Week 19 Recap (I don’t like mosquitoes) and Week 20 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball on March 8, 2010
The Week 19 Recap will be a little different this week because, amazingly, I only spent 5 minutes checking fantasy stats while vacationing in Central America, with just one mid-week check-in on my main H2H squad to make sure Gerald Wallace and Dwight Howard weren’t pummeling me too much. (A special thanks to Andrew Bogut for making me rest easy the rest of the week.)
The final fantasy tally from my trip? About 13 fishies devoured, 2 oceans dipped in, 1 cave spelunked, 1 river rafted, 1 military coup averted, 30+ mosquito bites, 3 fire ant bites, 1 sprained ankle, 1 allergic reaction, and 1 cartoonishly swollen foot. (Unfortunately, the last four items all occurred to the same foot. I’d post pictures but they’re NSFW.)
And now back to reality. Or, uh, fantasy. After a Sunday of devouring stats and updates, here are the…
WEEK 20 PICKUPS
First of all, make sure guys like Drew Gooden (49%), Taj Gibson (42%), and George Hill (48%) aren’t taken. You might also want to consider Richard Jefferson, who’s owned in 50+% of Yahoo leagues but might have been dropped anytime in the last several weeks. He carried some of the offensive burden when Tony Parker exited the Spurs’ last game with a broken hand. Carlos Delfino (46%) is another guy who might have been dropped recently who is putting things together again.
Quentin Richardson (21%)
He’s on fire, with 12 makes from downtown over his last 2 games. It’s hard to fully endorse him because he’s been streaky his entire career, but with Jermaine O’Neal out, Q is taking more shots and could singlehandedly decide 3’s in H2H leagues.
Anthony Tolliver (17%)
I probably overhyped him the first time I mentioned him several weeks ago, but with Andris Biedrins out, Tolliver is a nice Channing Frye-ish (pre-Robin Lopez) clone. Ronny Turiaf is also useful for blocks, although I’d rather own the guy two spots below.
Rodrigue Beaubois (14%)
Beaubois was my first pickup upon returning stateside. He’s posted back-to-back-to-back career highs in scoring his last three games with Jason Terry out of commission.
JaVale McGee (21%)
He’s slowly rounding into the form that made him one of my “must-owns” (at least in deeper leagues) in the aftermath of the trade deadline, averaging nearly 4 bpg over his last 5.
Jonas Jerebko (18%)
Posted near-1/1/1 stats last week and is getting plenty of touches as DET continues to jostle for lottery position.
Keep an eye on:
James Harden (32% — his up-and-down rookie season was “up” last week), Jrue Holiday (11% — ditto), J.J. Hickson (17%), Matt Bonner (6% — another candidate to hoist more shots sans Tony P), Matt Barnes (20% — playing well + nice sked this week), Bill Walker (5%), Serge Ibaka (4%).
Out of the Office
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball on February 26, 2010
I’ll be out of the country with limited Internet access the next week+. Check out the links to the right/below for any immediate help. Otherwise, good luck with any last second trades.
And if you’re having trouble moving T-Mac, maybe this reminder will push the other owner over the edge. Ladies and gents, perhaps the greatest 35 seconds in fantasy basketball history:
(For those keeping score: 13 pts, 4-4 FG, 1-1 FT, 4 threes, and a steal for good measure. But the best part may be Devin Brown’s reaction at the 4:36 mark. It’s the look of a dude who’s just walked in on his girlfriend in bed with, well, Tracy McGrady.)
Fantasy Basketball Strategy: Why trading LeBron* might deliver you a H2H Championship
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades on February 24, 2010
This will be my last post for the next couple weeks, as I’m going on vacation. (Later, suckas!) But before I leave, I just wanted to point out an important date coming up in 10 days: March 4, the trade deadline for most Yahoo leagues. And if you own LeBron James, this might be your last chance to trade for Kevin Durant.
Hold on, WTF?!?!
I’ll explain further down below, but first: If you’re in a H2H league — and this post is primarily for H2H leaguers — this is your last chance to make your team as bulletproof as possible for the fantasy playoffs. I’ve already done so for my own teams, but I suggest you click forward on your team’s weekly schedule to see if there are any particular weeks where the NBA scheduling gods have screwed you over. These next 10 days are your best bet to make the schedule work in your favor.
