Dose: Bismack Biyombo! - 03/07/2012
BY Steve Alexander Tuesday night was somewhat quiet, with just six games, but there were overtimes, a breakout game from Bismack Biyombo, a 29-point explosion from Corey Maggette, an injury to Dwyane Wade, and the benching of Boris Diaw. Top Stories from Tuesday Down Goes Wade Dwyane Wade went down at the end of the first half of Tuesday’s blowout win over the Nets with a sprained right ankle and didn’t play in the second half. The score was so lopsided, Wade’s minutes would have been limited in the second half anyway. He says his ankle injury isn’t bad at all, and he’s fully expected to play on Wednesday against the Hawks. I would be shocked if Wade misses tonight’s game, so keep him in your lineup unless we get bad news later on Wednesday. Crisis (apparently) avoided. Centers of Attention Bismack Biyombo returned from a shoulder injury and blew up for 10 points, 15 rebounds, a steal and SEVEN blocks on Tuesday, against Dwight Howard, of all people. The Bobcats are going to give Biyombo all he can handle the rest of the way (they have just five wins), and he’s shown enough over the past couple weeks that he’s become a must-own player. He’s also had recent lines of nine points, 10 boards and six blocks, and eight points, 13 boards and seven blocks in his last five games played, and it’s time to move on him. Stop reading, and go pick him up if he’s still available. Ekpe Udoh and the Warriors were off on Tuesday, but Udoh had 17 points, six rebounds and a block in a start for the Warriors on Monday. Like Biyombo, Udoh is going to get a ton of minutes and looks like a must own player to me. Whether you should pick up Biyombo or Udoh is up for debate, but I can tell you that in weekly leagues, the Warriors have two upcoming five-game weeks, and no three-game weeks, while the Bobcats have one five-game week and a three-game week, which means something in those leagues. But the bottom line is that both players are worth owning in all leagues at this point. Samuel Dalembert had 11 points, 17 rebounds and zero blocks for Houston on Tuesday in 41 minutes, and also had 17 points, 12 boards and three blocks in 36 minutes in his previous game. Dalembert might finally be out of Kevin McHale’s doghouse and is the third of a three-headed center in this trifecta. If you missed out on Biyombo and Udoh, Dalembert is a nice pickup if he was dumped in your league. Zaza Pachulia had 12 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block on Tuesday and is averaging nine points and 12 boards over his last five games for the Hawks. Al Horford isn’t walking through those doors this fantasy season, making Zaza worth a grab if you need a starting center. Brook Lopez could very well be done for the year with his severely sprained ankle. It’s attached to the foot he broke earlier in the season, and it looks like he could end the year with 18 total rebounds, or the number that Dwight Howard missed by one on Tuesday night, when he had 15 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks. If you’re still holding Lopez, I don’t see the point. Anderson Varejao is still having trouble gripping a ball after his wrist injury, so he might not be as close as we thought for the Cavs. If you’re still hanging on and want to drop him for a hot free agent, I’m OK with that. Nikola Pekovic is iffy for the Wolves on Wednesday, and given how late this news broke on Monday, he’s locked into a ton of fantasy lineups, mine included. Hopefully he’s a go on Wednesday, but the injury doesn’t appear to be severe. Don’t drop him. Andrea Bargnani remains “close” to a return for the Raptors from a calf injury, but there’s still no telling if he plays this week or not. Keep him benched until further notice. Diaw Down and Out? Boris Diaw was benched last night on a coaching decision, breaking his streak of 384 straight games played in the NBA (he trailed only Derek Fisher). Diaw might have brought this upon himself by demanding to be traded or bought out by the Bobcats, and I’m guessing he’s pretty ticked off that his games-played streak is over. He wasn’t exactly killing it when he was playing, and the fact the Bobcats actually beat the Magic for their fifth win doesn’t help his cause. D.J. White started in his place and had eight points and not a single rebound, but has the talent to succeed if the Bobcats decide that Diaw has played his last game for the organization. Tyrus Thomas is still at the bottom of the totem pole, but could re-emerge in the near future if that’s the case. Keep an eye on White and Thomas, along with Reggie Williams, as all three could be ready for a big bump in minutes if Diaw’s done in Charlotte. Bosh Is Back Chris Bosh returned from a three-game personal leave and had 20 points, but just two rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting Tuesday. He looked great, and might have had more rebounds had LeBron James not hit nine of his 11 shots last night. If you had Bosh on your bench, get him back in your lineup, and look