Fantasy Related but good info...
Obie Gone Kenobi
I don't know what it is, but lately I haven't been able to sleep until I get my column written. Which means I'm a vampire. If you are interested in seeing what the mind of a vampire looks like on Twitter, follow me.
Games Played
For Week 15 the Bulls, Warriors, Suns and Kings all play just two times this week. The rest of the league is split pretty evenly between three and four games, but owners in weekly leagues will have a tough decision to make on guys like Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Dorell Wright, David Lee, Steve Nash, Channing Frye and Tyreke Evans.
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Obie Gone Kenobi
As you all know by now Jim O'Brien was fired by Larry Bird on Sunday, just a couple days after being named co-worst fantasy coach of the year by yours truly. I didn't think Larry was going to let him go until after the season, but he probably did it in hopes of saving his own job. The people of Indianapolis aren't exactly thrilled with Larry Legend over the past few years.
We're hearing that Mike Brown is the leading candidate to replace Obie, while I'd like to cast my vote for Sam Mitchell, or even Mike Woodson. Mitchell's the disciplinarian that Bird covets, but was also a player and former Pacer. Woody isn't necessarily a great coach, but he went to Indiana and given his history of coaching, we'd at least see a consistent lineup and rotation from him. Either way, it looks like Frank Vogel will run the show for now, and although I don't know much about him, here's what I think will happen to the key pieces. Vogel is an 'Obie guy,' also coaching with him in Boston and Philly, but Bird will have a very big say in who plays.
The Pacers play four games this week.
Danny Granger – Less threes, less of a green light to shoot it anywhere on the court at will, but should hold his value and might benefit from new blood. And better shot selection, even if it means a decrease in threes, would be welcomed.
Roy Hibbert – He should be freed and is a must-own player again until we see how this plays out. One of the reasons Obie was fired was due to his botched handling of Hibbert after his hot start.
Darren Collison – He'll be turned free to keep running the offense and I think this move works in his favor, although he was trending up under Obie.
Mike Dunleavy – Has been playing well and looks like a must-own player going forward.
Paul George – Will probably still come off the bench, but Brandon Rush, who is injured, has had his chances and the Pacers need to develop George. I say hold George and leave Rush on waivers for now. It does sound like the Pacers plan on keeping George in the rotation and giving him heavy minutes, so pick him up if you can.
Tyler Hansbrough – It's time to develop him as well, and I hope he stays in the starting lineup once he's recovered from pneumonia. All indications are that this is the plan, as the Pacers fired Obie, not only for his poor treatment of Hibbert (and his inability to coach an NBA team effectively), but for his failure to use Hansbrough properly. He's probably not usable this week with his pneumonia, but will be soon.
Josh McRoberts – Should come off the bench with George (once Hansbrough is healthy) and I'd rather own Hansbrough and George for now.
Injury Report
Daniel Gibson suffered a quad injury on Sunday and is going to probably miss multiple games with the injury. Manny Harris was solid for the Cavs on Sunday with 20 points and is worth a look in the upcoming week for four games. Ramon Sessions, despite an off night on Sunday, remains a must-own/start player.
Eric Gordon's wrist is still in a great deal of pain and he will be out for at least a couple more weeks, meaning Randy Foye remains a must-start for the Clippers, who have four games this week.
Marvin Williams is suspended for another game and won't return until Friday against the Clippers.
Emeka Okafor went down on Sunday with a strained left hip and could miss time with the injury. He's played in 306 straight games, but that run could be coming to an end. Bench him unless we get good news on Monday. David Andersen will get run in his place, but I doubt he has any value.
Deron Williams has missed two straight games with his wrist injury and is questionable for Monday against Charlotte. I had to make a decision on him last night for a weekly Yahoo! League, and I benched him, despite four games this week. It was probably a mistake, but I just didn't have enough information by the deadline. Hopefully we'll have an update on him for Monday's game before lineups are due in other leagues. Note to Yahoo! – get with it and make the deadline at game time on Monday, please!?
Jason Thompson's foot was in a walking boot after Saturday's game and he is being outplayed by both Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert. I'd cut JT for Dalembert at this point and hope Paul Westphal keeps going to him.
Wilson Chandler (calf) and Shawne Williams (suspended) were both out on Sunday, allowing Timofey Mozgov to go nuts, as he finished with 23 points and 14 boards. This looks like a fluke against the Pistons, but it's possible he's about to get more run. I'm not picking him up, especially with Chandler and Williams due back on Wednesday. If you own Chandler, I think I'd go ahead and start him as he has time to get healed.
Keep reading for more injury updates, as well as team news and notes.
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Gilbert Arenas was out Sunday with a sore knee and wasn't producing to begin with. If you've been wanting to cut him, it's probably time.
Devin Harris left Saturday's game with a shin injury but says he will play on Monday. Consider him a game-time decision for now and watch for updates, but it does sound like he'll try to play. They need him, as Jordan Farmar has missed a couple games with a back injury, leaving Ben Uzoh as their only healthy point guard. Yikes.