Even if CP3 comes back at full strength and LeBron continues to dominate, Durant might be the fantasy MVP of H2H leagues. (Getty)
For example, skip ahead to Week 22 (Mar 22-28), the first or second week of most leagues’ fantasy playoffs. You might notice that all (or almost all) of your players play on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun, while nobody (or close to nobody) plays on Tues/Thur/Sat. Well, if you’re only allowed to start 6, 8, or even 10 players per day, that means some of your players — maybe even some of your studs — might be riding the bench on Mon/Wed/Fri or Sun of that week.
Somehow, that’s what happened in one of my leagues, and I partially corrected the situation by making a trade I probably would’ve done anyway, by shipping out Al Jefferson and Brandon Jennings for Nene Hilario and Mike Miller.
Let’s ignore the fact that Big Al has been losing minutes to Darko (Darko?!) Milicic lately, or that Jennings’ FG% has amazingly declined every single month, or that Josh Howard is out for the year, perhaps rejuvenating Miller’s season. Even if the players involved were exactly even, I just gained 3 extra games for that week because Miller has a Tues/Wed/Fri/Sat sked that week, while Nene has a Tues/Wed/Fri/Sun sked. Meanwhile, Big Al and Jennings both have Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun skeds, like nearly everyone else on my squad, and I possibly wouldn’t even have used either that week. (This particular league only has 6 starting spots per day.) In other words, I just made my road to a three-peat in this league a little bit more manageable. (Yes, that’s me kissing my own ass.)
Every league has different settings, so check to see when your playoffs start. The first round is usually Week 22. Before the season began, I actually did an analysis of which teams have the best playoff schedules — factoring in both total games played and if these games occur on “Off-Days”, or days with only a few games on the NBA schedule. (Although, again, double-check your own schedule against the NBA schedule to see where you need help.) This might help you get started though:
BEST PLAYOFF SCHEDULES
[Note: The specific numbers below are for leagues with playoffs from Mar 22 to Apr 14. Apparently the Yahoo default is Mar 15 to Apr 4 this year. Most of this still applies, but use it as a general guide, and I'll point out any big discrepancies. For games by week (without the Off-Days), check out Basketball Monster's Schedule Grid.]
Chicago — plays 13 times over the last 3.5 weeks, and in leagues where you can only start 6-8 per night, CHI is especially useful as they have games on 3 Off-Days, 2 of which are during the finals. How can you use this info for your benefit? Well if you’re ballsy, buy low on Joakim Noah. He’s a gamble, but if you’ve already secured a first round bye (and even more time for him to heal), he might be worth it.
There's a good chance all of the guys above will be in play during the fantasy playoffs. (Getty
Dallas — plays 13 times with 3 Off-Days. I’ve been targeting Jason Kidd for a while…
[Note: In leagues where the playoffs begin Mar 15: DAL only has 2 games the first week. In other words, only make a deal for Kidd if you're almost guaranteed of a first round bye.]
Houston — plays 14 times with 1 Off-Day. As Trevor Ariza becomes option #3 or 3.5 in that HOU offense, I like his efficiency to increase, making him a potentially cheap addition this late in the season. Kevin Martin is a good buy low target as well.
Washington — plays 14 times with 1 Off-Day. By the way, yes, this fantasy-friendly playoff schedule is yet another reason why I’ve been so big on Andray Blatche. When your opponent scrambles for spot starts from guys like David Andersen in Week 22, you’ll especially enjoy Blatche’s double-doubles.
Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Toronto — all play 14 times, but none on Off-Days.
Which brings us back to our initial topic: Why trading LeBron* might deliver you a H2H Championship. Well, that asterisk has Durant’s name written all over it. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that KD will be on a higher percentage of H2H champion rosters than LBJ. OKC’s fantasy playoff schedule is a big part of the reason; keep reading for the other half of the story…
[Note: In leagues where the playoffs begin Mar 15: WAS, HOU, and SA are the only teams to play 4 games each week.]
