Fantasy related but good info.....
Like A Bosh!
Free Agent Frenzy
In Thursday's Pickup of the Day column that runs in the Season Pass, I listed about 50 potential fantasy free agents and assigned them all a grade. John Salmons got an A+, while Brandon Roy got an F. I thought about turning this Dose into this week's Waiver Wired and doing a similar column, but then decided that was the lazy man's way out. So here are my Grade A pickups, in order, followed by a look at last night's action, and what we may see on Friday night. If you're looking for some trade-by-trade analysis, I won't be going there much, as Aaron Bruski has already got that covered here, and in great detail.
Chase Budinger G/F Rockets A+
Serge Ibaka F/C Thunder A+
Jason Thompson F/C Kings A
Ramon Sessions G Cavs A
Gerald Henderson G Bobcats A
Greg Monroe F/C Pistons A
Wilson Chandler G/F Nuggets A (maybe he was dropped in your league)
Willie Green G Hornets A
Tyler Hansbrough F Pacers A
Troy Murphy F/C ? A-
Kirk Hinrich G Hawks A-
Budinger is the new starting small forward for the Rockets (at least, I think he is) and appears to be challenged only by Terrence Williams, who Rick Adelman may or may not realize is on his team. He's coming off a huge game and Shane Battier is now in Memphis, making life miserable for the owners of Tony Allen, and maybe Sam Young. Budinger has never lived up to the hype, and may not this time, but odds are he at least become relevant and consistent.
Ibaka is now the man at PF for OKC, Thompson will celebrate the loss of Carl Landry, Baron Davis may or may not play in Cleveland, meaning Sessions is still valuable, Henderson is going to start and get plenty of run for the Bobcats, Monroe is coming on, Chandler was great in his debut as sixth man for the Nuggets, Green is quietly tearing it up as a starter in New Orleans, Hansbrough might start after Josh McRoberts was almost traded yesterday, and Hinrich is the new starting point guard in Atlanta.
Murphy is an interesting option, as he prepares to be bought out by GSW, meaning he'll soon be a free agent once he clears waivers. I would expect him to sign with another team in the next 10 days. The Celtics clearly feel like they must obtain his services and if he agrees, he could be their new starting center, replacing the dearly departed Kendrick Perkins. He'll also listen to pitches from the Heat and Magic, and then make his decision.
If Murphy goes to Boston I think he becomes a must-own player, if he's not too out of shape. However, something tells me that Miami is going to be tough for him to pass up, as this is a guy who has played in the league for 10 years and 639 games, and never been to the playoffs. If everyone and their mother says the Celtics can't win it all without Perkins, then I bet Murphy knows it too. And it's not like the guy is going to be looking to "get his numbers" after sitting on the couch eating ice cream all season. He's going to want to win, and he's going to want a ring. And when LeBron, D-Wade and Like A Bosh show up on his doorstep, it's going to be very hard for him to say no. Yes, I think Boston might be the front-runner right now, but my money is on him joining the Heat in the next 10 days or so. And if he does, he might be worth having, but will not qualify as a must-own player.
Guys who took a hit yesterday include Nicolas Batum, Arron Afflalo, Raymond Felton, Ty Lawson, Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, Tony Allen, Sam Young (maybe), Kwame Brown and Mike Bibby, to name a few. None of these are guys, except for Kwame and Bibby, I'd automatically drop, as they're simply too good to be thrown in the trash. But Batum is hurt by Gerald Wallace, Afflalo is hurt by Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and J.R. Smith, Felton and Lawson are in a classic timeshare, Green could/should come off the bench in Boston, Chris Kaman is hurting Jordan, and Shane Battier is going to mess with Allen's and Young's minutes. If you're wondering why Chandler's a hot pickup and Afflalo's a drop, it's a good question. But if Chandler was dropped in your league, he should be owned. Afflalo is a guy I think you're going to start seeing on waivers very soon, and I think he's headed to being a 3-point specialist that will score 10 points a game. I seem to be in the minority there, or at least I was until we saw it come to fruition last night.
Other droppable players, in my mind, include Brandon Roy, Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Vince Carter, Josh McRoberts and Andris Biedrins, to name a few.
Thursday's Game News
Like A Bosh
The Bulls took down the Heat last night, thanks to some ridiculously poor shooting by (Like A Bosh) Chris Bosh. He was 1-of-18 for seven points, and the only thing worse than his performance was a late three LeBron James threw up that nearly shattered the backboard, and I think I saw Bosh duck to avoid injury. I was sitting in the same seat, in the same establishment, where I've seen LeBron hit a couple game-winners over the years that have blown minds and caused strangers to embrace, but despite having a good look, that was one of the worst attempts I've ever seen him take. Anyway, the Bulls won behind solid lines from Luol Deng (20-10-5), Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer, while LeBron and Dwyane Wade both went off, as usual. And the Miami bench accounted for just two points – on a night when Like A Bosh went 1-of-18.