Al Harrington missed Sunday with his foot injury and is very iffy for the upcoming week. Don't use him. Kenyon Martin isn't playing in back-to-backs for the Nuggets, so he should play Monday and Wednesday. But the Nuggets go back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, so it looks like a three-game week for K-Mart. Hopefully you can find a better option.
Tyler Hansbrough was out Saturday with pneumonia and we haven't heard when he might return. This makes Josh McRoberts relevant for now, and he might be a sneaky four-game play this week, but it really depends on when Hansbrough returns.
Rodney Stuckey was out again on Sunday, as Ben Gordon blew up for 35 points and seven 3-pointers. Gordon is hot and I bet he stays that way even when Stuckey is back. Stuckey's shoulder is in bad shape and while he could play on Wednesday, I'd consider benching him.
Ben Wallace was out again for personal reasons on Sunday allowing Greg Monroe to go off for 15 points and 17 boards. Monroe is heating up and deserves to be picked up in most leagues, but you'll have to hope the return of Wallace doesn't set him back.
Goran Dragic could miss the whole week for the Suns after stepping on glass and getting nine stitches in his left foot, which just means more minutes for Steve Nash. The only problem is the Suns have just two games this week.
Thabo Sefolosha has missed a couple games with a knee injury, which has put James Harden in the starting lineup. No word on when Sefolosha will return, making both players bench-worth with three games this week.
Hedo Turkoglu is complaining about back pain and wasn't moving well after Sunday's game. The Magic play four games this week, making Turkoglu an intriguing play. Just know that his back could flare up and cause him to miss time.
Nicolas Batum is due back on Tuesday and can be started this week for four games. Marcus Camby is also nearing a return from his knee injury, but I'd be hesitant to start him in weekly leagues until you see him play in a game.
Nick Young, who was 2-of-9 for eight points before leaving with a calf injury on Saturday, sounds likely to play this week. With four games, I'd plan on playing him.
JaVale McGee, who killed me this week against Rick Kamla (lost 3-5) missed his last two games with the flu, but should be back this week. I'm going to start Roy Hibbert over him. Both centers play four games, but I'm going with the healthy player with the new coach.
News and Notes
The Cavaliers were a mess again on Sunday, with only Manny Harris really showing up. J.J. Hickson was 0-for-5 and failed to score, but did have 11 boards and three blocks. I'd plan on starting him, Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison, while giving Manny Harris a look. Bench Daniel Gibson.
Monta Ellis had a rough week and you have to wonder if he's hurt. With just two games, I'd think about sitting him. I touted Andris Biedrins in Waiver Wired and he came through on Sunday with his second straight double-double. Maybe he's ready to get it going, but he's got just two games this week. Stephen Curry, David Lee and Dorell Wright remain hot, but again, you have to weigh options carefully when starting them.
The Rockets have three games this week, so Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry, Luis Scola and Shane Battier all are worth a close look, while Aaron Brooks is probably best served on your bench.
Blake Griffin, Baron Davis and Randy Foye are all must-starts this week with four games, while Randy Gomes and DeAndre Jordan are worth a look.
Mike Miller and the Heat have four games this week, so LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are must-starts. If you want to play Miller or Mario Chalmers, give them a look, but I'm expecting them to be too inconsistent to be trusted.
The Bucks play four times with Carlos Delfino, Corey Maggette and Andrew Bogut being must-starts. Especially since John Salmons still doesn't have a target date for his return from a hip injury. Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova are probably worth a flier this week with four games, while I'm guessing that the runs of Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins are over. But if you start Delfino, Maggette, Ilyasova or Jennings, expect some inconsistency along the way.
The Timberwolves play three times this week, making Kevin Love and Michael Beasley must-starts. Darko Milicic, Wesley Johnson and Luke Ridnour deserve a look, but try to find a four-game option instead. Ridnour was outplayed by Jonny Flynn in the last one and it could be a sign that a true timeshare is coming. And if it happens, Ridnour's value will likely take a hit.
Anthony Randolph actually got off the Knicks bench on Sunday and had zero points and five rebounds. Maybe they're ready to showcase him for a trade, but I'm still not taking the bait.
The Thunder have three games, but Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green are red hot. Play them. Serge Ibaka has been a victim of a minutes crunch as the Thunder have been going small, making him risky for three games.
The Magic have four games and Dwight Howard is coming off a monster week. He's a must-start, as is Ryan Anderson, who bounced back with five treys on Sunday. Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu (back) and Jameer Nelson aren't locks for your lineup, but are probably worth a roll of the dice with four games.
The Suns have two games, which is tough for those of you now sitting on Marcin Gortat. Why he's not starting, I have no idea, but he went off again on Sunday with 25 points, 11 boards and two blocks on 9-of-10 shooting. Maybe you roll with him and Nash for two games, but it's a tough call. In any case, Gortat should be owned in every league in existence right now.
Washington and Utah both have four games, so John Wall, Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap are all must-starts. And as I said earlier, Deron Williams might be, if we get good news on him later today.
