Linception - 02/15/2012
BY Aaron Bruski Some of us fly around doing the things we really want to in life, but most of us don’t. Somewhere along the way we got sidetracked, whether by work, money, kids, or the like. It is the fear of success that usually lets us down. The fear that we can’t be what we want to be, do what we want do, or think how we want to think. The chorus of boos rains down upon us, telling us to take the safe play, and left standing is a caricature of ourselves – a compilation of who we were and what we have become. Getting cut from two squads in one year, Jeremy Lin probably had plenty of reasons to call it a career. Sure, he could play overseas ball and probably make a good living, but doing so is usually a death sentence for NBA dreams. And while the money isn’t bad, it’s not all that great, either. Basketball players don’t get rich, nor secure, sitting on the end of NBA benches or in overseas arenas – no matter how ridiculous that seems to the rest of us. Surely, amidst the smiles and ‘go get em’ speeches he got from family and friends, the crooked mouths that can’t hide doubts had to hit him every day. ‘You’re never going to make it.’ Said, but not spoken. Sincerely, everyone. When he hit the game-winning 3-point shot last night with time expiring he sent the world one level deeper into Linception, and time in fact stood still. Huddled around the old Twitter box, glued to the TV, and for thousands of miles around the world – together – we waited with held breath. Calderon gave him too much space, the shot stood still in the air. In that split second all of our hopes and dreams hung in the balance. For every time we took and missed a shot, and for every shot we didn’t take, the ball spun backward once toward the goal, though in suspended disbelief all we saw was the arc. We didn’t see 12-year old ‘me’ that one day could play point guard for the Knicks, or eight-year old ‘you’ that was going to pack the stadium full with the sounds of electric guitar. All we saw was the clock, and Lin look over to his adoring coach, get the okay, setup, wait, rock and fire. When the ball went through the net the joy felt around the world was binding, but also reminding and at the same time chiding – could we have done it ourselves? Could we have followed our dreams and made it from the couch to the pinnacle of our own sport? Yes. The answer is yes. And that is what I say to the phenomena that is Jeremy Lin. For a complete review of the Knicks with Amare Stoudemire back in the fold, and Carmelo Anthony returning in the next week or so, check out the last page. Also, to follow me on Twitter where all the magic happens, click here! NO, BEING JOSE CALDERON WASN’T ALL THAT BAD LAST NIGHT Jose Calderon got another night of free reign at point guard with Jerryd Bayless (ankle) a late scratch, and put up a huge night with 25 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, three steals, three triples, and a block, and I can’t scream sell-high any louder. Yes, your trade partner knows that Bayless could ruin him, but there is enough ambiguity about Bayless’ ankle to pull off a deal. Amir Johnson started and scored 10 points with four boards and five blocks, and has the ability to be a nice big man in fantasy leagues if he can pull it together. Owners that choose to make an add here are hoping that Dwane Casey put him in the doghouse once and that’s all it’s going to take. ! Linas Kleiza (15 points, 11 boards, 38 minutes) had a big night while James Johnson (six points, four assists, two steals, 17 minutes) got into foul trouble early. Both guys are worth owning and I wouldn’t drop Johnson unless I absolutely had to right now. He’ll see-saw right now, but looking long-term the arrow is pointing up. BLAZERS GET BLAZED, BATUM GOES BOMBING Nicolas Batum stepped into Wesley Matthews’ starting job last night and put up 33 points and a full stat line, as Nate McMillan grasps at straws to fix his suddenly floundering team. But that wasn’t the news of the night out of Portland, as LaMarcus Aldridge went down with a sprained left ankle and has already been ruled out for tonight’s game. Given the chance that Aldridge misses some time, Marcus Camby (13 points, 12 boards, two steals) should be owned despite his injury risk and beyond that there are only deep-league f! liers Craig “Nasty Nate” Smith and old man Kurt Thomas. The Blazers are going to move toward a small lineup with Gerald Wallace at power forward, which he may not like but is actually a great thing for fantasy owners as it will speed up the pace of play, and coincidentally that’s really what is missing right now. Aldridge, while having a great year, is a ball-stopper and the lack of penetration by ice-cold Raymond Felton (four points, six assists, 2-of-5 FGs, 28 minutes) has bogged the offense down. Felton hasn’t lost a step, per se, but defenses aren’t respecting his