Posts Tagged Andres Nocioni
Week 6 Recap (Starring Kevin Love as Troy Murphy) and Week 7 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on December 6, 2009
I'm so sad I can't even make fun of Oden's 58-yr-old face. Oops I did it again. (Getty Images)
Week 6 featured the return of Chris Paul and Troy Murphy Kevin Love, although the “return” on everyone’s minds doesn’t come until tomorrow night in Philadelphia. It also featured the fall of one of my favorite sleepers on the year. Greg “Sigh” Oden.
Chris Paul
In case anyone forgot, Paul returned to the lineup earlier than expected to remind everyone why he’s the most valuable player in fantasy with a near triple-double (the CP3 way): 16 pts, 15 ast, and 8 stl.
Some other immediate ramifications: Peja Stojakovic’s shot attempts sunk to 10 after enjoying about 13 per game during Paul’s absence (although in Peja’s defense he was returning from a minor injury). Emeka Okafor saw an immediate boost in productivity, and I expect David West to follow shortly, in case you were looking to BUY LOW on either. And Devin Brown (2% owned in Yahoo leagues) is emerging as a fantasy-viable player as the starting SG, totaling 11 treys in Paul’s last 4 (complete) healthy games.
Kevin Love (and Al Jefferson)
Love did his best impersonation of Troy Murphy in his first two games of action, averaging 14.5 pts and 10.5 reb to go with 2.0 3pg. The 3’s were a pleasant surprise and after hitting only 2 all of last year, it looks like he’ll take at least 1 or 2 attempts per game this year.
Meanwhile, Al Jefferson enjoyed his two best rebounding games in a while, totaling 25 in Love’s first two games back. It might seem a little counter-intuitive, but I like this trend to continue, even when Love is inserted into the starting lineup. As I mentioned back when Love got injured, Jefferson doesn’t have to shoulder the entire rebounding load anymore, as the other team will actually have to box out another legitimate rebounder now. The other contributing factor? Jefferson has looked lackadaisical at times this year, but not the last two games. Energy is contagious around Love, and even though the Wolves won’t be fighting for a playoff spot anytime soon, I like Jefferson to play with a little more fire now that their squad has a legit chance to win every most some nights.
If you can convince Big Al’s owner that Love will actually eat into his stats, he could still be a nice BUY LOW option if you can get him at a reasonable price. Read the rest of this entry »
Fantasy Basketball Strategy: Week 4 Recap and Week 5 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on November 22, 2009
Don't call it a comeback, Brand's been here all year long. He's just finally making some noise. (Getty Images)
WEEK 4 RECAP
They’re Ba-aaack
Week 4 featured the return of several fantasy studs: Rashard Lewis, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, and Pau Gasol. (Thanks for playing, Ryan Andersen and Rafer Alston. Here are some nice parting gifts…)
As for Murphy and Gasol, their fantasy impact is a little more complicated. Murphy will definitely take away some of Roy Hibbert’s stats, but I think the young center will still be valuable contributing a near double-double with 2 bpg. Meanwhile, if you didn’t sell high on Andrew Bynum before Gasol’s return, please don’t panic and let someone buy low on him these next few (or more?) games as he readjusts to Gasol. 19 and 11 might be a little much to expect, but he’ll be much better than 11 and 8 (his first game with Pau back).
On the flip side, Week 4 also saw some key injuries, including Jameer Nelson and Andrew Bogut. If you’re looking for replacements, Jason Williams has had a couple decent games thus far, while Kurt Thomas/Hakim Warrick have each had a nice game (depending on the matchup) in Bogut’s absence. (There are some more exciting pickups further below.)
They’re “Ba-aaack”
Week 4 also featured the “return” of two stud centers: Elton Brand and Al Jefferson. With Marresse Speights out of the way due to injury, Brand absolutely erupted, averaging 20 and 10 with 2.7/3.7 spg/bpg this week, good for the #2 ranking by averages in Yahoo leagues. I’m not sure what to make of this unexpected outburst quite yet, as the 76ers lost two of those games and barely beat a new-look CHA team in the other game, but I’ll have my thoughts on whether Brand is a sell high or buy low guy shortly.
Injury Timeout: Francisco Garcia
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Draft, Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Rankings, Injury Timeout on October 11, 2009
Looks like the first injury with a major fantasy impact has happened. Francisco Garcia will miss at least four months after undergoing surgery for a broken forearm. A quick look at the fantasy impact:
- Garcia should not be rostered unless you have an IR spot in your league. For leagues without an IR spot, start looking for updates in early January.
- Andres Nocioni is the biggest beneficiary. He averaged 14 and 6 in 31 mpg with SAC last season, including 2 3’s per game while contributing everywhere else, and those numbers are close to his career splits as a starter. He should be a solid pickup, especially in roto leagues where you can use him and lose him by February. I’d rank him somewhere around Rip Hamilton (#105) and Thaddeus Young (#106) on my draft board.
- Keep an eye on: Desmond Mason, Donte Greene, and in deep, deep leagues rookie Omri Casspi.
