Dunk of All Dunks? - 01/31/2012
BY Steve Alexander Monday was another crazy night in the Association, and I’ve decided that managing a winning fantasy hoops team might be the most difficult thing to do in fantasy sports. It’s an everyday job, and there are lineup tweaks and injuries every single night. Especially this season, as every hour seems to bring a new injury. Yesterday’s victims included Al Jefferson, Andray Blatche, MarShon Brooks, Jameer Nelson and Nicolas Batum. Tuesday's Injury Report Al Jefferson sat with a sore right foot, and the fact he’s taken two injections, is in a walking boot and said he felt like he was “walking on glass” during his last game is a little scary. Scary enough that I picked up Derrick Favors in a couple leagues on Monday afternoon. Favors wasn’t great last night, but should be worth owning for as long as Jefferson is out. Jefferson remains day-to-day, but could miss the whole week, so while Favors isn’t a must-own guy, he's nice to have if you’ve got the room. Andray Blatche will miss three to five weeks with a strained calf. Ironically, I had to cut him in one league to get a healthy player (Favors), and did so about three hours before this news was announced. So I’m glad I made the move. I just traded MarShon Brooks to get Blatche, and it ended up being a trade of shall we say, garbage for junk. More on Brooks in a minute. Blatche will be replaced by both Jan Vesely and Trevor Booker, but Booker looks like the best option for now after going for 14 points, nine boards and two blocks off the bench last night. MarShon Brooks has a fractured toe and has been shelved indefinitely. Anthony Morrow is the guy to pick up here, as DeShawn Stevenson (knee) and Damion James (foot, out for season) are also in trouble. I am dropping Brooks and Blatche across the board, picking up guys like Michael Beasley, Vince Carter, Jared Dudley, Jerryd Bayless, Mike Dunleavy and, in some cases, Chris Duhon and Derrick Favors (short term). Jameer Nelson is out for the week with a concussion, meaning Chris Duhon should get all the minutes he can handle. If you were late to the party and missed out on Duhon, you’ll be happy to know he had three points and two assists in 35 minutes last night. But the good news is he played 35 minutes, so there’s a chance he’ll pay off with three games left this week. Nicolas Batum went down at the end of Monday’s game after twisting his left knee and is awaiting an MRI on Tuesday morning. This one could go either way – he could be fine, or be out for an extended time. He had a nice line with 15 points, four 3-pointers, a steal and a block, and as an owner in several leagues, I’m hoping he’s OK. Steve Nash was out with a thigh contusion and will be iffy for Wednesday at New Orleans. Carmelo Anthony is questionable for tonight’s game, but my gut says he’s playing, and that he’ll play well. He really burned his owners last week, especially those of us in weekly lineup leagues, but I’m expecting a bounce back this time around. If he doesn’t play tonight, he should be ready by Thursday, and could give owners three nice games. But I think he’s going to do it four times. Stephen Curry says his ankle is still bothering him, but he’s looked good playing through it. All you can do is roll him out there and hope for the best, which is exactly what I’m doing in several leagues right now. Rajon Rondo could return tonight, according to coach Doc Rivers, but keep in mind that he’s missed six straight games with a wrist injury, despite the fact that Danny Ainge said he was fine after initially suffering the injury. Rondo said recently he could be out until near the All-Star break, which is roughly three weeks from now, so I’m not convinced Rondo will play against the Cavs on Tuesday, or at all this week. Hopefully we have a new update on Tuesday afternoon. Dunk of the Year? Blake Griffin may have had the dunk of the year without even dunking, as he threw one down over Kendrick Perkins that was basically unforgettable. I’m not sure what else to say about it, other than that the pass from Paul was just about as good as the dunk, in a boring, textbook sort of way. Griffin's blast quickly sent this one from LeBron James over John Lucas to No. 2 on the list. Game News and Notes Magic Fall To Sixers Ryan Anderson had 14 points and 20 rebounds in another loss by the Magic, signaling that he’s back, while J.J. Redick started for injured Jason Richardson and had 10 points and three 3-pointers. I predicted Redick getting a starting job on Sunday, and regardless of how injured Richardson’s knee is, Redick could get a