Dose: MLK Day Recap - 01/17/2012
BY Steve Alexander The Big 5 Injury Status
Derrick Rose was a very late scratch on Monday, although we did say in an early blurb that he “seems doubtful.” His toe injury won’t go away, he’s still wearing a walking boot and remains day-to-day. He’ll be doubtful for Tuesday’s game at Phoenix, then the Bulls are off until Friday, which seems like the most realistic target date for his return. Just stay tuned Tuesday and make sure he’s officially ruled out.
The Heat have “no timetable” for a return date on Dwyane Wade, although he hasn’t been ruled out for Tuesday’s game, yet. His ankle sprain wasn’t pretty and owners just have to hope he feels bette! r tonight and gives it a go. But the reality is he could also miss the entire week.
Chris Paul missed Monday’s game against the Nets with his hamstring injury, but is traveling with the team. That means he could play tonight at Utah, so consider him a game-time decision for now.
Carmelo Anthony played through his wrist and ankle issues on Monday and had 33 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals in another ugly Knicks loss. Hopefully you had him in your lineup, where he should stay. He said he tweaked his ankle, but fully expects to play again on Wednesday.
Stephen Curry doesn’t sound likely to play on Tuesday due to his sprained ankle. H! e says he’s close to 100 percent, but owners should probably be thankful he’ll get an extra game to heal. My guess is we’ll see him Wednesday at New Jersey. 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. Do you miss football already? Didn’t get into enough hoops leagues? Check out SnapDraft, where you can draft a new team every night and win some cash.
Other Injury News
Eric Gordon is targeting returning from his sore knee early next week. This is great news, but owners will be gun shy and worried about his next inju! ry.
Andrea Bargnani was out again with his calf injury. The good news is it’s not as bad as the Raps originally feared, but the bad news is he could miss more games. Consider him questionable for Wednesday.
Andrew Bogut returned from a concussion and had 20 points, 11 boards and three blocks.
Spencer Hawes had 10 points, 11 boards and hit a couple threes on Monday. He’s been dealing with a sore back and didn’t play well in his return, but looked better yesterday. Hopefully the problem is behind him.
Evan Turner was out Monday with a right thigh contusion and is day! -to-day, despite saying he would play through the injury. It doesn&rsq uo;t sound serious.
Andray Blatche returned to action from his shoulder injury and had 11 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. I doubt he’s coming off the bench all season, or for much longer, and he should be owned in most leagues. I was thrilled to see him sitting there in a 14-team league on Monday morning and grabbed him.
Jose Juan Barea wants to play through his ankle injury on Wednesday, which might cool off a hot Wayne Ellington, who has scored 15 and 13 points in his last two games.
Trevor Ariza sounds likely to return from his groin injury this week and shou! ld go straight back into the starting lineup for the Hornets.
Rashard Lewis missed Monday with a sore knee, as Chris Singleton got another start. While Singleton’s production hasn’t exactly been mind-blowing, it is pretty clear that you can stick a fork in Lewis.
Derrick Favors is listed as doubtful for Tuesday with a sprained ankle. This just means that Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson should be in all starting lineups, no questions asked.
Vince Carter sprained his foot on the final play of Monday’s game and is day-to-day. He was playing well coming in, but wasn’t great last night, and should probably be left on waivers with the injury.
For all the rest of the injury news you need, check out the Rotoworld Injury Report.
Game News and Notes
The Good
John Wall had a career-high 38 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals and a block in Monday's loss to the Rockets, and I think I speak for all his owners when I say ‘it’s about time.’ Maybe this will kick start his season, which has been a bit of a disaster until this gem.
Russell Westbrook scored 26 po! ints, filled out the stat sheet and hit some dagger threes to close out the Celtics last night. When he’s rolling, he’s as fun to own as any player in the league. Especially when he’s shimmying and trying to dance like Michael Jackson.
Ryan Anderson scored a career-high 30 with seven 3-pointers and seven rebounds, and is having a career season. He will cool off from downtown, where he’s shooting a ridiculous 45 percent, but should produce all season long. Ride him if you own him.
Marreese Speights had 16 points, 12 rebounds and a block, and while he’s off to a slow start, this line should be a sign of things to come, and he should be owned/held in most leagues.
J.J. Redick had 21 points and three 3-pointers. It sounds like Jason Richardson could miss the whole week with his knee injury, meaning Redick should be in lineups until his return.
Samuel Dalembert had 20 points, seven rebounds and three more blocks on Monday, as the slump and slow start are officially over. I preached patience with Sammy D and am just hoping you all hung in there with him.