Apparently, the injury occurred while Garcia was weightlifting…with an exercise ball. Hey, it happens:
Fantasy Basketball Draft Rankings: 91-100
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Draft, Fantasy Basketball Rankings on September 30, 2009
Fantasy basketball draft rankings: 91-100
These rankings are based on a standard 9-category format, with a slight leaning towards H2H leagues, although differing strategies for roto leagues are noted when applicable.
| Player | Team | POS | Analysis | |
| 91 | Kevin Love | MIN | PF, C | As the starting PF for the Wolves, Love should flirt with double-doubles nightly. How will a healthy Big Al affect his stats? Love’s FG% was erratic month-to-month last year, but it should stabilize this year with Jefferson attracting so much attention (as well as due to Love’s own sophomore progression). The defensive numbers are more of a crapshoot, but the way this kid hustles, he should contribute some in both STL/BLK. |
| 92 | Mario Chalmers | MIA | PG | With Wade handling the ball so much, I don’t think Chalmers can improve wildly on his rookie season. But I am looking forward to seeing slight upticks in PTS, AST, 3PM, and STL (and he was already at 2 spg last year). |
| 93 | Mike Bibby | ATL | PG | While Bibby is bound to lose some minutes and AST to Crawford this year, I still like him to pop a couple 3’s per game. And like his two other backcourt mates, I like a slight increase in his efficiency as he learns to mesh with his fellow playmakers. |
| 94 | Francisco Garcia | SAC | SG, SF | While I don’t like how Nocioni ate into his playing time at the end of last season, it’s difficult to find a consistent 1/1/1 guy this late in the draft. None of his individual numbers stand out, but with his versatility he should finish in the top-80 by averages. |
| 95 | T.J. Ford | IND | PG | As the lone true distributor on last season’s squad, I’m still surprised Ford only averaged 5.3 apg. But with Danny Granger and Brandon Rush’s continued improvement (along with Jarrett Jack’s departure), I like Ford to eclipse at least 6 apg. His month-to-month splits last year suggest he was already headed that direction, until a late-season shake-up to the starting lineup left him on the bench. |
| 96 | Mike Conley | MEM | PG | Conley’s sophomore bump was delayed, but it happened in the nick of time to save some fantasy teams (just not the teams that drafted him). So of course the logical move was for MEM to bring in Allen Iverson. It took Conley half a season to get accustomed to playing alongside O.J. Mayo. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes Conley a while to adjust to AI as well, but he should produce eventually. I might let someone else draft him and try to trade for him early in the season. |
| 97 | Allen Iverson | MEM | PG, SG | AI is difficult to project because who knows where he will end the season? If he stays in MEM, this might actually be too early to draft him. But based on his skill level (and name recognition, for potential fantasy trades), this seems about right. After all, he still averaged 5 apg and 1.5 spg in a less-than-ideal situation last year. |
| 98 | Nate Robinson | NY | PG, SG | Like Francisco Garcia, Robinson is one of those guys who was a past sleeper, but didn’t pan out quite as much as people hoped. As a result, he could slip into the later rounds of the draft, where he becomes a nice value pick. |
| 99 | Blake Griffin | LAC | PF | Last year was the year of the rookie, and as a result, I expect people to overvalue rookies (which is usually the case anyway) this year. Griffin is certainly capable of 15+ ppg while contributing some everywhere else, but I’ll let other people overpay for him. |
| 100 | Paul Millsap | UTA | PF, C | If Boozer is dealt, you’ll be getting top 50 value in the eighth or ninth round of your draft. Even if Boozer isn’t dealt, Millsap should provide usable if unspectacular numbers. (Update: Millsap started a recent preseason game at SF for the Jazz. It looks like Jerry Sloan will figure out a way to get him on the court, one way or the other.) |
Rotoworld- DeSagana Diop a healthy scratch from lineup - DeSagana Diop (F/C) Charlotte Bobcats
- Larry Brown believes Iverson will return - Allen Iverson (G) Philadelphia 76ers
- Scalabrine inactive due to Finley addition - Brian Scalabrine (F/C) Boston Celtics
- Aaron Gray returns from stomach infection - Aaron Gray (C) New Orleans Hornets
- Ellington returns after three game absence - Wayne Ellington (G) Minnesota Timberwolves
- Thompson scores 10 in win - Jason Thompson (F/C) Sacramento Kings
- Tyreke Evans gets first triple-double in win - Tyreke Evans (G) Sacramento Kings
- Beno big again in Kings win - Beno Udrih (G) Sacramento Kings
- Bargnani lone bright spot for Raptors - Andrea Bargnani (F/C) Toronto Raptors
- Walker donezo - Bill Walker (G/F) New York Knicks
- Adrian Wojnarowski
- WojYahooNBA: RT @DanWetzel: I'm giddy over this Tiger-Ari Fleischer deal. A sure-to-be disastrous PR campaign is always good for a columnist
- WojYahooNBA: Column: Donald Sterling has big plans for the Clippers now. Next, he should fire himself. http://tinyurl.com/yhbokyp
- WojYahooNBA: RT @jimrome: You know you're having a bad day if Lester Munson is on tv talking about you.
- WojYahooNBA: Gonzo took Times vaccine at Duane Reade RT @PeteThamelNYT: When asked his reaction toTimes story, Gonzo said, "I’m immune to those things."
- WojYahooNBA: Larry Brown had been pushing for Sixers job too, but hard to believe MJ will let him out of contract to leave for Philly or Clips.
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