Dose: Is Amare Done? - 03/27/2012
BY Steve Alexander Monday was a bit crazy with several late scratches, career-high scoring nights, injury news, and overall bedlam as the fantasy playoffs get underway. Let’s take a look at what happened. Injury Report & Game News (ordered by importance of news, not all teams covered) Knicks - Amare Stoudemire’s back injury doesn’t sound good and he’s heading to see a specialist to see if he’ll need surgery. The bottom line is that he’s out indefinitely and could easily be shut down for the season. Carmelo Anthony tweaked his groin on Monday, but played through it and finished with 28 points, 12 boards, a steal and a block, and if he survives his gimpy groin, should be a much better fantasy player the rest of the way if Amare is done. While I can’t sit here and tell you to drop Amare immediately, I will tell you that I would be hesitant about holding on until word comes down next week on whether or not he’ll have surgery. Especially if there’s a hot free agent out there you can pick up. An! d secondly, there’s not a guy on the Knicks’ bench who becomes must-own if he’s done, as the team will absorb the hit. Although, Iman Shumpert started at shooting guard last night and had 11 points and a full stat line, and is worth keeping an eye on in all leagues going forward. Especially if Amare’s injury means Shumpert becomes the full-time SG for New York. Jeremy Lin was out with a sore knee but sounds likely to try to play on Wednesday. I benched him in my 30-Deep matchup against Rick Kamla, slotting Gerald Green in there instead. Thanks to Aaron Bruski for giving me the courage to do so, as Green went off last night. Baron Davis started for Lin, but hit just 3-of-12 shots and committed nine turnovers. He also had 13 points and seven assists, but is only worth a look if Lin is going to miss more time. Bulls - Derrick Rose (groin) and Richard Hamilton (shoulder) were out again for the Bulls, and neither has a firm return date in mind. C.J. Watson had 17 points, eight dimes and three 3-pointers, and is a must-start as long as Rose is out. Rockets - Rockets guard Goran Dragic tweaked his ankle in overtime on Monday, but vows to play on Tuesday. Owners will have to see if it swells up overnight, but Dragic rolled again last night, finishing with 14 points, four boards, 10 assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer. Earl Boykins arrived in Houston and had 10 points and five assists, but will only be worth a look if Dragic is going to miss time, and it doesn’t sound like he will. Kyle Lowry will be re-evaluated on April 7 and admitted he might be done for the season. I’ve been urging owners to drop him for a couple weeks, and am not ready to change my mind on that one. Kevin Martin hasn’t practiced since March 11 and remains out indefinitely with his shoulder injury, giving Courtney Lee some solid, albeit inconsistent, production. And in case you’re wonder, yes, I’m fine with dropping Martin too. You simply have to have healthy players during the playoffs, right? Marcus Camby tore ligaments in his left wrist on Monday, but says he’s going to play through it. If Kobe Bryant can do it with his shooting wrist, Camby should be able to play through this for the Rockets. Patrick Patterson exploded for a career-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, but I need to see him do it a couple more times before biting. Kings - Jason Thompson was a late scratch for the Kings with his ankle injury and owners can only hope he’s ready for action on Wednesday against the Spurs, as he’s coming off five straight double-doubles. My guess is he’ll play. John Salmons left Monday’s game with a hip injury, but had fallen out of the starting lineup behind Tyreke Evans, anyway. DeMarcus Cousins blew up for a career-high 38 points, 14 boards, two steals and a block, Marcus Thornton had 27 points and Isaiah Thomas played 48 minutes in the OT loss. Warriors - Nate Robinson’s hamstring injury remains a mystery, leaving him iffy for Tuesday against the Lakers. Stephen Curry doesn’t sound like he needs surgery, but there are still no real indications that he’ll play again this season. He could, but I still think it’s a real longshot. If Nate is out again, look for Charles Jenkins to have another good game. Blazers - Raymond Felton will miss Tuesday’s game to be with his ill mother, but is expected back on Thursday. Jamal Crawford should play well tonight, but his shot has been broken lately. Sixers - Andre Iguodala is iffy for Tuesday with his sore knee, but my gut says he’ll play. He’s been dealing with the pain for a while now, and regardless of what my gut says, owners have to cross their fingers here. He’s a true game-time decision. Spencer Hawes should be ready to roll from here on out, if he can stay healthy. But it sounds like the minutes restriction has been lifted. And Thaddeus Young has quieted down lately, dealing with some fatigue. The three-game week should help all the Sixers catch their breath. Raptors - Jerryd Bayless tried to play through his hip injury last night, but left after just 12 minutes. He’s likely to be a shaky play for the next few games. DeMar DeRozan was out again with a sprained ankle, so Linas Kleiza got hot and scored 18 points with three 3-pointers off the bench. DeRozan will also be questionable for Wednesday. James Johnson played through the flu, but didn’t have a great game. I’m expecting more from him on Wednesday. Gary Forbes stayed hot, starting again ! at shooting guard and finishing with a career-high 21 points and four 3-pointers. He’s averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and a 3-pointer per game over his last three games, but will come back to earth once DeRozan and Bayless are healthy. Wizards - Trevor Booker was out with foot/knee issues and is considered day-to-day. His absence gave Kevin Seraphin another start and he had 12 points, five rebounds and a block. He’s been playing well while filling in for Nene and Booker, making him worth a look in some deeper leagues. Nene played through his back injury and had eight points, nine boards, two steals and no blocks. Pistons - Rodney Stuckey returned from a toe injury and had 24 points, two 