WORST PLAYOFF SCHEDULES
Cleveland and New Orleans — they both only play 11 times over the last 3.5 weeks. But it’s not like you’d ever trade LeBron away… Right? Well, maaaaybe for Durant? Talk about ballsy, but 3 extra games over the entirety of the playoffs — one extra game per week — just might be worth it. (Although in fairness, this is more like comparing 3 LeBron games + 1 ‘To be determined’ game vs. 4 Durant games. But on the other hand, if you did decide to trade LeBron for Durant, you could probably get a pretty nice upgrade on another player — probably a PG to make up for the assists. So many factors…)
[Note: In leagues where the playoffs begin Mar 15, CLE actually has a 4-game week for the first week, whereas OKC only has a 3-game week. However, those of you with LeBron probably have a first round bye anyway. So, for rounds 2 and 3 of your playoffs, you're actually comparing 3 LBJ games to 4 KD games each week.]
Also, New Orlean’s hideous fantasy schedule, including only 4 games during the finals (one and a half weeks in most leagues) is one reason why I didn’t gamble and trade for Chris Paul.
[Note: In leagues where the playoffs begin Mar 15, NO actually has a nice schedule, starting with a 4-game week. While CP3 is a risky play for that week, he does have a nice 4-game week in the finals for these leagues. If you have a first-round bye, Kidd or CP3 are nice gambles, with Kidd being safer of course.]
MIXED BAG PLAYOFF SCHEDULES
Denver — only plays 12 times, but 4 of those games come on Off-Days, including 2 during the finals. Again, the Off-Days are more important in leagues starting less than 10 players per night, but this is a big reason why I targeted Nene in that specific league.
[Note: In leagues where the playoffs begin Mar 15, DEN is a great play.]
Portland — only plays 11 times, but 2 of those games come on Off-Days.
[Note: In leagues where the playoffs begin Mar 15, POR is still tricky, with only 8 games over 3 weeks, but 2 of those games on Off-Days. Meanwhile, ORL is also tricky, with only 9 games over 3 weeks, but 2 of those games on Off-Days as well.]
And here, again, is the Off-Days chart, if I haven’t made this confusing enough already. (No, this isn’t a Verizon 3G coverage chart. “4G” means the team is playing on a night with only four NBA games on the schedule. For example, take Week 1 of the fantasy playoffs (Week 22 overall, NOT Week 21). Of Dallas’ 4 games that week, it plays one of them on a night with only 4 games on the schedule and another on a night with only 3 games on the schedule.)
Happy shopping.
Loading ... Loading ...20-Second Timeout: Lou Williams, Sergio Rodriguez, and C.J. Watson
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on February 22, 2010
A few quick newsy post-trade items. (Thanks to a friend of the blog, Alan, for pointing them out.)
Lou Williams
The headline from Liberty Ballers says it all: “Iverson out indefinitely; career with Sixers could be over”
Sweet Lou should be snatched up immediately and has a chance to regain top 50 status (the rest of the way) with Allen Iverson (potentially) out of the way. Jrue Holiday and Willie Green, once he returns from injury, also deserve looks in deeper leagues, while Andre Iguodala owners should be all smiles right now.
Sergio Rodriguez
Getting the start for NY tonight. The game just started, and there’s a good chance he might be gone by halftime. Depending on how far Chris Duhon has fallen, this could also be an extra bonus for Eddie House. (House, by the way, should probably provide bigger immediate returns, as he knows the offense much better already. Keep an eye on the situation, as he in fact might be the right add, even though nobody’s really talking about him yet.)
C.J. Watson
Corey Maggette will be out until at least March 8, freeing up some time for Watson, Anthony Morrow, and Anthony Tolliver as fantasy squads gear up for the stretch run. Watson has been very productive lately, and even though he plays a different position than Maggette, we all know that doesn’t really matter to Nellie. Check to see if Lou or Sergio are available first — if they’re gone, Watson is a nice consolation.
Week 17 Recap (Snatch Blatche) and Week 18 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on February 21, 2010
Week 17 was all about the trades. It saw the emergence of a perennial sleeper candidate (or two), the triumphant (at least for now) return of a former first rounder, and the early deaths of some promising fantasy seasons… all the result of big-time trades. The Recap:
Not to rain on T-Mac's parade, but another former Magic/Rocket, Steve Francis, also had a solid Knick debut with 16, 5, and 4. Just saying... (Getty)
Cavs lose! Cavs lose! Cavs lose!
