Fantasy related but good info....
Poster Child Strikes Again
Well, that was quite a flurry of activity on Monday, as I'm sure we posted more blurbs than we ever have on MLK Day before. There was a ton of injury news throughout the day, there were several memorable performances and many of my Bold Predictions from Monday's Dose came true (while several didn't). Let's take a look at how the predictions went, the injury fallout, the hot pickups after Monday, duds, and the studs that had monster lines on MLK Day. I put studs, like the new king of fantasy, Blake Griffin, at the end because they shouldn't be available in fantasy leagues. But if you like reading good things about your guys, you might be interested in sticking it out until the end.
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Bold Predictions[/SIZE]
What I got right
I nearly called triple-doubles from Derrick Rose and Boris Diaw (along with the Sixers winning), had the Suns winning at New York and the Pistons knocking off the Mavericks. I had Greg Monroe's great line nearly nailed, and called the Celtics over the Magic, as well as a monster line from Dwight Howard. I also called for 15 points, 11 boards and five blocks from Darko Milicic, who finished with 22, 8 and 4. Not bad, right?
www.miamiheat.ws
What I got wrong
Andrei Kirilenko and Stephen Curry laid eggs, and while Channing Frye had a nice line, it wasn't as nice as I'd predicted. The Wiz stunned the Jazz, Andrew Bogut, DeAndre Jordan, Trevor Ariza and Ben Gordon didn't live up to the hype, and Rajon Rondo had just a double-double instead of the predicted triple-double. I also missed Kevin Durant, who struggled with his shot against Ron Artest and company last night.
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Injury Fallout[/SIZE]
Michael Beasley – Played through an ankle sprain, still not 100 percent.
Marcus Camby – Left with knee injury, will have an MRI. Figures.
Brandon Roy – Had double knee surgery on Monday. Cut him.
Tyrus Thomas – Was suspended for Monday, but will be back for next one.
Carlos Boozer – Likely out another game with a left ankle sprain.
Andres Nocioni – Has been shutdown with a broken finger.
Mo Williams – Non-contact practice with hip injury, very iffy for Weds.
Anthony Parker – Out another week or so.
Daniel Gibson – Due back on Wednesday.
Josh Howard – Cortisone shot in knee, will miss at least 10 more days.
Tony Allen – Missed another on Monday w/ sprained knee, day-to-day.
Marvin Williams – No timetable on return from back injury.
Dwyane Wade – Probable Tuesday with sore knee/wrists.
Chris Bosh – Doubtful with a sprained ankle.
LeBron James – Questionable with a sprained ankle. Iffy tonight.
Francisco Garcia – Surprise scratch with calf injury. Donte Greene started.
Ronny Turiaf – Out with a hip injury. Can't stay healthy.
Tyson Chandler – Missed Monday with an illness.
Linas Kleiza – Missed with knee injury, maybe drop for hot free agent.
Camby, Bosh, LeBron, Garcia, Chandler and Kleiza were the big injury headlines from Monday, which isn't too bad considering how many guys were playing.
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Fantasy Fallout – Who To Target[/SIZE]
Ryan Anderson kept it going with 16 points, eight rebounds, four 3-pointers and two blocks, and looks like an automatic pickup to me. He was yesterday morning's Pickup of the Day in Season Pass and is in many of my starting lineups this week.
Darren Collison had 30 points, eight dimes and two threes. Small ball in Indy is working in his favor and he should be grabbed immediately if he was dropped in your league.
Nick Young had 25 points and three 3-pointers, and continues to score at will for the Wizards. He won't do much else, but is clearly worth owning.
Grant Hill had 25 points and six boards, and might be available in your league. He appears to be healthy again and should be owned and in starting lineups.
Channing Frye had 18 points and two threes, and is clearly back in the mix after a brief dry spell. Make sure he's not sitting out there in your league.
Charlie Villanueva stayed hot with 15 points and three 3-pointers, and has played well in three straight. With Richard Hamilton banished, CV looks like a smart pick up.
Corey Maggette moved into the starting lineup and had 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting. I don't trust him, but he's going to have nice value if he can stick in the starting five this time.
Greg Monroe had 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals, and should no longer be available in many leagues. The Pistons are finally using him, and he's paying dividends.
As mentioned before, Darko Milicic had 22 points, eight boards, two steals and four blocks, and I don't think he should have ever been dropped despite his recent struggles. He is injury prone this season, and dealing with shooting and turnover problems, but when he gets it going, he can put up some wicked numbers – like he did last night.
Lou Williams stayed hot with 23 points and a 3-pointer off the Sixers' bench and is now a player that should be owned in most leagues.
Landry Fields is still not the most exciting guy around, but is a solid glue guy for the Knicks. He had 11 points and nine boards last night, and while he's not an automatic start, he's worth hanging onto in nearly all leagues.
Danilo Gallinari returned to score 17 and should be owned in all leagues. But coming off a knee injury, it's possible he is (or was) available in yours.
Continue reading for more fantasy fallout, pickups, duds, and studs.