Nicolas Batum had 19 points, six rebounds and two 3-pointers, and was the player of the game for the blazers. We’ve been asking for more minutes and Mar! cus Camby’s ankle injury has delivered them. Based on Batum’s last two lines, he’s a must-start player until Camby is back.
MarShon Brooks had 19 points, eight rebounds and two 3-pointers Monday, and has quickly become one of my favorite players to watch. There will be peaks and valleys throughout the season, but I’m going to try to hold through the good and bad.
Paul Pierce hit 8-of-15 shots from the field (including two threes) for 24 points on Monday against the Thunder, and also added five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Hopefully the heel is feeling better and he’s ready to start doing this on a consistent basis after some recent struggles.
Leandro Barbosa had 22 points and two 3-pointe rs on Monday, and has now scored in double figures in six straight games and topped 20 points in three of those. I picked him up in a few leagues over the past few days and he’s definitely worth a look if you have a hole to fill. I just hope he can keep it going once DeMar DeRozan heats back up.
Taj Gibson had 16 points, five boards, two steals and three blocks for the Bulls on Monday. He’s been hot for several games now and is embarrassing Joakim Noah along the way. You have to think Noah will eventually figure it out and quiet Gibson’s roll, but for now, he’s worth monitoring closely in most leagues.
Mickael Pietrus had 14 points and three 3-pointers in Monday’s loss for the Celtics and is worth keeping an eye on from here on out. He should be their sixth man going forward.
Wayne Ellington has scored 15 and 13 points in his last two games for the Wolves and is simply worth a watchful eye for now. Luke Ridnour, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love are rolling right now and all three should be in all lineups. Love has started off the season with 13 straight double-doubles, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to do so.
The Bad and Ugly
Coach ! Keith Smart is hinting of lineup changes after Monday’s loss to the Timberwolves, but I’m not sure what they would be. John Salmons, J.J. Hickson and Marcus Thornton might be on a short leash right now, so stay tuned for more news out of Sacramento soon. They’re off until Wednesday.
Kobe Bryant hit just 7-of-22 shots for 14 points in a win over the Mavs and failed to hit 40 points after doing so in four straight games. OK, so he’s human.
JaVale McGee was benched for the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter in Monday's game after throwing himself an off-the-! backboard pass on an open-court dunk when the 1-11 Wizards were down by six points late in the third quarter. He’s still a fantasy beast and is going to play, despite the theatrics and it’s worth clicking on the link to see the madness for yourself.
Chris Kaman was benched for Jason Smith on Monday, but Smith only got 11 minutes and two points. Kaman played just 23 minutes and Carl Landry just 10, so I have no idea what Monty Williams is doing here. Emeka Okafor had a nice line and I’d recommend just hanging onto Kaman and see where this train wreck is heading for the rest of the week.
Amare Stoudemire is not injured, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at his line. Ten points, two rebounds and no blocks. Yuck.
Speaking of yuck, Tyrus Thomas had just one point, one board and one steal in 16 minutes. He’s starting for the Bobcats, which is about the only nice thing you can say about him. Then when you cut him, he’ll blow up for 16 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks because that’s how he rolls. And then when you pick him back up and put him in your lineup...well, you get the idea.
Boris Diaw bottomed out playing just 11 minutes on Monday and is now on the trading block. I imagine he’ll have value again at some point this season, but I’m prepared to dump him across the board if nothing changes by Sunday.
Anthony Morrow came off the bench (behind DeShawn Stevenson) for the first time in six games, just as owners finally got him back in lineups. Avery Johnson is not a fantasy-friendly coach, and Morrow’s 16 minutes of nothing was painful for many of us. Morrow had been as hot as any player in the league, so let’s just hope this one a one-game fluke.
James Harden didn’t do much with his minutes on Monday while Thabo Sefolosha took over his role and scored 19 points. I’m not worried about this one. Serge Ibaka’s struggles continued with six points, four boards and four blocks in 23 minutes. I’m glad I don’t own him, but his trade value is too low to move right now. I think owners should just continue to hang on and move him once he’s trending upward.
Zaza Pachulia came off the bench behind Jason Collins in the Hawks win and played just 17 minutes. While this is a bit of a concern, Collins is nothing more than a defensive presence, and Pachulia should be held for now. ! ;Marvin Williams missed all five of his shots yesterday, but I still think he’s worth owning with Al Horford done for the season. Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Jeff Teague all posted big lines and look like the primary beneficiaries to the loss of Horford. |