for more boards tonight against the Hawks. Turk Lays an Egg Hedo Turkoglu hit just 2-of-10 shots and is now just 2-of-16 in his last two games, scoring a total of six points. He was just starting to heat up before the meltdown, but I do feel better about foolishly dropping him recently. He’ll get it turned around soon, so think about grabbing him if he was dropped in your league. Melo World Fail Carmelo Anthony hit just 2-of-12 shots for six points, eight rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes of Tuesday’s loss to the Mavs, and was benched down the stretch for both his ineffectiveness, as well as lack of effort. He said later that he just had an off night, but it didn’t look like he had much lift in his legs. I reluctantly started him over James Johnson and Marcus Thornton this week, and deeply regret the move. Yes, you should generally start your studs in fantasy, but I’m just not sure Melo qualifies as such this season. Unless he makes a dramatic turnaround this week, I am planning on sitting him down next week, as I had to do the previous two weeks, as well as severa! l other scoring periods this season. Chris Webber said on NBA TV last night that the Knicks need Melo badly, and while I agree, I’m just not sure he’s going to show up at full strength this season. I hope I’m wrong. Metta World Fail The artist formerly known as Ron Artest might have been a hot pickup after playing so well on Friday and Sunday, but he returned to form on Tuesday, missing all five of his 3-pointers and finishing with four points and six boards in a bad OT loss to the Pistons. I tend to think his last two nice games were flukes, and would not bother owning him in any leagues until he shows he can perform consistently in at least four straight games, instead of just a couple. Stuckey on You Rodney Stuckey went off for 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting Tuesday and was largely responsible for the Pistons taking down Kobe Bryant and his two masks last night. Kobe started the game in a black mask, and finished in a clear one, but hit just 8-of-26 shots on the night. Stuckey has averaged 25 points per game over his last four and should be owned in all leagues. Unfortunately for many of you/us, he was on fantasy benches with just three games this week. The Pistons finish out the season 4-3-4-4-4-4, so Stuckey is worth having in all leagues. Brandon Knight failed to show up, missing all six of his shots and finishing with zero points and three assists on Tuesday. He played 25 mi! nutes and there are no reports of an injury, so I’d just keep playing him as you normally would going forward. He had a bad night. Kidd’s Play & Roddy Buckets Jason Kidd finally showed up offensively last night, hitting 4-of-9 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 15 points. He also had four boards, six assists and a steal, and has three games left this week. If he was dropped in your league, grab him. Roddy Beaubois scored 18 points with two 3-pointers last night, and looks like a solid bet for the rest of the week, despite getting just 21 and 20 minutes in his last two games. But once this week is over, trouble is brewing in weekly leagues, as the Mavs go 3-4-3 over their next three weeks. Invisiblesanity While Kidd and Roddy Buckets are coming on, Vince Carter has basically fallen off the map. He was 1-of-8 for three points, seven rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes on Tuesday, and failed to score in 10 minutes on Monday. If you want to cut him for a hot free agent, do it. With Brendan Haywood’s ankle injury causing him to miss two games this week, the five-gamer the Mavericks had has been more of a bust than anything else for most of the Mavericks. Ian Mahinmi was solid Tuesday with nine points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, but Haywood could be back on Thursday at Phoenix, which would hurt Mahinmi. Collison’s Disappearing Act Darren Collison hit just 2-of-7 shots for five points and four assists on Tuesday, after going 0-for-6 for zero points on Monday for the Pacers. He’s still the starting point guard for the Pacers and has two games to right the ship this week, so don’t do anything drastic. George Hill has played well over his last three games, but my guess is Collison bounces back in his next one. MarShon’s Story MarShon Brooks got hot early on Tuesday, but cooled off and finished with just 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two 3-pointers on 5-of-11 shooting in 28 minutes in a blowout loss to the Heat. I fully expect him to play better than this with Brook Lopez possibly done for the season, so I’m reluctant to cut him. Would I drop him for Biyombo? Possibly, but if you can pick up a hot free agent and keep Brooks on your bench, I’d do it. Max 10 Jason Maxiell started again for the Pistons and had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes. He’s averaging eight points, seven boards and a block over his last five games and might be worth a look in deeper leagues. |