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Amir Johnson's 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks were nice to see as he continues to flirt with serious fantasy value. Just don't trust him until he's doing this every night for the Raps.
Kris Humphries managed to keep it going with his own 11 & 10 double-double. This guy just won't go away, and despite not starting, is still technically the Nets' No. 1 power forward.
Sasha Vujacic stayed hot with 16 points and a 3-pointers, and is on a roll. I picked him up in several leagues last week and you should give him a look if you need the treys.
Drew Gooden double-doubled off the bench and might be getting healthy. He's a low-end fantasy power forward, but a tough start as long as he's coming off the Bucks' bench.
Kwame Brown's 15 points, 16 rebounds, a steal and a block were a pleasant surprise and while it's hard to believe, he's worth owning right now. And if Michael Jordan continues to try to save face and starts him the rest of the way, he could become a double-double machine. Just keep in mind that he is still Kwame Brown, meaning this could easily be a mirage.
Ramon Sessions, Daniel Gibson and the Cavs were off on Monday, but both are worth a close look with Mo Williams suffering from a hip injury and some mindset issues. Gibson should be back on Wednesday and I am expecting a nice line from Sessions in that one.
Kyle Korver's 22 points and six threes for Chicago were nice to see and it's possible he keeps it up with Boozer temporarily on the shelf. Someone has to hit threes and he's another guy who could rack up a ton of threes if he can stay hot.
Taj Gibson had 10 points, seven rebounds and six blocks for the Bulls, but with Carlos Boozer expected back soon, it's going to be a short run.
Jarrett Jack has played well in two straight and had 17 points, three assists and a 3-pointer off the bench for the Hornets. Don't go grab him yet, but it's clear that Monty Williams likes him, which is a key for any Hornets player. Just ask Marcus Thornton and his owners.
Jordan Hill had 10 points and 10 boards, and a big fourth quarter. He earned more minutes last night, but will only be worth adding if he takes over the starting gig from Chuck Hayes in Houston.
Chris Wilcox had eight points and six boards in another start for the Pistons. I'm not rushing to pick him up, but do keep an eye on him.
Ed Davis came off the bench for 11 points, 12 boards and two blocks for the Raptors yesterday and is making some noise. Put him on your radar.
Julian Wright started for Linas Kleiza and had 11 points and six boards on 5-of-8 shooting. If you're in a deep league, keep an eye on this situation, as the Raptors are banged up with Kleiza and Leandro Barbosa out.
Shawne Williams fouled out in 25 minutes for the Knicks, but is getting run and is worth a deep-league look. He hit seven threes in one game last week.
Ike Diogu had nine points and six rebounds, and is suddenly relevant for the Clippers.
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Duds[/SIZE]
Kyle Lowry had just four points, five rebounds and six assists, while Aaron Brooks was just 1-of-8 for five points in 18 minutes. It's a miracle the Rockets won with the point guards playing so poorly, and it's pretty clear that Rick Adelman still has a lot more use for Lowry than he does Brooks. Cut Brooks if you must, but I think he's still worth hanging onto in many instances. Hang onto Lowry as long as he's starting.
Jason Kidd went 0-for-7 without a point, and while he did have 13 assists, his line was pretty pathetic. He's so not fun to own in three out of every four games, so if you're tired of the roller coaster ride, wait until he goes off and try to move him.
Jose Calderon was 0-for-5 without a point and also had 13 assists, but even kicked in seven turnovers. Calderon has been hot and despite a foot injury that makes me nervous, I say hang in there with him. Kidd and Calderon are just two of a handful of point guards who can score zero yet still have a positive fantasy impact.
Andrea Bargnani hit just 4-of-17 shots for 11 points and four boards, but was due to cool off. He will bounce back.
Stephen Curry had 13 points and six dimes, but played just 23 minutes with four fouls for the Warriors. Keith Smart is messing with Curry's minutes and Curry appears to be developing a bit of an attitude. I'm not panicking yet, but this is clearly a huge concern for a guy we all took in Round 1 or 2. He should bounce back from this one, but I am going to be watching his minutes very closely.
DeShawn Stevenson had just five points after losing his starting job to Jason Terry yesterday. The run is over, he's stunk it up in his last four games and can be dropped for a hot free agent.
Shawn Marion had just four points in 27 minutes, but it feels a little like a fluke. I bet he bounces back.
Continue reading for more duds and studs from Monday.
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Trevor Ariza hit just 2-of-8 shots for five points, seven boards and a three, and might be ready to cool off again. I picked him up in a few leagues recently, and will wait until the end of the week to make a decision on him. He's been playing better lately and I'm hoping this was just an off night.
Ersan Ilyasova hit just 2-of-10 shots for four points and eight rebounds, and takes a hit with Corey Maggette starting and Drew Gooden healthy. He's going to be very up and down going forward (as usual).
Tracy McGrady had just eight points in 26 minutes for Detroit, but at least played on a sore leg. Keep him and see what happens the rest of the week.
