Down Goes Danilo Gallinari - 03/20/2012
BY Steve Alexander Monday brought some more devastating injury news to fantasy owners, as Danilo Gallinari went down with a broken left thumb that could end his season. Here’s the breakdown of what happened in a six-game night, that also brought a breakout performance from the new starting center in Cleveland – Tristan Thompson. Game News Dallas Downs Denver, Gallinari Breaks Thumb Danilo Gallinari suffered a fractured left thumb in Monday’s loss and didn’t return to the game. It’s not on his shooting hand, which is the good news, but there are reports that he could miss a month with the injury. If he’s out a full month, he’d only be back for the Nuggets final five games of the season. I wouldn’t cut him yet, but if we don’t get better news within 48 hours, owners will probably have to let him go. I haven’t been bullish on owning Wilson Chandler, but now that Gallinari is hurt again, that significantly changes things. Chandler made his season debut and had 13 points, four rebounds, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer in 28 minutes. If you can still get Chandler, he’s now a must-own player ! given Gallinari’s injury. Arron Afflalo had 24 points and two 3-pointers on 7-of-10 shooting, and should be locked and loaded as the starting 2-guard the rest of the way. Andre Miller left Monday’s game with a right shoulder contusion and didn’t return, lasting just five minutes. Starter Ty Lawson struggled, hitting just 4-of-11 shots for 11 points, six assists and four turnovers, but should completely blow up if Miller’s going to miss time with the injury. JaVale McGee missed Monday’s game despite being healthy and ready to go, which is a fantasy buzzkill if you started him. George Karl might be ready to work him into the mix slowly, and McGee needs to play since the Nuggets only got six points and one rebound out of starter Timofey Mozgov. Kenneth Faried cooled off with nine points and five rebounds, but still played 25 minutes. While Gallinari’s injury shouldn’t directly impact Faried, it could mean he sees a few more minutes per game, and I still like the idea of holding him. Shawn Marion didn’t travel with the Mavs for Monday’s game due to a sore knee, leaving him questionable for Wednesday against the Lakers. The news isn’t all bad and he’s hoping to play on in that one. Lamar Odom took advantage of the extra minutes to finish with six points, a season-high nine rebounds, four assists and a steal in 26 minutes, and might finally be ready to start contributing for the Mavericks, but will take a hit once Marion is back. Brandan Wright had a season-high 15 points to go along with six rebounds and a block, and could be a beneficiary of Brendan Haywood being out this week wit! h a sprained knee. Vince Carter had 14 points in 33 minutes, Jason Kidd had seven points, 10 dimes and four steals, and Roddy Beaubois made another start, finishing with 14 points, six assists and two 3-pointers in 36 minutes. Once Marion and Delonte West (finger) are back, Beaubois’ outlook becomes a bit cloudy, but he’s a safe start until it happens. Just keep in mind that Rick Carlisle is concerned about Beaubois’ heavy minutes of late, and he’s been known to shut him down in similar situations in the past. Center Ian ! Mahinmi had 11 points, five boards and zero blocks in the start, b ut should continue to get solid minutes at center with Haywood out all week. Dirk Nowitzki stayed hot with 33 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, a block and three 3-pointers on 12-of-19 shooting, and it seems like years ago that he was struggling mightily before being shut down by the Mavs for a week. If you bought low on him, congratulations. Cavs Beat Nets Tristan Thompson finally broke out on Monday with a career high of 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting, and added 12 rebounds and a block in 37 minutes, making his second straight start for the Cavaliers. I’m kicking myself for not featuring him in Waiver Wired, as I decided to leave him off the list after a mediocre performance in Sunday’s start. My bad. Kyrie Irving had 26 points, five boards, seven assists, a steal and three 3-pointers in the win, and held his own against Deron Williams. Daniel Gibson left Monday’s game with a sprained ankle and didn’t return, finishing with just four points on 1! -of-5 shooting. He was coming on with Ramon Sessions in Los Angeles, but never got it going before the injury. Deron Williams showed no signs of a calf injury and had 28 points, eight assists, two steals and four 3-pointers, but hit just 8-of-23 shots and committed five turnovers. Gerald Wallace hit 8-of-14 shots for 27 points and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes, and