Smoove Move Ex-Lax - 02/16/2012
BY Aaron Bruski With 13-games on the slate last night and two seconds left on the shot clock, I'm going to jump right into it. For all the news that's fit to tweet, click here to follow me on Twitter. SMOOVE OPERATOR Josh Smith put up one of the best fantasy lines we'll see all year last night, scoring a season-high 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting (including two threes) with 17 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks in 45 minutes. He has been a pleasant surprise this year as I can count the negative reports about him on one hand, and I'm talking about the mundane ones, too. He's just been playing hard and taking things seriously, or at least doing a better job of keeping the spotlight off his blemishes. Jeff Teague had a nice night offensively with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, but lost playing time to Kirk Hinrich because the Captain has better experience with pick-and-roll defense. The decision made sense and the Hawks won, but Hinrich didn't look all that great with just five points on 2-of-8 shooting and a few ugly mistakes in his 24 minutes. Teague owners shouldn't panic, but recognize the leash is going to be shorter than you like. Joe Johnson got D'd up by Grant Hill, who has been shutting folks down lately, as J.J. hit just 2-of-10 shots for six points. Surely Smith notices that he deserves an All Star berth more th! an his teammate, and hopefully the motivation continues working the way that it has thus far. THE TORONTO RAPTURES Linas Kleiza (ankle, knee) backed up his big game on Tuesday with an absence on Wednesday. Jerryd Bayless was also unable to go due to his ankle injury. This opened things up for DeMar DeRozan (29 points, 13-of-21 FGs, one three) and Jose Calderon (16 points, 11 assists). Things weren't as nice for Leandro Barbosa, who played just 16 minutes with seven points, while Anthony Carter was given 21 minutes and finished with 10 points, six assists, and five r! ebounds. No, Carter isn't going to be somebody to pick up, and no, I can't guarantee that Dwane Casey won't do it again. Amir Johnson continues his climb back up the charts with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting, seven boards, three assists, and a steal in 22 minutes, and he looks like the guy we saw in the early part of the year – low minute totals, efficient numbers, and fouling issues. Give him a look if you need a big, though the standard Casey disclaimer is in effect. James Johnson was a disappointment given that guys were out, scoring six points on 3-of-8 shooting with three rebounds, one assist, and a steal in just 23 minutes. Sure, you could drop him, but man is it going to hurt if/when Johnson ever gets together. In 8- and 9-cat leagues, his upside is tremendous, but in a 'what have you done for me lately' world I'm not going to throw raspberries at you if you cut bait. IT FEELS GOOD Tony Parker gave owners one more line to sell high with last night, scoring 34 points with 14 assists and a 12-of-12 mark from the foul line. Yes, it’s going to be hard finding somebody that doesn’t know Manu Ginobili’s return is going to hurt him, but these things often get rationalized away when staring at the ‘accept’ button. JAMIROQUAI Ryan Anderson hit seven 3-point shots and scored 27 points with not much else, but who cares, he’ll be in contention for draft value of the year as long as the status quo remains in Orlando. The story of the night for Orlando, however, was Jameer Nelson’s return to productivity, as he scored 12 points with a career-high 14 assists. I’ve danced around the fact that I didn’t fully buy his concussion issues, and the head issue he may have been working out was the little man living there. The on-court issue impacting his value is simple, though. If he can take over PG duties from Hedo Turkoglu, we could see a change of fortunes for both guys. Plan accordingly, and unless yo! u’re stocked at PG adding Nelson makes a ton of sense given his stranglehold on the job and chance to produce low-end PG numbers. IN SPITE Marreese Speights was truly playing awful basketball over a week ago, to the extent that it was hard to watch. When he posted his six-point, 15-rebound line last Wednesday, I told owners that he needed to keep it up for a week before I would trust him. Welp, now he’s done that and it’s time to figure out what to do with him after his massive 20-point, 18-rebound explosion last night. Zach Randolph (knee) appears to be on schedule and should return in a few weeks, so we’re really talking about a short-term window for a guy who could go back in the tank. If you have a need for a power forward or big man stats, I think you throw caution to the wind and make the add. Otherwise, I don’t see dropping somebody with future value. YOU BLOODY YANKER Emeka Okafor (knee) became the most recent casualty in New Orleans when it was announced that he would be out