real chance here going forward. He’s not must-own, but he’s nice to have right now. Hedo Turkoglu hit 1-of-9 shots, which was good for negative fantasy points in many leagues. Hopefully he&rsquo! ;s ready to break out of the funk soon, as he’s scored a total of 13 points over his last three games, hitting 4-of-24 shots over that stretch. Had I done proper research, I would have benched him this week. The Magic have lost six of eight games, and trade rumors involving Dwight Howard heated up again last night, as Stephen Jackson missed a game AFTER his one-game suspension ended. There’s a chance he could be heading to New Jersey, but there’s also a chance he is simply leashed to a chain inside the doghouse of Scott Skiles. Whatever the case, bench Jackson until we see him back on the court. Jrue Holiday was terrible for the Sixers last night, despite putting just three guys in double digits, led by Andre Iguodala’s 14 points. Holiday’s assists have been disappointing this season and he was just 3-of-11 for six points and six dimes last night, but he looks like a great buy-low candidate to me. Bulls Beat Wizards Richard Hamilton tweaked his groin injury and missed last night’s game, while Luol Deng continues to sit with his wrist injury. Both are too shaky to start right now, and are borderline droppable. I might hold onto Deng if I owned him, but the wrist could be a problem all year. No one would blame you for dropping him, but just know the move could backfire (or make you look like a genius, as well as help you sleep better at night). Derrick Rose went off for a season-high 35 with eight dimes and three blocks, and says his toe is feeling better (yes!). JaVale McGee had another big night with 16 points, nine boards and three more blocks, and could benefit from the loss of Blatche. Heat Over Hornets LeBron James and Dwyane Wade went off last night, while Chris Bosh cooled off. You could see this coming with Bosh, as he was unlikely to keep up the dominant run he was on, especially with Wade finally healthy again. Mike Miller had 14 points, but hurt his shooting hand, and while he’s intriguing, the injury problems are going to linger, so I’d ignore him. The Hornets box score is flat-out boring, although Greivis Vasquez is starting to come on a bit. If you’re in a deep league, he’s worth watching over the next couple games after scoring 11 last night and handing out eight dimes in his previous game. Minnesota Beats Houston Nikola Pekovic started again for the Wolves, with eight points and seven boards in just 19 minutes, as Darko Milicic sat out again due to a lingering illness. Pekovic isn’t a must-own player, but could be if he steals Darko’s job. Michael Beasley has proven me wrong and went off for a season-high 34 points off the bench, which is a Timberwolves record for a non-starter. He had 18 in his previous game and now looks like a must-own player now that his foot injury is behind him. He’s helped by the fact the Wolves are 10-11, and has rendered Derrick Williams useless (drop him). Ricky Rubio blew up for 18 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, and is a candidate for waiver-wire pickup of the year. Or he was a great late draft choice. Either way, you have to think his first triple-double is just around the corner. Kevin Martin returned for the Rockets and had 29 points after missing a couple games with plantar fasciitis, while Kyle Lowry had just 11 points and three dimes in 26 minutes. Goran Dragic hit just 2-of-10 shots, but played 24 minutes, and is easing his way into a timeshare with Lowry. I still think Lowry will bounce back and start taking over games again, so now is a good buy-low opportunity with him. Bucks Drop Pistons Drew Gooden remains a must-own player and had 16 points, five boards and a block, while Brandon Jennings had 21 points, and Mike Dunleavy filled the hole left by Stephen Jackson with 20 points. Eventually Jackson should hurt Dunleavy’s numbers, but if you rolled the dice on him for this week, he’s off to a good start. Dunleavy has scored 17, 18, 4, 15 and 20 points in his last five games with seven treys. Brandon Knight’s five-game week got off to a horrendous start, as he missed all four of his shots and failed to score last night. He scored 20 on Friday and should bounce back. I rolled the dice on Tayshaun Prince in a league or two with five games this week and he had 14 points, eight boards, a steal and a block, but the Pistons only play three times in Week 7. I’ve already dropped him in anticipation of that one. Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey were solid last night, while Austin Daye played a team-high 37 minutes. ! ; He hit just 4-of-14 shots (10 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and could take a hit in minutes when Ben Gordon is back from his shoulder injury, but if you want to pick him up, do it. The Pistons still have four games remaining this week. Spurs Beat Grizzlies The Spurs were led by Matt Bonner’s 15 points and five 3-pointers in the win, and while I don’t have the guts to own Bonner, he’s hit 20 3-pointers over his last six games. Deal with him at your own risk, but if you’re desperate for threes, he could fill a void. Gary Neal backed up his 19-point effort with zero points in 15 minutes on Monday. As usual, Gregg Popovich’s players are impossible to get a feel for. Rudy Gay was horrendous Monday, missing all seven of his shots for one point in the loss. He’ll be fine, and consider this a nice buy-low opportunity. O.J. Mayo led the way with 17 points off the bench, and is worth an add in most leagues, hitting double figures in scoring in seven of his last eight games. Dallas Downs Suns Vince Carter started again and had 21 points and five 3-pointers in the win. He had 21 in his previous game and I picked him up and plugged him into several leagues Monday afternoon. The next injury is probably just moments away, but grabbing him makes sense right now. Delonte West came out of nowhere for a season-high 25 points, with five 3-pointers on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench. Roddy Beaubois is a nice player to own with Jason Kidd out for the week, but had just eight points and seven assists last night as the starting point guard. Yes, Dirk Nowitzki played again, but had 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, trying his owners’ patience along the way. The Suns got 17 points, 10 boards and four blocks from Marcin Gortat, who is easily a must-start player right now. Steve Nash was out with a thigh injury and owners have to hope he’s ready for the next one. Jared Dudley had 15 points and three 3-pointers in another start and looks like a safe add in any league, while Channing Frye struggled again. Frye is starting again and could get hot at any time, while Sebastian Telfair had 13 points and six dimes in place of Nash. Just keep an eye on Telfair in case Nash’s injury li! ngers. Jazz Beat Blazers The Jazz, who were without Al Jefferson (foot), beat the Blazers on Monday behind 19 points, 15 boards and two blocks from Paul Millsap. Derrick Favors started for Jefferson, but had just eight points, six boards and no blocks. If Big Al will miss more time, and he might, Favors could have a solid week. Devin Harris had 13 points and four assists, and is finally showing signs of life, while Josh Howard had 11 points, seven boards and four assists in a start for Raja B! ell (groin). Howard, and not C.J. Miles got the start for Bell last night, and is worth a look for however long he can stay healthy. But my guess is he might be hurt by the time you change your underwear. Miles had 15 points off the bench, and I’m more comfortable owning him than Howard right now, although my feathers have been ruffled by the fact Miles came off the bench behind Howard. As for the Blazers, outside of Nicolas Batum’s knee injury, I don’t see much relevant to talk about in terms of fantasy from last night. Clippers Dominate Thunder The Clippers looked fantastic last night and I am struggling to find a reason they can’t win it all this year. Chris Paul led the way with 26 points, 14 dimes and two 3-pointers on 12-of-16 shooting, while Blake Griffin and Caron Butler each scored 22 points, with strong all-around lines. Griffin blocked two more shots, and has added that to his arsenal this season, especially lately. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points, 11 boards and three more blocks, and is a must-start fantasy center this season, despite his woes at the free throw line. And while Griffin is taking some heat for his free throw shooting and turnovers,! if you punted those categories and don’t include them in his rankings, he comes in at No. 13 overall on Basketballmonster.com. And if you came here looking for Blake’s dunk, I included it at the beginning of the column. The Thunder got monster lines out of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but the Clippers were dominant in this one. Daequan Cook somehow had four 3-pointers and 12 points off the bench, but is only worth a look in deeper leagues, while Serge Ibaka disappointed in 31 minutes with just two points, five boards and a block. I’m going to call it a case of DJ-itis. |