looks like he’s going to fit in just fine in New Jersey. MarShon Brooks had 10 points, four boards and two assists in 30 minutes, as he continues to struggle to live up to the hype. Gerald Green finally cooled off on Monday with five points on 2-of-6 shooting, and is a true risk vs. reward player. Monday didn’t work out if you used him, but he’s go! t three more games to get it turned around this week. Anthony Morrow remained inconsistent last night, hitting just 3-of-10 shots for six points and no threes, and will continue to be up and down off the bench. Shelden Williams played through a shoulder injury and had nine points, five boards and a block in 26 minutes, and remains a very low-end center option in deeper leagues. Jordan Farmar missed Monday’s game with his groin injury and remains day-to-day, but is hoping to play on Wednesday. Bulls Crush Magic Derrick Rose was out for the Bulls on Monday, as expected, and it’s unknown when he’ll play again due to his groin injury. Rose is targeting Saturday for a return, but is very iffy for that one at this point. John Lucas came off the bench for 20 points and four 3-pointers in 21 minutes, while C.J. Watson missed all eight of his shots for one point and three assists in a start for Rose. The Bulls have two more games this week, and my guess is Watson is going to be much better in those two, if Rose is out. Dwight Howard had 18 points, 12 boards and three blocks, but the rest of the Magic were simply terrible in the 85-59 blowout against the Rose-less Bulls. There’s not much to read into this pathetic performance, and owners of Ryan Anderson, Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu simply have to hope for a bounce-back against the Suns on Wednesday. Wolves Hold On To Beat Warriors Michael Beasley aggravated his toe injury on Sunday and was limited to 10 minutes, eight points and nothing else. Derrick Williams hit just 2-of-9 shots for six points and 11 rebounds, but will benefit if Beasley continues to miss time with the toe injury. Jose Juan Barea played through a swollen thumb and had six points, three rebounds, a season-high 10 assists and a steal in the win. Kevin Love blew up for 36 points, 17 rebounds and three more 3-pointers, as the Love Train continues to roll down the tracks. Luke Ridnour stayed ! hot with 11 points, 10 assists and a 3-pointer, while Anthony Tolliver stepped up with Beasley hurting, finishing with 10 points, five boards and two 3-pointers. Just keep an eye on him if Beasley misses time. Nikola Pekovic played through a pair of sore ankles, but lasted just 11 minutes with six points, two rebounds and a block. He’ll be iffy for Wednesday’s meeting with the Spurs, and owners have to hope a day of rest on Tuesday does the trick. For the Warriors, Richard Jefferson played 29 minutes and had 19 points, four boards, two steals and two 3-pointers for the Warriors, kicking off his five-game week in style. If you rolled the dice on him, so far, so good. Nate Robinson had 13 points, seven assists and two 3-pointers, Klay Thompson overcame a terrible first half for 17 points, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers, and David Lee kicked in 25 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Dorell Wright cooled off for eight points and four boards on 3-of-7 shooting, but still manage! d two 3-pointers, two steals and two blocks. He still has four games to right the ship this week. Brandon Rush was in a lot of starting lineups this week with the five games, and had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and a 3-pointer, but Jefferson is definitely going to limit his value if he keeps getting such heavy minutes. The Warriors attempted to hold a ceremony to retire Chris Mullin’s number, but owner Joe Lacob struggled in his presentation as boos rained down upon him from the home crowd. As Shaquille O’Neal said, it was the craziest jersey retirement ceremony of all time, as the fans aren’t happy about seeing Monta Ellis shipped out of town. And they’re probably not thrilled with Jefferson walking in and playing 30 minutes a night. If you missed the embarrassing “ceremony” in Oakland last night, you can see it here. Sixers Destroy Bobcats Corey Maggette missed Monday’s game due to a back injury and illness. He has never recovered too quickly from ailments, so it’s not all that surprising that he was out last night. If you own him, let’s hope he gets back on the court on Friday against the Bucks. Reggie Williams started in place of Maggette and had 13 points, six boards, two assists and a 3-pointer in 29 minutes, and is worth keeping an eye on if Maggette is shut down at some point. Tyrus Thomas has started seven straight games, but still hasn’t