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Nuggets Take Out Celtics With New Lineup
While I've been on my "Afflalo is going to fall" soapbox, it's important to note that no one is safe in Denver, which suddenly feels a lot like Milwaukee. No superstars, marginal talent, and a ton of similarly skilled players. Just like Rick Carlisle is suddenly in love with playing 10 guys for 20 minutes a piece in Dallas, we could be headed in the same direction in Denver. Ten guys played last night, two of them played for at least 30 minutes (Afflalo, Nene), eight of them played for at least 20 minutes, while Al Harrington and Chris Andersen played between 13 and 16 minutes in an impressive win over the Celtics. Several noteworthy things happened, like:
Raymond Felton came off the bench, but played four more minutes than Ty Lawson, and put up a decent stat line in the process. I'd just hang onto both of these guys until we see where this goes.
Kenyon Martin had a big night with 18 points and 10 boards despite the flu. Don't get too excited, as it's only a matter of time before he gets hurt again, but if you want to pick him up and run with him until he breaks, it may not be a bad plan.
Danilo Gallinari was a bit like a Bosh last night, going 1-of-6 for two points in his first game (and start) for Denver. Buy low, buy low, buy low.
Wilson Chandler got 25 minutes, 16 points, five boards and three 3-pointers off the bench, and he is the main reason I'm down on Afflalo. Chandler's got skills and is going to perform regardless of who he's playing for. Afflalo was a nice accompaniment to Carmelo Anthony, but was not built to be 'the man.' Chandler and Gallo have more of that kind of mentality, and while I don't think Afflalo is useless, I'm pretty sure his numbers are not going to improve the rest of this season, and fairly confident they're going to drop. He played 30 minutes last night, didn't hit a three and finished with 13 points. It's only one game, and he still has some big nights ahead of him, but my guess is he's going to become very inconsistent, while Chandler slowly takes over.
J.R. Smith played 26 minutes and had 12 points and eight rebounds. He looked good and I'd like to get on the bandwagon, but he's due to be back in George Karl's doghouse any day now.
And as I said at the beginning, I'm not sure Chandler is a sure bet for success, as the Nuggets are simply too deep now. Different guys are going to get hot on different nights, and it's going to be frustrating to own a lot of them. But if I had a choice, I'd go with Gallinari and Chandler out of all the wings in Denver.
For the Celtics, Glen Davis started at center and they lost the game. The veterans are ticked off that Danny Ainge traded their two healthy centers, Kendrick Perkins left the locker room in tears when he learned he'd been traded, and almost no one believes the Celtics can win it all without Perk in the middle. Perhaps nothing is as telling as the fact he missed Game 7 last year, handing the Lakers a win. I'm not saying the Lakers didn't deserve it, but the outcome could have been very different had Perkins played. And if the Celtics don't land Murphy, you're going to see a lot of Big Baby at center, as well as some Shaq, Nenad Krstic and maybe even some Kevin Garnett.
Friday Night Headlines
News is a little shakier than normal right now, as beat writers are recovering from the craziest trade deadline ever. I know that I worked from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday without a real break, and then again Thursday afternoon, so I can feel their pain. Expect a busy injury update afternoon on Friday once everyone is awake.
David West is expected to miss Friday's game due to personal reasons.
Kirk Hinrich should make his debut as the Hawks starting PG at Golden State, although we know the Wizards side of the trade (Mo Evans, Mike Bibby) were held out of today's shootaround because the deal had not been finalized. There's also some question about Hinrich's health, but my guess is he'll play tonight.
Stephen Jackson missed Wednesday's practice with a sore hamstring, but should be a go tonight against the Kings. And while the world focuses on Gerald Henderson in Charlotte, it's time to keep an eye on everyone's favorite fantasy bust, Tyrus Thomas. He's nearing a return from knee surgery and should be about two weeks away. There are now six power forwards in Charlotte, but four of them are terrible.
Baron Davis isn't expected to hit Cleveland until Saturday, which means he's out for tonight's home game against the Knicks. And the weather in Cleveland is brutal right now, which isn't going to sit well with him either. I find it hard to believe Baron's going to do much for the Cavs the rest of the way and would advise to hold Ramon Sessions and Anthony Parker, while keeping a close eye on Daniel Gibson and Manny Harris.
Tayshaun Prince left his last game with a sore back, but an injury update has been tough to find in all the trade madness. Hopefully we know something soon.
Mo Williams was basically depressed, sad and hurt upon learning he had been traded from Cleveland to the Clippers. Wait, I thought he was depressed, sad and hurt that LeBron left him behind in Cleveland. I'm not sure such a high-profile trade of two head cases has happened before. In any case, my guess is once Mo gets himself out of Cleveland and to sunny California, and throws a few alley-oops to Blake Griffin, his sadness will go away and his wounds will start to heal. Does that mean he'll play tonight against the Lakers? I have no idea.
Emeka Okafor has missed 10 straight games with his strained oblique and he's questionable for tonight at Minnesota, as well.
Marcus Camby is still in Portland, but isn't likely to play tonight against the Nuggets due to his chronically sore knee. While he hasn't been ruled out and thinks there's a chance he'll play, he also called himself doubtful. Keep him benched, and look for LaMarcus Aldridge to play a lot of center tonight. That's something that no one has really touched on, but outside of Camby and Aldridge, the Blazers have no big men. And in the long run, that could help a guy like Nicolas Batum, although you have to think they'll add player or two in the near future.
Andray Blatche suffered a sprained ankle in his last game, but my guess is he's a go tonight. We should know for sure this afternoon.
Expect Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka to start tonight, as Perk isn't going to get there on time for the Thunder.