That’s right, the new-look Cavs are 0-3 after acquiring Antawn Jamison. Is it the curse of Big Z? Or is it a hex of fantasy owners of Jamison, Ilgauskas, J.J. Hickson, and Anderson Varejao? Of course, the trade had obvious fantasy ramifications (basically, it sucked for all the guys mentioned above), but why is the losing streak so important? Because it means the Cavs and Lakers are in a near-dead heat for the top record in the NBA… which is great news if you own guys like LeBron or Kobe, who probably can’t afford to rest late into the season as the race for home court advantage comes down to the wire.
(Meanwhile, Jamison put up a dud in his first game but bounced back on Sunday. All those other bigs in CLE? I’m not sure they’ll ever bounce back.)
T-Mac + D’Antoni = WTF
If you look at my rankings of the biggest trade deadline winners (and losers), I had Tracy McGrady ranked near the top of the second tier (although of course qualified that by saying he had the biggest upside of anyone on the list). Well, he made his case for being ranked near the top of the first tier in his first game as a Knick, going off for 26, 4, and 5 with great percentages. Hell, he even shocked himself, as he didn’t expect to play more than 20 min and was admittedly exhausted by the end of the OT game.
I’ve always said the main reason I would own McGrady would be to sell high on him after a hot streak. Well, this might be the right time if you can get a good bounty in return. However, Mike D’Antoni has said the Knicks are going to run the rest of the way (See: Wilson Chandler starting at PF instead of SG, where he has started all year). And with T-Mac playing nice and saying he’s willing to come back to NY at a discount next year, D’Antoni just might keep running him out there for 30+ mpg to build chemistry. Because of his injury risk, I’d be inclined to sell high, but don’t sell yourself short.
Fantasy ROY Race
First it was Tyreke Evans vs. Brandon Jennings. Then it was Evans vs. Stephen Curry. Now is it Curry vs. Darren Collison? Okay, that’s an overstatement. But over the last three weeks, it’s been pretty close:
| FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | |
| Stephen Curry | .434 | .933 | 2.2 | 18.4 | 4.6 | 7.6 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| Darren Collison | .473 | .829 | 1.1 | 19.7 | 4.7 | 9.8 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 4.9 |
Of course, when Chris Paul returns, this race ends, but it just goes to show how valuable both have been over the last three weeks, and how valuable Curry will be the rest of the year.
WEEK 18 PICKUPS
I’m going to steal from myself and just reiterate some of the biggest trade deadline winners, with some slight adjustments given 3 days-worth of new info.
First of all, trade deadline winners like Andray Blatche (62%) , Tyrus Thomas (63%), T-Mac (74%), and Josh Howard (76%) have already cleared the 50% ownership mark in Yahoo leagues and will thus be excluded. (I like them in that order by the way.) The rest:
Casspi & Butler. Ambiguously gay photo, unambiguously solid fantasy pickups. (Getty)
Omri Casspi (33%)
Casspi posted 15, 5, and 3 with 3 steals in his first game with the new-look Kings. Nothing flashy, but he should get relatively consistent minutes in SAC the rest of the way, as he and Evans are the clear building blocks of that team’s future.
JaVale McGee (17%)
It’s tough to find 11 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 2.7 bpg off the FA list, but that’s exactly what McGee has delivered in 3 post-trade starts… and all while playing with a sprained wrist.
Rasual Butler (31%)
He can be streaky, but right now he’s streaking the right direction with 17 treys in his last 5 games. It might take some time, but with Al Thornton out of the way and Travis Outlaw’s indefinite return, Butler could slowly make his was off this list by clearing the 50% hurdle.
C.J. Watson (18%)
Watson has reemerged with Monta Ellis starting to burn out. Don Nelson recently stated he would not be running guys out for 40+ mpg sometime soon, which means Watson should/might start getting consistent playing time again. So while I wouldn’t expect the 27, 4, and 4 with great percentages and ~2 treys/stl per game that Watson posted last week, I’d still expect useful fantasy stats.