shown he’s worth owning in most leagues, and had just six points and zero rebounds in 15 minutes last night. Spencer Hawes had 13 points, 11 boards and three blocks in 24 minutes for the Sixers on Monday, and might be good to go the rest of the way, since the Sixers don’t have any back-to-back games this week. Jrue Holiday got his four-game week off to a great start with 20 points, four rebounds and six dimes, and Elton Brand bounced back from an off night with 16 points and eight boards in the easy win. Thaddeus Young hit 10-of-12 shots for 20 points, six boards and two blocks off the bench, and remains a very reliable fantasy player despite coming off the bench for Philly. The same can be said for Lou Williams, who had 19 points, five assists and three 3-pointers, while starter Evan Turner cooled off, hitting just 3-of-11 shots for six points and three rebounds. Look for Turner to bounce back on Wednesday against the Knicks. Andre Iguodala attempted just four shots and hit one of them for three points, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. Ouch. Celtics Hang On Over Hawks Josh Smith hit just 5-of-20 shots, but just missed a triple-double with 10 points, 11 boards and eight dimes, along with two steals and no blocks. He’s on pace for 100 shots for the week, and if you can survive last night’s poor shooting line, the numbers he racks up by the end of the week should simply be monstrous. Joe Johnson had 25 points, six boards and four 3-pointers (and turned it over seven times) in a tough loss to the Celtics. Jeff Teague added eight points, five rebounds and three assists, but with four more games this week, looks like a very strong play as well. Zaza Pachulia took some stitches duri! ng the game, but quickly returned to finish with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three steals, kicking off his five-game week in grand fashion. If you would have told me back in December that Zaza might end up being the difference maker for fantasy owners in Week 13, I would have thought you were crazy. Make sure he’s not available in your league. Kirk Hinrich played 37 minutes to finish with nine points, two rebounds, three assists, a block and a 3-pointer, but should be able to post a couple better lines with four games left in the week. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 19 points and four 3-pointers, Rajon Rondo double-doubled with 10 points, 13 assists and six steals, Kevin Garnett had 16 points and eight boards in another start at center, while Paul Pierce struggled, hitting just 4-of-14 shots for 13 points, four turnovers and zero 3-pointers. He was in foul trouble, finishing with five of them, but should bounce back in the next one. Brandon Bass rewarded those of you who started him with eight points, 10 rebounds and a block in 38 minutes, and remains a solid fantasy option going forwar! d. League News and Notes Tyreke Evans practiced for the Kings on Monday after missing two games with a sprained ankle, and is expected to play against the Grizzlies on Tuesday. Kevin Martin missed Monday’s practice for Houston due to his sore shoulder, leaving his status for Tuesday’s game against the Lakers in serious doubt. Leandro Barbosa should play 15-20 minutes in his Pacers’ debut on Tuesday. Rodney Stuckey is dealing with a sore left big toe, which could have something to do with why he scored just seven points on Sunday. It sounds like he’ll play on Wednesday. Ersan Ilyasova returned to practice on Monday after suffering from a bronchial condition and should start on Tuesday against the Blazers. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who is coming off a monster game on Friday, will return to the bench, but owners of Ilyasova have to be a little concerned about the sudden rise of Mbah a Moute. Jose Calderon is expected to start for the Raptors on Tuesday against the Knicks, so expect Jerryd Bayless to cool off a bit. Eric Gordon (knee) is expected to start practicing for the Hornets next week, but there’s still not a firm timetable on when he’ll play again this season, if at all. Carl Landry is expected back from a knee injury on Saturday, which should impact Gustavo Ayon’s minutes. The Grizzlies are expected to sign Gilbert Arenas, if he passes a physical. With those back-to-back five-game weeks, Arenas is going to garner some attention in fantasy circles, but I’ll only believe he can still play when I see it happen. J.J. Hickson has been bought out by the Kings after missing nine of his last 10 games with a back injury, and is expected to sign with the Warriors. Yes, he’s worth keeping an eye on, especially after seeing the Warriors turn Jefferson loose, but I wouldn’t cut a good player to get Hickson at this point. |