3-pointers, zero assists and four turnovers. The bottom line is that he’s healthy and you can put him back in lineups. Ben Gordon left early with a groin injury, leaving his status for the rest of the week in doubt. He was hot coming in, and I’m hoping you didn’t jump on him like I did. Hornets - I foolishly dropped Gustavo Ayon and his five games to pick up a red-hot Ben Gordon, but the move backfired – at least early. Ayon started at center last night and had eight points and eight rebounds, as Chris Kaman was out with an illness. Carl Landry chipped in with 14 points, 10 boards and a block, but things are about to get messy. Jason Smith’s suspension is over and Kaman should be back on Wednesday, meaning a full-blown timeshare for all four bigs in New Orleans. I expect Smith to start at power f! orward and Kaman at center, meaning Ayon and Landry would come off the bench. And figuring out who is going to play well from night to night could get very tricky. But with four games left this week, any of the four might be a decent add right now, but expect inconsistency when dealing with them. Trevor Ariza returned from his ankle injury, but missed all three of his shots and scored three points. He still has four more games to right the ship, and the good news is he played. Eric Gordon is likely to start practicing at some point in the next 10 days, and could even return to game action for the Hornets after missing most of the season with a bum knee. My guess is he just wants to prove to teams that he’s healthy, and I’m not running out there to pick him up. There’s a pretty chance he’ll be dead weight until your league is all but wrapped up. Clippers - Mo Williams is expected to miss the next two weeks (at least) with his toe injury, meaning Nick Young and Randy Foye should continue to log heavy minutes. Foye struggled for five points, and has been very up and down, while Young had 17 points and four 3-pointers off the bench on Monday after scoring 16 on Sunday. Bucks - Carlos Delfino left Monday’s game with a groin injury which helped Mike Dunleavy blow up for 26 points and five 3-pointers. If Delfino’s going to miss time, Dunleavy will become a must-add player, if he’s not there already. Drew Gooden struggled against Tyson Chandler (5 & 6), but should bounce back against the Hawks in the next one. Monta Ellis played through his finger injury, but hit just 2-of-14 shots for four points and four turnovers. Can we just send him back to Golden State, already?! Ersan Ilyasova had just two points in 19 minutes after going for 22 points and eight boards on Saturday, which I will blame squarely on the shoulders of Scott Skiles (for now). Ilyasova should bounce back, and would also benefit if Delfino is going to miss time. Nuggets – Danilo Gallinari is now claiming that he’ll be ready to return on Friday, April 6. His thumb injury won’t be fully healed by then, but there has been some belief all along that he may tape it up and play. If he was dropped in your league, he’s worth a look, but it’s still going to be crowded on the wings in Denver. JaVale McGee started at center and had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The news is that he’s starting, so make sure he’s in your lineup. Arron Afflalo returned from a suspension and scored 22 points and two 3-pointers, and should be safe to get back in there, as well. Nets - Rookie Jordan Williams hit 5-of-6 shots for a career-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals. Kris Humphries was 0-for-6 last night for two points and 10 rebounds, which is probably why the kid got minutes. I will give Williams a look in my 30-team league, but that’s as far as he goes at this point. Anthony Morrow is day-to-day with a shoulder injury and Jordan Farmar will be re-evaluated on April 5 for a groin injury. And this impacts Gerald Green, who had 20 points, four 3-poin! ters, three steals and a block on Monday. When he’s on, he’s a beast, and I think he deserves a look in most leagues, even though he came out of nowhere to become relevant this year. Celtics - Ray Allen missed another game with a sprained ankle and remains day-to-day. Avery Bradley started in his place again, but had just 11 points and four rebounds, despite playing 40 minutes. Consider Allen iffy for Wednesday. Paul Pierce had his best game in nearly three years with 36 points and 10 rebounds in a laugher over the Bobcats. Timberwolves - Jose Juan Barea is out Tuesday and Wednesday with a thigh injury, which is too bad after he blew up for that 25-10-14 triple-double on Friday. Nikola Pekovic is hoping to return on Friday, but it sounds like there’s a chance his ankle spurs could cause him to shut it down for the year. Keep your fingers crossed for Friday, but don’t be surprised if he misses the whole week. And for the record, that is purely speculation from me. Luke Ridnour is banged up with a sore groin, nose and back but it sounds like he’ll play through it, while Michael Beasley plans on play! ing through his toe problem on Tuesday. Anthony Tolliver is a sneaky pick-and-play right now, as the Wolves don’t trust Darko Milicic enough to use him with Pekovic out. Pacers –George Hill played just 15 minutes on Monday, as Darren Collison got hot and a had a big game. I’m not giving up on Hill yet, as I expect the two guards to trade off big nights from here on out. Magic – Ryan Anderson blew up to hit a career-best eight 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, and has now hit 143 threes in just 49 games. Heat – Dwyane Wade had a monster fantasy line with 24 points, five rebounds, six assists, four 3-pointers and four blocks, but the Heat fell to the Pacers, losing their second straight game. Bobcats – Byron Mullens is suddenly hot, going for 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on Monday, and 17 points and 10 boards on Saturday. I have no idea if he’ll keep it going, but if you’re using a guy like J.J. Hickson at center, Mullens looks like a better option for now. D.J. Augustin is in a horrible slump and Kemba Walker was awful on Monday. The team is just so bad it’s tough on the point guards to make anything happen. And why Paul Silas is still coaching there is beyond me. |