DeAndre Jordan (5%)
Jordan had a mixed bag of results in the Clips’ first 3 games without Marcus Camby, averaging 8 and 8 with 2.3 bpg. Those numbers might not be worth taking on his atrocious FT%, but if you’ve already punted that category, he’s a nice pickup. If not, approach with caution. (Also keep in mind that Drew Gooden has decided not to take a buy-out and will stay with the Clips. Obviously Gooden cares about winning and not living in sunny southern California…)
Sergio Rodriguez (9%) and Eddie House (13%)
Rodriguez was the hot pickup after whispers that he might start in New York. And even though he had a lackluster debut, he’d still be a big catch running the Knicks’ new old up-tempo offense. Meanwhile, House — who has played and excelled for D’Antoni before — stepped right in and had a huge first game as the Knicks’ super-6th man. Looks like they both have a chance to make a splash in NY, but just remember that Rodriguez has a real chance to average 8+ apg if/when he steps into that starter’s role before you give up on him.
Keep an eye on… everyone from my trade deadline post, with some tweaks:
Taj Gibson (24% — I’m slightly downgrading him from my previous list because Joakim Noah has already returned; check Noah’s status and think about selling high on Gibson if Noah’s foot starts feeling better), Nate Robinson (52% — been dropped so much he might actually be available; keep an eye on his new role in BOS), Al Thornton and Hakim Warrick (45% and 14% — slight upgrades after debuts on new squads), Jonas Jerebko (9%), Shannon Brown (6% — check Kobe’s status), Mario Chalmers (33% — check Rafer Alston’s status), and last but not least, Anthony Tolliver (6%)
Loading ...Trade Fallout: So many trades, so few roster spots
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Rankings, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades, Fantasy Fallout on February 18, 2010
Wow, that was a busy trade season. I haven’t seen that many players swapped since baseball cards were still cool to collect. But since, realistically, most of us only had one or two roster spots to tinker with, how do we make sense of all the trade winners and losers? Well, here’s my preliminary ranking (by tiers) of guys who are available in 50+% of Yahoo leagues (at least, before the trading deadline):
MUST-OWNS
Andray Blatche
First game post-Jamison and Haywood said it all, even if it came against the undersized T-Wolves.
Omri Casspi
Put up top 50 numbers when Martin was out earlier this year, and is a clear building block of the franchise.
Tyrus Thomas
With ample playing time, expect some wild stl/blk stat lines in the future.
JaVale McGee (at least in deeper leagues)
Like Blatche, he had an eye-opening effort against the T-Wolves, Before that, he’s been very promising in stretches, albeit inconsistent. He’s in the top tier because of his upside and the fact that his FT% isn’t nearly as bad as another C I’ll mention below.
NICE-TO-OWNS
Taj Gibson
Should see a nice boost while Joakim Noah is out. Otherwise, at least he should enjoy a nice boost in confidence with Thomas gone.
Sergio Rodriguez
This guy might belong in the top tier if he can take Chris Duhon’s starting job, as has been rumored. He’s probably a must-own in deeper leagues based purely on speculation.
Tracy McGrady
It’s kind of sad I would rather own Sergio Rodriguez right now, but T-Mac probably has more upside than anyone on this list. He’s the true wild card of this group.
Josh Howard
Okay, he’s probably already taken in your league. But if not, I’d rank him right below T-Mac.
Rasual Butler
Al Thornton’s exit and Travis Outlaw’s uncertain return mean big minutes for Butler.
DeAndre Jordan
Mixed bag in first two games post-Marcus Camby. His upside is equal to McGee’s, but in his career as a starter he’s shooting a putrid 36% on a substantial 4.4 FT attempts per game. His inconsistency might not be worth that negative pressure.
Craig Smith
Doesn’t do much besides score and score efficiently. Those looking to make a last minute charge up the FG% ranks in roto leagues should consider him.
Francisco Garcia
He was a stud last year after the Kings traded away John Salmons. The only problem this year — Tyreke Evans, Donte Greene, and Omri Casspi are all emerging and playing well. And who knows what Larry Hughes’ role will be.
Donte Greene
See: Garcia, Francisco.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Nate Robinson
I dropped Nate for JaVale McGee in what was a needs-based move in one league, but BOS might actually be a good situation for Nate. You know they want to rest Ray Allen for the playoffs, so it’s possible Nate could get 25-30 mpg as an instant offense sixth man. Or, he could get the same minutes Eddie House was getting. Who knows? So keep an eye on him.