through the All Star break. This opened the door wide open for Gustavo Ayon to start through the break, and last night he followed up his last solid effort with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and we called him a must-own player in 12-team leagues prior to the game. He didn’t block a shot last night but averages 1.0 blocks in just 15 minutes on the year, and that’s perhaps the most exciting part of his game looking forward. Greivis Vasquez gave owners a glimpse of what life with Jarrett Jack (knee) might look like as he played 26 foul-plagued minutes and finished with six points on 3-of-8 shooting, two rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. I’m not concerned about the slow night, but I’m eternally concerned about Monty Williams and his yanking, especially when Marco Belinelli showed signs of life with a career-high six 3-pointers and a season-high 22 points. Bello is always worth a short-term pickup when he’s hot and you’re trolling for threes, but the concern isn’t so much about him as it is what he could do to co! mplicate Vasquez’s situation. I still like Vasquez’s floor to be similar to what we saw last night, but that’s assuming Williams does the right things. Either way, I’m not dropping Vasquez for anything right now, even with Jack set to return soon – which in New Orleans means ‘who the hell knows.’ After all, when asked about Okafor’s knee, Williams said he knew nothing about it. Maybe a better name for the Hornets would be the ‘Titanics,’ or unfortunately for the residents of New Orleans, ‘the Sonics.’ THE KISS OF DEATH Stephen Jackson played just 20 minutes and he’s pretty much dead to me. I’m going to hold him in my deeper, 12-team big money format because his upside is too great and the wire is thin. But if I was in a standard sized 12-team league I wouldn’t hesitate if a must-add free agent came along. Ironically, bench enigma Ersan Ilyasova is scary consistent amidst Scott Skiles’ circus, and came away with a season-high 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a trey in 35 minutes last night. Skiles got all lovey-dovey after the game about it, saying Ilyasova was the only one of his guys playing well, which as we know could be the ultimate kiss of death. I’m kidding (I think), and Ilyasova needs to be owned in all 12-team formats. Carlos Delfino played fairly well, hitting 4-of-7 shots for 11 points (including a three) with three rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes, but owners starting him are rolling the dice on any given night. My best recommendation is to try to catch the hot streaks and hop on quick, rather than waiting for confirmation after multiple good games. By that time, fun-time is usually over. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL Linsanity lived to win another day last night and while it’s fun to wonder if the Kings went big the night before in the Big Apple, the more realistic reason for their pummeling was that they got knocked out in the first round by a relentless Knicks squad. I’m not going to wax poetic, but readers sent in some amazing emails yesterday detailing what Jeremy Lin meant to them and the like. Lin came out on fire, and with the game seemingly over in the first quarter he finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, a career-high 13 assists, and six turnovers in just 26 minutes. There was nothing to glean from this game on the Knicks’ side, so check out yesterday’s column for a detailed look at what to expect. NEVER GIVE AN INCH Daniel Gibson has been on a nice little run, but that came to an end when he landed on Paul George’s foot and suffered a sprained ankle. X-rays taken were negative, and leaving the arena in a boot beat writer Jason Lloyd said that probably meant he would not play on Friday against the Heat. In addition, Lloyd added that Alonzo Gee (eight points, 2-of-11 FGs, five rebounds, three assists, steal, 28 minutes) would start if Gibson can’t go. Gee has been playing well enough to hold in 12-team, 8- and 9-cat formats, so this news means owners need to swallow the bad outing and look to Friday for direction. Ramon Sess! ions posted a nice low-end line with the crowd dispersed; hitting all five of his field goal attempts (including two threes) for 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in just under 30 minutes. With Anthony Parker (back) still out and this sliver of extra space, look for him to have a week or so of serviceable value at least, and it doesn’t hurt that the Cavs are going to audition him. Kyrie Irving (concussion) returned and looked great, scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and a nice line in 37 minutes. Giddy up. This comes amidst a strange lull in news surrounding Anderson Varejao’s wrist injury, and while I fully think he’ll be out at least a few weeks I’d be holding for the next definitive report. Weeks are something owners can hold onto, months are another story. Tristan