Ben Gordon cooled off with just 11 points and a three on 3-of-8 shooting in 28 minutes. It still feels like he's going to turn the corner for the Pistons, but last night was a step backwards.
Jamal Crawford cooled off hitting just 2-of-9 shots for eight points and seven assists for the Hawks. He's fine and I'm not worried about him, unless we hear his back is troubling him again.
Derrick Favors failed to score again despite another start and I have dumped him. We knew coming in he was raw and not ready for the NBA, but he's eventually going to be a stud. The starting is a nice bonus, but he's not doing much, if anything, with the opportunity.
Roy Hibbert played just 12 minutes for four points, four boards, two blocks and five fouls and someone asked me on Twitter last night when he should start getting concerned about Hibbert. My answer was "three weeks ago." I own Hibbert in a few leagues and with this small-ball kick in Indy, as well as Jim O'Brien's apparent disdain for Hibbert, it's going to be a long road. I'm not cutting him, but I'm not playing him either.
Tyler Hansbrough had just two points in 16 minutes in another start, but he's another guy who has to suffer through the Obie era in Indy. Drop him if you want to.
Mike Dunleavy came off the bench so that Brandon Rush could guard Eric Gordon, but it was an epic fail. Dunleavy was just 1-of-10 for two points, while Rush, who scored 10 of his own, let Gordon go off for 23 points, seven dimes and three 3-pointers.
DeAndre Jordan had just seven points, six boards and no blocks against the Pacers, and was also in foul trouble all day. I was right in my prediction that he would get Hibbert into foul trouble, but didn't see Jordan doing the same. He's fine, so stick with him.
Gilbert Arenas played just 16 minutes again for seven points, while Jameer Nelson had just nine points and five assists in 33 minutes. The play of the Orlando game was Nelson's bad pass right to Kevin Garnett near the end, which Stan Van Gundy is not going to forget about. Eventually they're going to realize that they have a dynamic scorer on their bench and it's not out of the question that Arenas could replace Nelson at some point. Try to hang in there with Gil if you can.
Corey Brewer had 10 points, a steal and a block, but no threes in another start for the Wolves. With Wesley Johnson getting a DNP from Kurt Rambis, I still think Brewer is worth hanging onto in many situations. .
Wesley Johnson got his first DNP-CD and it was because Wesley Matthews torched him for a huge first half a couple weeks ago. The Wolves were facing Matthews and the Blazers again on Monday, so Rambis shut him down. If you own Johnson and can cut him for Brewer (or someone else), I'd do it.
Nicolas Batum cooled off for just five points, nine boards and a block on 1-of-11 shooting, but had been playing well. Obviously, it wasn't his night, but he'll bounce back and I still think he's a nice pickup.
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Studs With Monster Lines[/SIZE]
There were a ton of monster lines on Monday and here is a long list of guys who went nuts.
Derrick Rose and Boris Diaw triple-doubled, but Diaw gets hurt by the return of Tyrus Thomas. Blake Griffin went nuts, not only scoring an NBA season high of 47 points, not only racking up his 27th straight double-double, but doing so in just 37 minutes on 19-of-24 shooting. Not much to say there, other than 'wow.' Aaron Bruski has dubbed him the Poster Child, and I have to say, I like it.
Baron Davis had 14 points and 12 dimes, Deron Williams had 28 points, 11 assists and six treys, and John Wall had 19 points and 15 assists.
Andray Blatche double-doubled for 21 & 11 to go along with three steals and four blocks, Vince Carter had 29 points, 12 boards and five 3-pointers, and Amare Stoudemire had 41 points, six boards and a block for the Knicks.
Emeka Okafor had 17 points, 16 boards and a block, Kevin Martin scored 36, and Rodney Stuckey had 20 points and six assists.
Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson were all solid for the Kings, while Joe Johnson had 36 points, Al Horford had 23 points, 9 rebounds, six assists and a career-high seven blocks, while Josh Smith filled the stat sheet across the board. Thompson looks like a better fantasy own than Carl Landry, but that seems to change on a weekly basis.
Devin Harris had 19 points and eight assists, and Brook Lopez had 20 points, seven boards, a steal and two blocks. Monta Ellis had 26 points and nine assists, and David Lee double-doubled with 24 points and 10 boards on 9-of-13 shooting for the Warriors.
Dwight Howard had 33 points, 13 rebounds and no blocks against Shaquille O'Neal. Kevin Garnett was back in action with 19 points and eight board, and looks like he's good to go again after a calf injury.
Kevin Love added 22 points and 17 boards after I 'reverse jinxed' him on Twitter after a slow start. Andre Miller stayed hot with a double-double, Wesley Matthews had 23 points and three 3-pointers, while LaMarcus Aldridge went off for a career-high 37 points, 12 boards, two steals and two blocks. He's loving life without Roy around as the dream season continues.
Russell Westbrook had 32 points and 12 assists, while Andrew Bynum rewarded owners with another double-double of 10 & 10 with a block.
And with that, Dr. A has left the building.