Nick Young
WAS is playing for the future, and Young would qualify as such. If you need 3’s, they might start falling soon…
Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless
Even with Steve Blake gone, these guys kind of cancel each other out. If Brandon Roy continues to be hampered by his hammy, both would enjoy instant upgrades.
Jared Jeffries and Hilton Armstrong
Jeffries’ skills are a perfect match for Houston’s style of play. However, he probably won’t get close to the minutes he was getting in NY. We’ll have to wait and see what that averages out to. And speaking of playing time, Armstrong will be battling Jeffries for the minutes that Carl Landry vacated in Houston. He hasn’t done much this year, but has been useful for stretches in the past.
Hakim Warrick
He doesn’t do much besides score, but CHI chose him over more defensive big men like Kurt Thomas and Francisco Elson for a reason. With Salmons gone, Warrick could be leaned on for some (unorthodox) post scoring.
Beno Udrih
Udrih was useful the first time Martin was missing games, but the return of Francisco Garcia complicates that backcourt enough for me to be cautiously optimistic about Udrih the rest of the way.
Al Thornton
A change of scenery might do him good, but he’s still playing behind Mike Miller and Howard.
IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME…
You might not want to cut some of these guys right away, but if you have to in order to snatch one of the “Must-Owns” I’d probably make the move.
Channing Frye
I’m sticking Frye on this list because he was probably hurt the most by the Suns’ inability to trade Amare Stoudemire. He could still very possibly get hot for multiple games at a time, but Robin Lopez is entrenched as the starter now, killing Frye’s consistency. (I’d hang onto him in deeper leagues though.)
J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao
Again, maybe wait at least a couple days before dropping these guys, but that CLE frontcourt is awfully crowded now. But do what you gotta do and don’t look back.
Drew Gooden
Looks like he’s staying in Clipperland, where he might actually be somewhat useful, but his upside is limited.
Ronnie Brewer and Charlie Bell
Brewer and Bell are headed to the MEM and MIL benches, and there are definitely more attractive fish in the sea.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
If his contract is bought out, he’s worthless for 4 weeks. If he rejoins CLE or goes to DAL, it’s not much better.
Erick Dampier
I was down on him from the start. A broken finger sealed his fate.
Did I miss anyone? Of course I did. Feel free to let me know below…
Trade Fallout: McGrady, Thomas, Robinson, Salmons, Boozer(?)
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Rankings, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades, Fantasy Fallout on February 18, 2010
Thanks to the recession and the possibility of an NBA lockout next season, trading is fast and furious this season. I’ll try to rank the biggest gainers by the end of today, as you’ll need to be quick to grab some of these names off FA lists. So far, among potentially available pickups, Andray Blatche appears to be the biggest winner, with JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan, Craig Smith, Donte Greene, and Francisco Garcia trailing. But more on that later.
You should be checking Rotowire, Rotoworld, and Adrian Wojnarowski’s Twitter feed (all in the right-hand column) up until the trade deadline of 3 pm EST and even a couple hours after, as some trades come in late. Here’s some of the latest chatter I haven’t covered yet:
Tracy McGrady to NY (after all)
McGrady is worth a flyer in most leagues. With Larry Hughes headed to SAC, Donte Greene and Francisco Garcia’s prospects look slightly dimmer, and I’d probably rather gamble on McGrady.
Meanwhile, for those of you looking for assists, keep an eye on Chris Duhon’s new backup, Sergio Rodriguez. They could very well swap roles by the end of the season.
Salmons will likely start at SG and gets an immediate upgrade. Charlie Bell loses his starting job, while Carlos Delfino might lose some touches.
Thomas gets a boost in CHA as his playing time will likely increase. Boris Diaw might take a slight hit, while Gerald Wallace’s rebounding numbers might also dip some.
Initially I didn’t like this move for Nate, but check tonight’s game to see what his his role will (roughly) be.
Apparently, UTA and MIA are in last minute trade talks. As a Paul Millsap owner, I’m hoping this happens. As a D-Wade fan, I’m also hoping this happens.
Trade Fallout: Tracy McGrady traded for Kevin Martin (Damn you for making me rewrite this, Daryl Morey!)
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades, Fantasy Fallout on February 18, 2010
Remember that last T-Mac post? Perhaps you glossed over the Sacramento part of it. That’s because Daryl Morey is a sneaky bastard.