Thompson looks like he’s going to be a pain to stash with Byron Scott not willing to give most rookies an inch, but one has to wonder when the directive from above forces his hand. Unless Thompson’s ankle is acting up, it makes no sense that he played just 12 minutes last night. Semih Erden was on my radar entering the year because he had his moments in Boston, and the Cavs frontcourt seemed less than formidable at the time. Varejao’s surge notwithstanding, that’s still true. Erden hasn’t been able to earn Scott’s trust, though, at least until last night when he scored a career-high 18 points with eight rebounds in 32 minutes. The Cavs really need him to step up as the only true center on the roster, and while he’s been grossly inconsistent, if I’m desperate for a center I’m all-but certain to take a flier in a 12-team league. Otherwise, I’m probably watching Friday’s game to see if he can back it up. PUSHING BUTTONS I’m still trying to get a read on Kevin McHale. He’s winning with a team not incredibly stocked with talent, but competitive enough to win on any given night. Kevin Martin has been his most recent yanking disaster, which gets complicated with rumors swirling about Martin’s back, as he apparently couldn’t tie his shoe last Sunday. That sounds awful, but nobody seems to be suggesting that his back has been a problem during his recent face-plant, with talk about on-court chemistry came into focus before last night’s game. Martin went out and scored a season-high 32 points with four 3-pointers and everything sure looked fine, especially my buy low call from yesterday morning. He’s simply too good of a player to fall into any trappings of a flawed system, if indeed McHale is pushing the wrong buttons. I’m not ready to! declare Martin out of the woods, yet, but I don’t know that McHale can get away with the same shenanigans all year. Daryl Morey is a pretty hands-on GM, especially from a statistical perspective. He’s not going to let McHale walk into a room and say that Martin just doesn’t get it and let things stand at that. Samuel Dalembert continued to improve and had 12 rebounds with three steals, three blocks, and two points on 1-of-6 shooting. I wasn’t dropping him when things were worse off, so you know where I stand right now. Houston just doesn’t have another center option, and because of that McHale is going to have a hard time limiting Dally’s minutes in the long run. And if Dally gets the minutes, he’s going to produce. SUDDEN DEPARTURES Jason Terry was a surprise scratch due to a quad ailment that doesn’t sound serious, but it came attached to an announcement that he would miss Friday’s game for personal reasons. Roddy Beaubois was then announced out due to the death of his father, putting his status for Friday’s game in doubt, and my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. All of this was accentuated when Delonte West fractured the ring finger on his right hand, which is going to keep him out for a while. Vince Carter will have about a week or so to put up solid numbers with the backcourt in short-term shambles, and he’s b! een producing on his end and had a nice 15-point, six-rebound, two 3-pointer night. Marion was the big winner for Dallas last night with 16 points, 10 boards, and a season-high six assists, while Dirk Nowitzki got to take the night off with 12 points, three boards, four assists, a steal, and a block in the Mavs’ win. OLD DUDES Grant Hill scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting with six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 37 minutes, and with the way he is moving on the court he’s worth a look if you need a forward. Channing Frye bounced back from a slow night last night with 13 points, 11 rebounds, one steal, two blocks, and a three, and those dark days seem like they were a long time ago, right? He’s not out of the woods and he missed a key three late, so hopefully his confidence remains intact through the All Star break. Steve Nash and Hill both missed Tuesday’s game for prescribed rest in the second game of a triple-set, and Nash also returned to score 22 points with 16 assists last night. SHOULDERING THE LOAD Ben Gordon is getting back on track after what seemed like a potential major shoulder injury, but with how he has picked things up since returning one has to wonder if the “multiple tears” were overstated. He scored 22 points with four 3-pointers and is worth a look in 8-cat leagues right now, but in 9-cat leagues his turnovers have proven problematic in standard formats. Greg Monroe got back on track with 22 points on 11-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds and a block, and is providing top-15 value in 8-cat leagues on the year. Tuesday’s blip on the radar was exactly that. SAINT AUGUSTIN AND THE BOBKITTENS Charlotte saw D.J. Augustin (toe) return after an 11-game absence, but instead of starting he came off the bench, which I understand but it just adds