taking five stitches, but I need more information before putting him in my lineup. While it would seem to be good news that he’s right handed, the bad news is that he shoots with his left hand. To be safe, I’m benching him for now. I’m guessing Wes Johnson will slide to SF and that Wayne Ellington will start at SG if Beasley misses any time, but only give them a look in deeper leagues. Anthony Tolliver could actually be the biggest winner if Beasley is out. And while we’re talking about the Wolves, Ricky Rubio has played every minute of every fourth quarter they’ve played thus far, and the Wolves got their first win by taking out Dallas on Sunday. Rubio has been a bit of a freak in his last couple games and if he’s still available in your league, pick him up immediately. Kobe Misfires For a Double-deuce Kobe Bryant hit just 6-of-28 shots on Sunday (22 misses), finally showing some signs of his well-publicized wrist injury, but I’m still not too worried about it, as he’s prepared to play through the pain. I think Arron Afflalo played solid D on Kobe, while his shot simply wasn’t falling. If I own Kobe, he’s back in my lineup again on Tuesday against the Rockets. And I’m only trading him if I get a very solid offer in return. Amare’s Ankle Amare Stoudemire’s ankle caused him to miss Saturday’s game and he’s iffy for Monday against the Raptors. Josh Harrellson had a nice double-double in Amare’s absence on Saturday, but I get the sense Amare will play tonight. Consider him a game-time decision, watch for updates and start him at your own risk. Warriors Notes Monta Ellis missed Saturday’s game to attend the funeral of his grandmother, while Stephen Curry played well in his return from a sprained right ankle. Both guards are expected to be available and ready for Monday’s game at Phoenix, so I’ve got both of them in my lineups. Dorell Wright is really struggling with all aspects of his game right now and looks like one of the bigger busts in fantasy drafts thus far. Let’s just remain calm and keep in mind that we’re only four games into this thing, and he’s averaging a whopping 34 minutes per game. The shooting and scoring should come around, and I like the thought of targeting him as a serious buy-low candidate right no! w. Whether you roll the dice on him this week depends on your options, but no one would blame you for benching him until he breaks out of the funk. The Suns and Warriors have an odd 3:30 Eastern start on Monday, so you’ll have to make decisions quickly on those players. Chauncey’s Groin Chauncey Billups has missed two straight games with a minor groin injury and was a game-time decision on Sunday. That should mean he’s close, but given the fact he’s gimpy and the Clippers play just two games, I’d recommend benching him for the time being, just to be safe. Caron Butler is the big winner if that happens, while Randy Foye and Mo Williams both get a boost. Foye started on Sunday, while Mo-Will started the previous game in his place, and both played pretty well last night. Commissioner Gordon Injured, As Usual Eric Gordon has missed three straight games with a bruised knee and sounds doubtful for Monday’s game against the Jazz. He’s been very injury prone in his young career and owners are getting more of the same today. He’s going to be a beast if and when he suits up for the Hornets, but I wouldn’t have the stones to start him this week if I owned him. Marco Belinelli is starting in his place, but Trevor Ariza is probably the guy who benefits most from his absence. Ripped Groin No, Richard Hamilton’s groin is not torn, but he missed Sunday’s game due to soreness in the area. No one on the Bulls is worth a pickup in his absence, but the injury doesn’t sound too serious. Rip isn’t exactly setting the league on fire right now, so surely you can find a safer guy to start in his place for your fantasy team. Hawks Woes The Hawks are playing well and winning games, but the big names have all been pretty inconsistent to start the season. I’m not sure why, but with five games, Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, Jeff Teague and Marvin Williams all look like must-starts, while Tracy McGrady is worth a close eye in most leagues. We’re only a week in and I think the aforementioned players will get it going this week. My Name Is Jonas Jonas Jerebko is averaging nearly 14 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a 3-pointer in four games this season and could have a handle on the starting PF job in Detroit. Charlie Villanueva’s suspension is over, but he hasn’t played due to the fact he hasn’t practiced and may not be in shape. As long as JJ is starting, he should be in starting lineups for fantasy owners. Sammy D vs. Jordan Hill Just when it seemed as if Samuel Dalembert was ready to take over the starting center job from Jordan Hill on Saturday, Hill responded with season highs of 11 points and 15 rebounds (career high), and added a steal and a block in another start. Hill hadn’t done a whole lot up to that point, while Dalembert is averaging six points, six boards and 2.5 blocks in just 19 minutes off the bench. Sammy D is going to start at some point, but the numbers are good enough that he should probably be starting in fantasy leagues right now. The Rockets play four times this week, and I recommend running Sammy out there instead of DeAndre Jordan (2 games) this week. And if Dalembert replaces Hill as the star! ter, it’s just a bonus. Wha’ Happened? Toronto’s James Johnson got off to a ridiculous start, racking up 14 boards, seven assists, eight steals and five blocks in his first two games, making him a hot pickup. But he’s disappeared in his last two games and his minutes have taken a nose dive. I doubt it lasts, but I’m benching him until the drought is over. As I said on Twitter, having JJ disappear while in the starting lineup in my 30-team league makes me feel like my dog ran away. He’ll be on my bench this week and possibly cut if the minutes don’t return soon. Wha’ Happened?, Part 2 Marshon Brooks rattled off 17, 17 and 21 points in three straight games and appeared to be able to score at will in all of them. He then played just 12 minutes and didn’t score on Sunday, as he was apparently benched due to some defensive struggles. Avery Johnson said afterwards that he expects Brooks to bounce back, and I concur. However, I’m going to bench him for now, as he looks more like a “nice to own” option instead of an automatic starter right now. And when I bench him, you can probably expect him to have a big week for the Nets. Start him at your own risk. Out of Favors Derrick Favors is officially coming off the bench now that Al Jefferson’s ankle is healthy, with Paul Millsap starting at PF for the Jazz. This is a three-headed monster, but Jefferson and Millsap are the guys you want in your lineup for now. Favors is worth holding in all leagues, but I’m going to put him on the bench until he wins the starting job again, or if Jefferson or Millsap suffer an injury. Jamal Crawford vs. Nick Young Young has taken over the starting gig from Crawford but the two are alternating big games for the Wizards. Young looks like the safer own/play for now, but Crawford is not going away quietly. Both guys are a bit of a fantasy crapshoot, so weigh your options carefully when thinking about putting either of them into your lineup. On a side note, my guy JaVale McGee had 16 points, 14 boards and five blocks on Sunday, and after a bit of an erratic start, looks like a must-start center going forward. You’re welcome. Heating Up Ryan Anderson – Averaging 19.5 pts, 6.5 rebs, 4.0 threes and nearly a block per game. Start him. Spencer Hawes – 12 pts, 12.5 boards, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks after four games. Roll with him. Mehmet Okur – 12 pts, 5.5 rebs, 2.0 3-pointers in last two games. Startable as fantasy center. Jared Dudley – 15 pts, 1.5 3-pointers over last two games, could be heating up. Chase Budinger – 14 pts, 1.5 steals, 2.0 3-pointers over last two games. Coming on. Nicolas Batum – 11.5 pts, 6.0 rebs, 1.0 blks and 1.5 threes. Looked good on Sunday, grab him. George Hill – 15.5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 steals over last two games. Give him a look. Caron Butler – 14.5 pts, 4.3 rebs, 2.8 asts, 1.3 stls, 1.5 threes on season. Play him until injury. Norris Cole – 12 pts, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals in five games and big on Sunday. Worth a stash. Carlos Delfino – 5 games this week, 15 pts, 6 rebs, 3 3-pointers in debut. Worth a shot in Week 2. |