shot. Felton was benched in the fourth and needs to be held until he works it out. Jamal Crawford also struggled with three points on 1-of-5 shooting. McMillan really has no choice but to keep running the duo out there in their current roles, because Crawford is not the answer at point guard for them. In fact, the inspiration to move Nicolas Batum into the starting lineup was partially born out of McMillan’s inability to make a change at the point. McMillan has reportedly been hesitant to pair Matthews and Crawford on the second unit because their games are not complimentary for reasons I’ll leave untouched, but this could be the best thing for everybody. Matthews hit 6-of-13 shots for 15 points, three triples, and five boards, and he should be held to see if the move to the bench pays off. As the Blazers fell to the lowly Wizards on their home floor last night, the luster has worn off the job McMillan has done in Portland. I started to come around this season, but I’ve long thought he was overrated and had trouble with personnel – and too many times he pushed the wrong button. Pressure is going to mount and the Blazers are si! mply too good to fade away, so I’d hesitate to write anybody off, meaning keep an eye on low-end producers Felton, Matthews, and Crawford. Their value is in the tank right now and that’s a recipe for a steal when things inevitably get better. Just weeks ago they were Western Conference contenders. MCHALE AND NELLIE SITTING IN A TREE Kevin Martin (back) struggled to put on his own shoes after Sunday’s game, but really it’s unclear how hurt he is with Kevin McHale pulling on the strings in Houston. McHale, a known jerker, has been at it to Nellie-like proportions lately and it’s anybody’s clue if it’s going to stop. Martin played just 19 minutes and went scoreless with a near-bagel in the box score. Luckily, the Rockets lost, which hasn’t been the case in the past week, as one can imagine McHale gets emboldened and enabled with every win. Anybody not named Kyle Lowry (24 points, six assists) or Samuel Dalembert (nine points, 10 rebounds, one block, 27 minutes) struggled mightily last night. ! ; If Dally was somehow available in your league go run and pick him up, as he can only be held back so far with McHale’s otherwise center-devoid roster. Borderline guys like Chase Budinger (four points, 12 minutes) and Chandler Parsons (nine points, four rebounds, one three, 33 minutes) can be added and dropped as they oscillate hot and cold. Luis Scola (nine points, five boards, five turnovers) has played better lately, but last night should be a reminder that he is not all the way back. As for Martin, I’d buy him low right now as his owner is probably fed up to no end. He’s simply too good of a player for McHale to ruin him all year. The only caveat I would add is to w! atch for a more serious injury than anybody is letting on, but I reall y don’t think that is the case here. THE SMART MONEY Tyreke Evans scored 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting (including a three) with eight rebounds, eight assists, and a block in Chicago last night, and DeMarcus Cousins had a whopping 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting (including a rare three) with 17 rebounds, two assists, three steals, two blocks, and six turnovers. I had the opportunity to speak with Keith Smart after last Thursday’s big win over the Thunder, and as a Warriors fan I’ve already had the close up with him in Golden State. I wasn’t entirely sold he could handle a more challenging locker room than the one he had with the Warriors, but I’m sold now. We talked about Evans being the unquestioned point guard of the team, and over the last 2-3 weeks he has shown incredible progress limiting the number of wince-in! ducing plays handling the rock. What has been an even bigger story has been the progress of Cousins, who Smart has connected with and empowered to control his own destiny. I’m putting together a piece on it for ProBasketballTalk and it’s really a phenomenal turnaround for both guys and the team. So, yes, I’m buying both of them as fantasy assets, when just two weeks ago I was fairly down on both. Marcus Thornton scored 23 points with three triples last night, too, and the kid has brass balls. The only way he goes south is if the team does, in relative terms of course, and finally Sacramento has roles. Jimmer’s development was stunted by the early issues and the lockout, and he’s just a 3-point shooter off the bench – and that’s probably best. Jason Thompson (eight points, 11 boards) is goin g to hold down the PF slot indefinitely and Chuck Hayes is the one whose development is now stunted by both his shoulder and lack of time with his team. If you need a big man don’t be afraid to look at Thompson – he’s not going anywhere due to the aforementioned issues with Hayes. All-in-all, I like the direction this team is