another red flag to his toe injury. Aside from the setback earlier in the week, Augustin has always been a bit of a card with injuries, missing just two games in the two seasons prior to this one – but being limited for stretches with injuries just like this. It’s not entirely odd for an injured starter to return for a game or two in a bench role, but I was under the impression he would return to his starting job in this case. It may be nothing, but it could be an indicator that Kemba Walker isn’t going to the bench as previously reported. Again, it’s all speculation, but Doc and I aren’t fully convinced t! hat Walker won’t slide over to shooting guard in a small lineup. Augustin scored nine points on 4-of-10 shooting with two assists, a steal, and a three, and he should be owned in most (if not all) leagues for his expected production playing starter’s minutes. Walker should also be held indefinitely, and he posted a shooting guard-like line of 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting with six rebounds and just two assists in 32 minutes. Breaking into must-own territory in 12-team formats was Boris Diaw, who scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 38 minutes. We saw this movie earlier in the year, and while it will be harder to move him in the sequel, I still think owners should try. Getting a consistent low-end asset is the goal, and that should be the goal of any sell-high move with a borderline guy. Reggie Williams posted a serviceable 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting with two threes and seven rebounds, but I can’t help but feeling like he has to hit it big right now to secure a 25-plus minute role when Gerald Henderson (hamstring) returns sometime in the next week. Of cours! e, Corey Maggette will likely help matters by getting hurt or set aside for the younger guys, but ‘can Williams stay on rosters’ in the meantime is the question. Maggette had 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting last night, and should be owned in 12-team leagues as long as he’s healthy. The Bobcats really do need his scoring. PACK OF WOLVES Michael Beasley played just eight minutes and he’s going to land on waiver wires en force today. Yes, there could be low-end value when you iron everything out, but he’s just not a part of the Wolves’ future and between his attitude, injury risk, and bench role there is a lot not to like. If he gets traded to a new situation he could certainly blow up, which is exactly how owners should be looking at him in most cases – as a roster stash. Luke Ridnour (personal) returned and posted 10 points, four boards, five assists, a steal, and a block, but owners really ought to make him do it again after about 2-3 weeks of inconsistency and J.J. Barea nipping at his heels. Nikola Pekovic is about as automatic as automatic gets for a non-star player these days, and he put up 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting with 11 rebounds and three blocks. Congratulations if you were an early adopter. Kevin Love is on fire right now, and went off for 30 points and 18 boards last night. He has moved into the clear cut No. 4 spot on the fantasy food chain, following LeBron, CP3, and the Durantula. THE GOLDEN STATE GUINEA PIGS Speaking of rookie coaches with no idea what they’re doing, Mark Jackson continues to treat the Warriors like his personal coaching guinea pig, which I guess is okay if the owner and fans are cool with it. I’m a fan and I’m not cool with it, with last night’s benching of Monta Ellis and deference to Nate Robinson being the last straw. I gave Robinson props when he first arrived for showing that he could be a team player, but true to Jackson’s form he has insisted that Lil’ Him play ‘his game,’ and even casual fans could tell you that means he’s going to chuck up a bunch of shots with reckless abandon. When Robinson first arrived in Oakland he was a bit mor! e bashful, but last night he got hot and wouldn’t you know it, Jackson decided to ‘let his reserves try to win it,’ as if he’s got a magic 8-ball of clichéd coaching strategies in his back pocket. He benched Monta Ellis under the guise of the ‘flu,’ which nobody in the Golden State media even saw fit to mention, and only the Portland media said a word about it before the game. Ellis looked like a kid at Christmas before the game, jumping around, hooting, hollering, and having fun, and in short he wasn’t that sick. Yes, the backcourt wasn’t at their best last night, as Ellis and Curry combined to hit just 6-of-19 shots from the field, but they’re two of the most dynamic scoring guards in the league and when you need a bucket late, those guys should almost never defer Nate ‘friggin’ Robinson. Back to the benching, Jackson asked Ellis if he felt good enough to sub in at his normal time during the fourth quarter, and apparently Ellis said ‘yes’ but he didn’t say it with enough enthusiasm, which ironically is a page out of |
