Fantasy related but good info....
Nothing Funny In Portlandia
Thursday night saw the Knicks take down the Heat, the Mavs beat Houston in the battle of Texas, and the Celtics handle the Blazers in a stinker in Portland. Nicolas Batum's knee injury is the big story of the day, and while LeBron James filled the stat sheet, it was anything but pretty.
Waiting on Batum
(UPDATE: MRI Negative, day-to-day - great news)
Batum left last night's game on crutches with a left knee injury and is set to have an MRI this morning in Portland. This one really hurts, as he has been the Rotoworld poster boy for pickups over the last few weeks. He plays for the Blazers and is 6-8, meaning that the odds are not in his favor here, so I'm just hoping the injury doesn't end his season. If it does, it not only means that the Blazers are truly cursed, but that Rudy Fernandez and Dante Cunningham will both be worth a look going forward.
Pierce's Thigh Injury
Paul Pierce left last night's game shortly before it ended with a thigh injury. It doesn't appear to be a big deal, but then again, Doc Rivers doesn't like messing with injuries to his senior citizens. Pierce was a bit iffy coming in with a sprained ankle and owners have to hope that Doc doesn't decide to give him a day off.
Shaquille O'Neal is expected back tonight after missing some games with a hip injury, although I'm not expecting much with Semih Erden and Kendrick Perkins around.
Hold the Mayo
Normally, a 10-game suspension (banned substance) to a player like O.J. Mayo would cause panic in fantasyland. But now that he's been relegated to a bench role, owners have been searching and hoping for a good excuse to cut him. Thanks to rocking the DHEA Rashard Lewis style, owners now have a very good reason to drop Mayo. Maybe he'll be traded to a team that actually plans on using him this year, but there's also a chance he sits on the bench in Memphis the rest of the season. Does Mayo's suspension make Tony Allen or Sam Young a must-own player? It does not. But Allen is at least worth a flier in most situations.
Crystal Wrist
Deron Williams is a game-time decision for Friday's meeting with the Wolves due to a wrist injury suffered in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers. We should have an update before game time, so just stay tuned. The Jazz are a mess, losers of six straight games, and a loss at home to the Wolves might end their season. In other words, Deron has to play tonight.
Teammate Paul Millsap's thumb is still an issue, which was clear by his horrid line on Wednesday, and he's now a game-time decision.
Raja Bell, who's dealing with a neck/shoulder issue, is also a GTD tonight.
Stomach Full Of Spam
Derrick Rose has a couple stomach ulcers, which make him questionable for tonight against the Magic. He's also got that really sore back and he's another player who could get a night off. He went through shootaround and is leaning toward playing, but it also depends on how he feels at game time.
Stuckey's Shoulder
I really thought Rodney Stuckey's shoulder injury was going to be a big one that would keep him out for weeks when I saw it. Instead he's listed as day-to-day, but will miss tonight's game. Ben Gordon and Austin Daye are going to start getting nice run and it might be time to pick up Daye (again). Ben Wallace will also miss tonight with a personal situation, while Richard Hamilton is out again with the "flu." Again, I'm pretty sure Rip has played his last game for the Pistons as he awaits his massive salary to be traded.
Nene's Calf
Nene is iffy for tonight with his calf injury. He gingerly took part in shootaround this morning and sounds like a game-time decision after missing Wednesday's game. And not that it matters, but Kenyon Martin will play tonight, and then sit out against the Sixers on Saturday. He doesn't play in back-to-back games.
Rush Out
Brandon Rush will miss a couple weeks with a sprained ankle, and while the door for Paul George was already opening, this blows it off the hinges. I like him quite a bit as a flier right now.
Mr. Jennings
The Bucks are still saying that Brandon Jennings could play on Saturday. He's been out with a broken foot and it should be interesting to see how long it takes him to get up to speed. Especially now that Scott Skiles has become more comfortable with Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins. But either way, Jennings is going to be a guy to get back in your lineup once you see him back in uniform.
Speaking of Bucks, it sounds like John Salmons might be back in action tonight after missing five straight games with a hip injury. While this is good news for the owners of Salmons, things are going to get even more crowded in Milwaukee and I have no interest in dealing with anyone not named Andrew Bogut right now. And unfortunately, I've got Corey Maggette in a couple lineups this week, but I'm thinking his train is about to run off the tracks thanks to Salmons and the return of Carlos Delfino.
www.miamiheat.ws
Hinrich Practices
Kirk Hinrich returned to practice for the Wiz on Thursday and is day-to-day with his arm injury. This is actually good news, as I thought he was going to miss a lot of time with it. But with John Wall and Nick Young dialed in, I would not be in a hurry to rush Hinrich back into your lineup. And he is even a player you could look at cutting.
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Went Into Your Locker And I Smashed Your Glasses
Dwyane Wade wore some orange glasses and went off for 34 points and 16 boards on 16-of-22 shooting last night in a loss to the Knicks. He wasn't quite as good at the line, hitting just 6-of-14 shots and blaming the glasses for it. He also lost the ball out of bounds while fiddling with the glasses, but had a great game nonetheless. It sounds like he'll have to ditch the shades though, as the NBA has a problem with them.
