Dose: Down Goes Varejao - 02/13/2012
BY Steve Alexander Last week was one of the craziest, most exciting NBA weeks I’ve ever experienced. I’m not sure what this week holds in store, but here is what we do know in the wee hours of Monday morning. Atlanta 3 games: Jeff Teague is slumping since the return of Kirk Hinrich, which isn’t fun. Especially since Hinrich hasn’t done enough to be owned in most leagues. He’s just hurting Teague. I still think Teague’s value will swing back up, so I’d rather see owners bench him than cut him, unless we’re talking about a 10-team league, or smaller. And how fun is Josh Smith right now? The All-Start snub didn’t hurt, either. Boston 3: Brandon Bass is out for a couple weeks and Jermaine O’Neal is hurting again (shocker), which forces both Chris Wilcox and JaJuan Johnson into action. Wilcox looks like the better option, but keep in mind he’s not a shot blocker. Kevin Garnett also gets a boost, while Rajon Rondo gets props for his 32-10-15 trip-dub on Sunday. Charlotte 4: Corey Maggette replaced Tyrus Thomas in the starting lineup, meaning another apparent Fail for Thomas in fantasy. Reggie Williams also disappeared and the Bobcats are just terrible. Maggette’s worth a flier until he gets hurt again, and Kemba Walker’s nice to own, but the rest of this team, Bismack Biyombo included, is just tough to own. D.J. Augustin (toe) is targeting Wednesday, but is not guaranteed fo! r that one, and Gerald Henderson remains out for at least another week or two with his hamstring injury. Chicago 3: Luol Deng was 3-of-12 on Sunday with a big wrap on his wrist, and could struggle with it the rest of the way, but at least he’s playing. Derrick Rose, on the other hand, was out again on Sunday and will see a specialist on Monday for his sore back. Not great news, and we’ll have to hope for more information prior to lineup deadlines tonight. I’d bench him in weekly leagues for now, if you have another decent option. Richard Hamilton could be out through the All-Star break with his groin injury. Cleveland 3: Anderson Varejao suffered a fractured wrist and is out indefinitely, and will be re-examined in a week. If you can hang on until the exam happens, do so. It's a real shame, as he was having an All-Star type of season. Semih Erden will likely start in his place, while Tristan Thompson will also see a boost. Neither one of them are guaranteed to be of huge help to fantasy owners, while Alonzo Gee is playing well (17 Saturday) and could end up being a better pickup than either of theem. ! Kyrie Irving is hoping to return on Wednesday from a concussion, which will ruin Ramon Sessions, who owners either need to drop or pray he gets traded to the Heat or Lakers. Daniel Gibson has been starting at shooting guard, but it remains to be seen if he can hold Anthony Parker off once he returns from a back injury, but no one is sure when that will happen. Dallas 4: Jason Kidd is back from a calf injury and is probably worth grabbing if he was dumped in your league, while Dirk Nowitzki is finally playing like Dirk Nowitzki again. Denver 4: Nene is set to miss a few games with a strained left calf, so bench him for now. Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer and Kenneth Faried are all worth a look in many leagues right now, while Arron Afflalo has finally turned it around over his last two games. Danilo Gallinari is out for another month with his sprained ankle, so keep him benched, or drop him if you must. Detroit 4: Brandon Knight is struggling with consistency, so weigh options carefully before starting him. Rodney Stuckey is finally healthy and playing well enough to be used in most leagues, while Jason Maxiell is still starting over Jonas Jerebko. I still think Jerebko is a better play in all leagues, but it would be nice if he were starting. Ben Gordon is back and had 14 points on Friday, but hit 2-of-9 shots on Sunday, when the Pistons looked terrible against the Wizards. At least Greg Monroe is reliable. Golden State 4: Klay Thompson and Brandon Rush are worth keeping an eye on in most leagues, but Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, David Lee and Dorell Wright are the guys you want in your lineups, despite Wright’s disappearance on Sunday. Ekpe Udoh is worth a look if you’re desperate for blocks, but simply won’t score. Houston 4: Kevin Martin finally bounced out of the doghouse and had 28 points on Sunday, while Samuel Dalembert had five points, seven boards and three blocks in 21 minutes. Both can be put back into starting lineups, but come with no guarantees. Goran Dragic fell back to earth, along with Chase Budinger, and it looks like Dragic’s only hope is an injury to Kyle Lowry on most nights. Indiana 4: Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Paul George, Darren Collison and David West remain solid starts for the Pacers, although only Granger and Hibbert have been fully reliable nightly. Clippers 4: Mo Williams has been quiet since the loss of Chauncey Billups and played Saturday despite attending a funeral prior to the game. He should start playing better than he has. Randy Foye is coming through for his new owners as a starter, while DeAndre Jordan bounced back on Saturday. Foye, Jordan, Chris Paul, Caron Butler and Blake Griffin are all! must-starts with four games this week. J.R. Smith will likely sign with someone this week now that his China run is over, and the Clippers would be a nice place for him to land, although it would obviously hurt Foye. Lakers 3: Kobe Bryant hit a game-winner on Sunday, while Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum remain the other two must-starts for L.A., despite the three-game week. Keep an eye on Steve Blake, who is going to rack up solid minutes as Derek Fisher continues to be Derek Fisher. And after watching Ron Artest continue to struggle, it looks like there’s no hope of him being relevant in fantasy this season. Do you think Kobe knows who Jeremy Lin is now? Gilbert Arenas worked out for the Lakers on Sunday, but I’m not convinced he’s going to suddenly return to form. However, given the Lakers’ limited options at point guard, Arenas will probably be worth a pickup if he signs. Memphis 4: Tony Allen is back from hip/knee issues and played well Sunday, while O.J. Mayo is in a shooting slump, hitting 9-of-37 in his last four games. Both players are worth a look with four games, as is Marreese Speights (19 & 9 Friday, 7 & 11 Sunday), while Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are must-starts. Zach Randolph is getting closer, but still m! ay not play until after the All-Star break. Miami 4: Mario Chalmers has been struggling through a hand injury, but played better on Sunday, when he had 15 points and two 3-pointers. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh should all have big weeks with four games, but Chalmers is the only other player I’d consider starting in weekly leagues. Milwaukee 4: Brandon Jennings is mired in a bad slump, shooting just 34 percent in February. Jennings and Drew Gooden are must-stars, and Ersan Ilyasova looks like a nice four-game option, while Stephen Jackson, Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Delfino are all proverbial rolls of the dice this week. Minnesota 4: Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Michael Beasley all look like strong plays with four games, while Luke Ridnour has been hurt by the emergence of Jose Juan Barea. Start both of them at your own risk this week. New Jersey 4: MarShon Brooks has struggled in his two games since returning from a toe injury, but should bounce back. Anthony Morrow has also been quiet, but those two, along with Deron Williams and Kris Humphries look like solid options this week. Jordan Farmar could continue to play well off the bench, but is a little shaky with Brooks and Morrow healthy, while Brook Lopez is hoping to practice on Monday. If it happens, he cou! ld be back at some point this week. New Orleans 3: Jarrett Jack missed Friday’s game with a sore knee allowing Greivis Vasquez to make another start. It sounds like Jack is likely to miss the entire week, making Vasquez a solid fantasy option, despite just three games. Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor are the only other sure bets for the Hornets. Gustavo Ayon is worth a deep-league look, but is unreliable. Chris Kaman was out on Saturday with an ankle injury, leaving h! is status for the week up in the air as well. This team is a mess. New York 4: The Knicks have won five straight thanks to the heroics of Jeremy Lin, who should be in all starting lineups right now. It’s hard to say what will happen when Carmelo Anthony (longshot for Tuesday, risky weekly start) is back, but the assists and minutes should stay strong for Lin, even if the scoring dips some. Amare Stoudemire is due back Tuesday against Toronto, while Iman Shumpert, Landry Fields, Steve Novak are all w! orth a look in most leagues. Jared Jeffries played pretty well in the absence of Amare, but that run should be coming to an end. As of now, I’m planning to bench Melo this week, but we’ll see if Monday brings any news. Oklahoma City 4: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka are good to go with four games, while Kendrick Perkins double-doubled on Friday. Perkins is worth a deep-league look, but has struggled most of the season. Thabo Sefolosha remains iffy with his foot injury, and Daequan Cook has been a solid source of threes in his absence (! but was just 1-of-9 on Friday). Orlando 4: Hedo Turkoglu finally woke up on Saturday with 19 points and a full stat line, and should be in lineups despite his recent struggles. Jason Richardson is hot and is a must-start, along with Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson. Jameer Nelson can be used in a pinch if you’re thin at point guard, and has actually played better in his four games since returning from a concussion. Philadelphia 4: Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams are all worth rolling out with four games, while Evan Turner has quieted down lately, failing to hit double figures in six of his last seven games. As for Spencer Hawes, it sounds like he’ll miss another week with his Achilles injury, but Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen aren’t exactly tearing it up in his absence. Keep Hawes benched and keep an eye on the other two going forward. I wouldn’t put any of them into my lineup right now. Phoenix 5: Steve Nash, Marcin Gortat, Jared Dudley and Channing Frye all look like must-starts, while guys like Markieff Morris and Michael Redd are worth a look in deeper leagues. Morris had 18 points and three blocks on Saturday, but I don’t trust him enough to put him into regular weekly lineups. Portland 4: Marcus Camby expects to play on Tuesday despite a bruised right ankle, but he has calmed down as of late. Nate McMillan is talking about a lineup change, but it’s not clear what he can do differently that would be effective. With four games, Raymond Felton, LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum, Jamal Crawford and Camby all look like solid options in most leagues. If Camby does miss time, look for Batum to play well in his absence. And while McMillan appears to want to bench Felton, it’s hard to imagine him doing so at this point. Sacramento 4: Tyreke Evans struggled on Saturday with 1-of-9 shooting, but with four games, Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton are all must-starts. Jason Thompson, Chuck Hayes, J.J. Hickson, Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas are all worth a look, but none are trus! tworthy at this point. I’m inclined to say Thompson is the safest of the bunch, but he had just two points and six boards in 19 minutes on Saturday. San Antonio 3: With just three games Tony Parker looks like the only must-start here, although Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili (17 minutes in Saturday’s return) are also solid starting options in fantasy. Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, |