Tracy McGrady is actually headed to Sacramento in exchange for Kevin Martin (hey, at least I was right about the “marquee player” part). Also going to Sacto: Joey Dorsey and (shockingly) Carl Landry. Also going to H-Town: Kenny Thomas, Hilton Armstrong, and Sergio Rodriguez. There are still a lot of moving parts to this deal — for example, T-Mac could still end up in New York by Thursday night, and Rodriquez could end up elsewhere as well, as the Rockets already have two pretty good PG’s in Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry. But here’s the initial fallout:
Biggest winner: Martin — he desperately needed a change in scenery, and while he still won’t get the 20+ shot attempts/game he was getting at the beginning of the year, I think his shots start falling sooner rather than later. As I said in my false last T-Mac post, I also like Trevor Ariza to improve his efficiency now that he’s a clear #3 or even #3.5 scoring option.
Meanwhile, the athletic Armstrong has a chance to carve out a place in the HOU rotation, with Landry vacating 25-30 minutes of playing time there. And if Sacto ends up shipping T-Mac away, expect Francisco Garcia to be relevant again, as a starter or as Donte Greene’s backup. Omri Casspi should also rediscover some of that shooting touch he enjoyed earlier this year.
One more thing: It’s hard to argue against T-Mac here, as going from zero minutes to any minutes will likely help his fantasy value. (Yes, I copied and pasted that from the previous post, and I’m not afraid to do it again if T-Mac ends up in NY.)
Keep an eye on: That three-headed frontcourt monster of Landry, Jason Thompson, and Spencer Hawes. I think all three will still log minutes, but this trade definitely limits the upside of all three as well.
Biggest loser: If you were using Shane Battier in a deeper league, unfortunately he might start seeing his minutes squeezed soon. Even if he still starts, you can expect Ariza to shift over to SF with Martin at SG for long stretches, and Battier’s stats have always been pretty well-correlated with his minutes.
On the Sacramento side, the fantasy “losers” really depend on whether or not T-Mac gets shipped out. If he stays, he basically hurts those same guys — Garcia, Greene, and Casspi — I mentioned above.
Trade Fallout: Emir Preldzic traded!
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades, Fantasy Fallout on February 17, 2010
That’s right — Cleveland has traded the rights to Emir Preldzic to Washington (in exchange for Antawn Jamison). This was actually a three-team deal, with CLE getting Jamison and Sebastian Telfair, WAS getting Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner, and of course EMIR PRELDZIC(!), and LAC getting Drew Gooden. Ilgauskas and Gooden will likely both be bought out, with Ilgauskas likely returning to CLE and Gooden likely heading back to DAL. (If true, both should be dropped, as they won’t even be in action for 30 days.)
The fantasy fallout? No immediate hot pickups (that I haven’t already discussed in detail) jump out at me. Here’s the quick rundown:
Biggest winner: Besides the entire city of Cleveland? Thornton might have a chance to jumpstart his season, but I’m not rushing to own him as he’s still behind Mike Miller, Josh Howard, and possibly even James Singleton on the depth chart. And oh yeah, Andray Blatche is a must-own now (I’ve mentioned him so much lately I almost forgot to include him), while JaVale McGee deserves a long look.
(The other winners here? Amare Stoudemire and Troy Murphy owners, as they won’t have to worry about their big men being destroyed by that CLE frontcourt situation.)
Keep an eye on: Rasual Butler and Travis Outlaw now only have each other to compete with for minutes at the SF spot in LAC. Both should be solid weekly plays the rest of the way, with Butler especially roster-worthy as long as Outlaw is still injured.
Biggest loser: The entire city of New York. The much-anticipated LeBron sweepstakes of 2010 might not even happen if the LeBron/Jamison experiment works out.
From a fantasy perspective, Jamison takes a hit in value, as do all the other bigs in CLE: J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ilgauskas (when he returns). Hickson made my last weekly pickups list because I assumed the team willing to deal their stud PF would at least get him in return. WAS failed me, and Hickson’s fantasy value is on life support now. Damn you, Wizards!
Trade Fallout: Tracy McGrady (to be) traded for the Knicks Bench… or the Bulls Bench
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades, Fantasy Fallout on February 17, 2010
And I thought I procrastinated.