What I had a problem with was LeBron James. I own him in my main league and am playing a guy (Kelin, for you old timers) on an 11-game winning streak, that won't shut his mouth. I had a chance to take a big lead last night, and while LeBron's overall line was pretty fun, that 7-of-24 shooting was a killer in points leagues. I mean, he was outscored by Landry Fields in my league. But it was also frustrating watching him play last night. He was passive until the fourth quarter, missing bunny shots, as well as most others, and then did his best Joe Johnson imitation with his version of Iso-Lebron late in the game. I still can't figure out why he settles for fadeaway jumpers when he has the ability to take 98 percent of the league's players to the rack. Anyway, look for him to bounce back with a better shooting line against the Pistons tonight. I'm just hoping they keep it close enough that LeBron plays in the fourth quarter.
And then there's good old Mike Miller. He was 0-for-3 last night and failed to score, which really didn't surprise me. Miller is a nice player and a solid fantasy option in the right situation. But being planted between LeBron and Wade, who combined to take 46 shots last night, is anything but ideal. And it's not going to get better when Chris Bosh is back from his high ankle sprain. I didn't pick Miller up in any leagues, but got a ton of questions about who to drop in order to get him after his 32-point explosion on Saturday. I still think he's worth a flier, but there's no way he becomes an everyday fantasy starter when the Super Friends are all healthy. There just won't be enough shots to go around.
Hello, My Name Is Landry
Landry Fields, who had been struggling and was being cut in some leagues, blew up last night for 19 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three 3-pointers. Like I said, in most points leagues, he outdid LeBron with that one. Maybe he's getting a second wind and will pick it up for the second half. He had four points, six boards and zero assists in his last game, but his averages are still pretty good across the board. If he was dumped in your league, you should probably grab him.
It was probably not a coincidence that Wilson Chandler had one of his worst games last night with just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting. He's been in single digits in four of his last seven games, although it feels more like a slump than anything else. However, the potential arrival of Carmelo Anthony in New York could spell disaster for him, as well as Fields, so if you're thinking about moving Chandler, do it after he posts a couple solid lines back to back.
Raymond Felton was also terrible, hitting just 1-of-6 shots for six points and seven assists. He's been struggling with his shot and is probably getting tired playing 38 minutes a night. Mike D'Antoni ran Chris Duhon into the ground a couple years ago, and while I have a lot more faith in Felton, he simply has to be wearing down. Which makes what Steve Nash has been able to do over the years even more impressive. I still think Felton is going to bounce back and keep it going though, so this is probably a nice time to try to buy low.
Game News And Notes
Kevin Martin bounced back from an off night and low minutes to score 27 points. He must have just been given a rest on Wednesday, when he played 21 minutes.
Chuck Hayes had 16 points, eight boards and two steals last night as his dream January continues. Pick him up if you need a center. He's simply a much better player than he was a year ago, although I'm not sure what he did to make it happen. I do know that I can actually watch him shoot a free throw this year without it cracking me up.
Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry like confusing us. That's why they both hit just 2-of-10 shots last night and both hit two 3-pointers. Lowry is worth starting, while Brooks is barely worth hanging onto. But if you're waiting for Brooks to start or be a good fantasy option any time soon, don't hold your breath.
Jose Juan Barea has played well in two straight games, but I'm leery of picking him up. By the time you get him in your lineup he'll crawl back into his hole. I'm leaving him on waivers. Tyson Chandler had 21 points, 15 boards and a block last night, and could be a candidate to replace Yao Ming as the starting center in the West. In case you missed it, Yao was voted to start, despite the fact he's played in five basketball games in the last two seasons. Can you say flawed system? Anyway, Pau Gasol and Nene look like the two best choices to replace him, but Chandler's having a great season.
Dirk Nowitzki shot 7-of-16 again and has been pretty awful since returning from a knee injury. If there was ever a time to buy low on a good player, it's right now with Dirk.
Kendrick Perkins came off the bench for 10 points, nine boards and a block in a whopping 21 minutes last night. This was just his second game back from knee surgery and the Celtics played him more minutes than they wanted to. But guess what? He's by far their best option at center and he should be in the starting five sooner than later (Semih Erden started last night). Along with Hayes and Marcin Gortat, Perkins is a hot pickup at center right now.
Kevin Garnett scored just 10 points for the second straight game last night, but you won't hear owners complaining about his Jason Kidd imitation that included nine boards and a season-high nine assists. Actually, these days Kidd's owners wish he'd post a line like that.
Dante Cunningham had nine points, five boards, one assist, three steals and one block on 4-of-8 shooting in 32 minutes last night, while Rudy Fernandez had 11 points, five assists, three steals and two 3-pointers. If the Batum news is bad, these are the guys to target. I'd pick up Rudy first, but if he's gone, Cunningham is definitely worth a look too. He's played 23 or more minutes in five of his last six games and that number is going to top 30 if Batum is out.
Paul Millsap - F - Jazz </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Paul Millsap will play on Friday despite his sore and bruised thumb.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