heading under Smart. HAND IT OVER Mario Chalmers’ hand injury is apparently more serious than those in Miami were letting on, as he left last night’s game in pain with the Heat up big over the Pacers. I’d be tempted to call the situation minor if I knew none of the back-story, which includes a quiet return game and a minute-limited follow up game on Monday. My guess is that there is more to the injury than the score indicated, and with Norris Cole scoring a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting he’s worth a flier if you need help at point guard in 12-team leagues. I disappointed folks by jumping on the Cole bandwagon early, but then again, it wasn’t a given that Chalmers would step up his play the way he did, either. Cole has still held the hearts and minds of the Miami press, and h! e doesn’t get chewed out five times a game by the Super Friends like Chalmers does, so there’s a chance this really was a case of Chalmers picking up his game – and not a regression by Cole. If the injury is serious then Cole would clearly be worth a pickup, but for now owners are looking at this as a short-term, risk-reward add. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T JUMP Greg Monroe had his first minutes-issue with Lawrence Frank leaving him on the bench late in a close game, as Monroe hit just 2-of-11 shots for four points, six boards, and one block in 22 minutes. The Pistons made a late comeback and with no report of an injury it seems likely that Frank let his bench try to steal the win. There’s no reason to panic as this is the first blip on the radar for Monroe in an otherwise stellar year. Rodney Stuckey has averaged 16 points, five assists, and 1.4 steals in his last five games, including last night’s 23-point, four-rebound, and eight-assist effort. STATE SECRETS Derrick Rose (back) did not play on Tuesday and Mike James was signed to a 10-day contract, which is usually a sign that a starter is going to miss some time. Rose said that he would be back soon, however, saying he would have “his back pain behind him in a couple of days.” This leaves him questionable for Thursday’s nationally televised game against the Magic. To complicate matters the Bulls have been feeding misinformation out all year and Tom Thibodeau preaches that guys should be warriors, though he has softened a bit due to pressure from media and possibly management. Shake your magic 8-ball, because your guess is as good as mine here. C.J. Watson (10 points, two points) is a ! sneaky add despite his slow night, but only if you have the stones to look at James’ 10-day contract as a sign Thibodeau and Rose are playing coy here. Joakim Noah has given owners about three weeks to sell-high, and kept it up with 22 points, 11 boards, and four blocks against the Kings’ soft interior defense. He’ll come back to Earth when Rose and Richard Hamilton (leg, groin) return. Luol Deng is also a sell-high candidate due to his wrist issues, but owners will likely think twice about that after he posted 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting (9-of-9 from the foul line), seven rebounds, 11 assists, two threes, a steal, and a block. Even if the wrist wasn’t a concern, his mileage and! minute-counts over the last two years are worrisome, as is his prior injury history. You won’t get a better line all year to sell him with. WAYWARD SON Gordon Hayward’s slump continued after he entered the week as a hot waiver wire pickup, as he missed all six of his shots and finished with zero points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 16 minutes. Yes, the Jazz were on their third road game in three nights, and yes, it looked like Hayward was going to be able to survive playing next to Raja Bell early. I’ve expressed my reservations about that a lot in this space, and with Jazz players talking about the chemistry on the court I’d guess Bell’s presence finally sank him. Especially with Devin Harris (six points, one assist, 15 minutes) playing like a guy collecting a paycheck (and not to be owned), defenses can sag all day and! limit Hayward’s less-than-explosive first step. All of that said, once Hayward gets moving to the hoop he has plenty of explosion and height to finish moves, and he’s more the answer than the problem in Utah – so I’d exhibit patience until the end of the week. DON’T CALL ME ALF I wanted to pump up Alf, a/k/a Arron Afflalo (20 points, 7-of-11 FGs, two threes, steal, block, 30 minutes) when Danilo Gallinari (ankle) went down, but it wasn’t clear that he would be needed at the offensive end and he was slumping. I noted that he could be worth an add, but I was all about Rudy Fernandez (11 points, two threes, two steals, 21 minutes). It looks like I got that backwards, as Afflalo has been putting this type of line up regularly, and he’s also a sell-high guy with Wilson Chandler coming back home anytime during the month of March. He and his Chinese team have been slumping hard latel! y and Chandler sounds like a guy whose mind is in Denver. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if he got the itch when he heard about Gallo’s injury, and consciously or not, started playing poorly as a result. Is Chandler worth a pickup as he stares down a potential 30-minute role with Gallo out? Sure, but only you can measure how long he can rot on your bench while his previously acclaimed team works through the playoffs. Kenneth Faried (13 points, nine boards, block), Kosta Koufos (nine points, nine boards, five steals, three blocks), Chris Anderson (16 points, seven boards, six blocks) are all deep-league or spot-starting guys with Nene (calf) and Timofey Mozgov (ankle) out through at leas! t tonight. In the case of Anderson he’s a total crapshoot as the owner of two DNP-CDs entering last night. HOLD YOUR HORSES Kobe Bryant hit just 5-of-18 shots for a season-low 10 points last night, and the most recent report on his wrist is that it’s completely healed. I said it once, but I’ll say it again – the wrist injury was either overstated early or it’s not ‘completely healed.’ I don’t know that the answer to that question matters or not, as Kobe was able to play through it and theoretically should be able to play through it going forward. Those that have followed along know that along with the wrist, his mileage and high level of play were the basis for my sell-high calls, and after providing sixth and tenth round value in 8- and 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks maybe it wasn’t such a bad call after all. Owners can’t exactly sell ‘high’ right now, so it’s just time to watch for any talk about the wrist and! hold until he gets hot again. GOING POSTAL Danny Granger left last night’s game with a sprained left ankle, not that you would know it if you read the Indy Star’s post-game report that didn’t even mention it. Even beat writers mail it in. If Granger misses significant time, which is possible though his injury didn’t appear to be definitively serious, the guys to watch on the wire will be George Hill (ankle) and Tyler Hansbrough (11 points, four boards). Neither are particularly appealing options right now, but they have the most talent and that usually is a recipe for value when a big piece like Granger goes down. We don’t have an update on Granger’s status yet, and if the Indy Star decides it’s a ! big enough story maybe they’ll let us in on it. SUNBURNT Steve Nash and Grant Hill got prescribed rest last night in the middle of a triple-set of games, and while it’s a bummer it’s a good thing for owners in the long run. The rest of the starters not named Marcin Gortat (10 points, 14 boards, steal, block) might as well have been rested, as the hot Suns wade through the middle of a five-game week. Channing Frye had seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in 17 minutes, but managed a steal, a block, and a three for good measure, Jared Dudley faded to the background with six points, six boards, and two a! ssists in 27 minutes, and guys like Markieff Morris (21 points, six boards, four steals, two blocks, two threes) and Michael Redd (20 points, six boards, three treys) picked up the slack. Frye and Dudley should obviously be held in all formats right now, while Morris is worth a look as a long-term add but I’m concerned that the Suns aren’t good enough for him to be a consistent asset without some help. I trust Redd about as much as he can defend his position, which is ‘not at all.’ KNICKERBOCKER CHOWDER Carmelo Anthony (groin) is expected to miss at least the next two games, and coming back to the Jeremy Lin story, he had 27 points, a career-high 11 assists, a steal, and two 3-pointers last night. Fantasy owners will be talking about the eight turnovers, however, and since he started playing heavy minutes he has 5.2 per game in six contests. Steve Nash averaged about 3.5 of them per game under Mike D’Antoni, and I’d be willing to bet that’s where Lin heads in the long run. He’ll handle the ball less once Melo returns and get his sea legs under him, so if you want to over/under the issue I’ll go with a 4.1 average since he started playing 30-plus minutes per game. Everybody wants to know what to do with Lin, and some of the trade offers and questions we’ve seen are out of this world. Stephen Curry and DeMarcus Cousins I heard about last night. I turned down an offer for my Lin for his Rudy Gay, but stared at it for way too long. Lin’s numbers since taking on a big-time role: 26.8 points, 0.8 threes, 3.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 50.4% FGs, 71.7% FTs, and 5.2 TOs in six games. That’s good for mid-fifth round value in 9-cat leagues (per-game) and top-15 value in 8-cat leagues. As I mentioned the last time around, look for his scoring to go down to about 18-20 points per game and that 3-point |