The Rockets are nearing a deal with the Knicks that would send Tracy McGrady to New York for Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Larry Hughes and an assortment of draft picks/swaps/etc. OR… a deal that would send T-Mac to the Bulls for Tyrus Thomas, Brad Miller, and John Salmons or Kirk Hinrich.
If you own any Rockets, you’re hoping for the first deal, as those incoming Knicks players won’t “interfere” as much with current team chemistry. Since Houston has just been looking for a marquee player or future prospects (and because I’m feeling a little bit lazy), I’m guessing they go with the Knicks deal as well. The fallout (Daryl Morey, please don’t make me re-write this post):
Biggest winner: It’s hard to argue against T-Mac here, as going from zero minutes to any minutes will likely help his fantasy value. Although Mike D’Antoni has said as recently as last weekend that he planned to play “the kids” the rest of the way, he has also (contradictorily) said he’ll play T-Mac. And here’s my theory on why:
Mike D’Antoni to LeBron and/or D-Wade: “Hey, if raggedy T-Mac can average 15-5-5 with this supporting cast, just imagine what you can do!”
So, yeah, expect T-Mac to get some run. Don’t expect his percentages to be anywhere near respectable, but if they let him play, he’s going to put up stats.
Keep an eye on: The Knicks roster. Jeffries was the only player of the three dealt getting significant playing time, which one would assume T-Mac will take a chunk of. That means everyone else should get a couple more minutes, especially guys like Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. But Jeffries also didn’t shoot as much as T-Mac probably will, so it remains to be seen how their scoring will be affected. If the Knicks successfully shop Al Harrington, those two guys in particular will probably gain the most.
Biggest loser: Jeffries was already only useful in deeper leagues, but I find it hard for him to maintain his numbers, which took him 30+ (and sometimes 40) mpg to get.
But the real (collective) biggest loser is all of the Houston Rockets, as the three newbies each have potential to carve out a place in the rotation. I think Aaron Brooks is the only guy whose numbers won’t be affected. But guys like Carl Landry and Luis Scola could easily lose some touches/rebounds to Jeffries and Hill. They’re still worth owning, but the chance of an occasional dud just got a little bit higher for those guys.
The one exception might be Trevor Ariza, who has already been supplanted by Brooks as the #1 scoring option earlier in the year and later by Landry as the #2 scoring option. If Ariza gets knocked down to, say, the #4 option, I think most owners would actually welcome the increased efficiency.
Rotoworld- Bucks SG Stackhouse ruled out w/ sore hammy - Jerry Stackhouse (G/F) Milwaukee Bucks
- Eric Gordon not in Clippers lineup on Tue - Eric Gordon (G) Los Angeles Clippers
- Alston still hasn't contacted the team - Rafer Alston (G) Miami Heat
- O'Neal, Wright will play - Jermaine O'Neal (C) Miami Heat
- Noah ditches his boot - Joakim Noah (F/C) Chicago Bulls
- Baron Davis sick, won't start on Tuesday - Baron Davis (G) Los Angeles Clippers
- Haywood may be able to play Wednesday - Brendan Haywood (C) Dallas Mavericks
- Lowry a game-time decision - Kyle Lowry (G) Houston Rockets
- Ariza cleared to play - Trevor Ariza (F) Houston Rockets
- Ellington still not cleared - Wayne Ellington (G) Minnesota Timberwolves
- Adrian Wojnarowski
- WojYahooNBA: Danny Granger and Channing Frye have been suspended for a game for scrap in recent game, NBA says.
- WojYahooNBA: RT @Ian_OConnor: At St. John's, the woman who shows the Big East boys how to do a man's job. http://tinyurl.com/yfp8khd
- WojYahooNBA: PJ knows he won't get another head coaching job in NBA. So if he wants to be HC again, it would have to be on campus. Still, i don't see it.
- WojYahooNBA: PJ came to hate recruiting when he left SHU in 90s, and it's only more distasteful now. He loves pro lifestyle -- even as asst. or radio-tv.
- WojYahooNBA: In past decade or so PJ Carlesimo turned down ND and St. Johns and has always told me CBB holds no appeal to him. Oregon would surprise me.
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