Posts Tagged Elton Brand
Trade Winds: Eastern Conference
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades, Fantasy Fallout on February 12, 2010
Get ready for one of the most important weeks of the fantasy basketball season. The days leading up to the trade deadline (February 18) can make or break fantasy squads. Since there are no more games this week, you should be filling your ‘dead’ roster spots with guys who would benefit from possible trades, if you haven’t already. (See: Francisco Garcia, 2009 or Drew Gooden, 2008.)
If you've got a dead roster spot, it might be worth it to stash someone like Blatche for the next 6 days. (Getty)
For example, one of the most popular pieces of trade bait is Troy Murphy. Nobody knows where he will go (or if he will go), but the biggest winner from a Murphy trade would be Roy Hibbert. Since Hibbert’s probably already taken, you’d want to keep an eye on Tyler Hansbrough. He’s currently injured but would be a safe bet to get 25-30 mpg once he returns. And lastly, the biggest loser of this deal would probably be Murphy himself (especially if he winds up in CLE, but maybe not if he winds up in SAC).
Got it? Since there are so many rumored scenarios, I’m just going to run through the most popular trade targets and the ripple effect that would happen if they were moved. Of course, this is imperfect because I’m (mainly) looking at one side of the deal, so just consider this a general set of guidelines before the actual deals start getting announced next week.
ANTAWN JAMISON
Biggest winner: Andray Blatche
Biggest loser: Probably Jamison (the most likely destination for him is CLE, which is already stacked with bigs)
CARON BUTLER
Biggest winner: Mike Miller (in store for a bigger role)
Keep an eye on: Nick Young (Miller might shift to the SF spot, freeing up the starting SG spot)
Biggest loser: I would’ve said Butler, but this might actually jumpstart him.
ELTON BRAND
Biggest winner: Marreese Speights
Keep an eye on: Thaddeus Young
Biggest loser: The PF on whatever team Brand is headed to.
ANDRE IGUODALA
Biggest winner: Lou Williams (if Willie Green plays more minutes at the SF spot, it could finally relieve that backcourt traffic jam)
Keep an eye on: Willie Green and Thaddeus Young
Biggest loser: The SF on whatever team Iggy is headed to.
KIRK HINRICH
Biggest winner: John Salmons
Keep an eye on: Hinrich (he’s already useful now, and his value could rise even more if he’s moved into a starting PG role)
Biggest loser: The PG on whatever team Hinrich is headed to.
CHRIS BOSH
Biggest winner: Andrea Bargnani
Keep an eye on: Amir Johnson
Biggest loser: You got it: the big men on whatever team Bosh is headed to. (Okay, I’ll stop mentioning the biggest loser if there’s no clear one yet.)
NATE ROBINSON
Biggest winner: Chris Duhon (he needs anything to happen to jumpstart himself) and Larry Hughes
Keep an eye on: Nate, as he might move to a situation with more playing time, but not necessarily more responsibility.
DEVIN HARRIS
Biggest winner: Keyon Dooling
Biggest loser: Probably Harris, as he’s currently The Man in New Jersey. At least when he’s healthy.
TYRUS THOMAS
Biggest winner: Probably Thomas himself, as he can only crack about 20 mpg right now, and Taj Gibson
Keep an eye on: Brad Miller
Okay, hope that’s enough to get the juices flowing for now. Watch out for my Western Conference edition sometime this weekend, and feel free to point out any pieces of trade bait I missed.
Week 13 Recap (It’s all about the…) Week 14 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on January 24, 2010
Week 13 was really all about the pickups. I haven’t seen this many players resurrect their fantasy basketball seasons/careers in a week that didn’t involve any major trades in a long while. But first, the recap…
Mo Williams
The biggest fantasy news of the week involved Mo Williams’ shoulder sprain, which will sideline him 4-6 weeks. He passed the injury bug to his replacement, Delonte West (fractured finger in shooting hand), and while I still like West over the next several weeks, it might take him a few games to heal and the another few games to regain his shooting touch, so temper your expectations.
I'm sorry, Grant Hill. This is just wrong. (Getty Images)
Corey Maggette
The biggest fantasy news of the month is Corey Frickin Maggette. I’ve hated him for years and vowed never to own him (unless I owned Dwight Howard in a roto league). Now I hate him because I vowed never to own him. He continues to put up top 10 numbers — amazingly, despite averaging less than ONE three/stl/blk per game — which is a tribute to his efficiency. (He’s averaging 29 ppg on ~15 shot attempts per game.) The fact that I want to underline this entire paragraph makes me hate him even more.
Logic says to sell high, although I probably wouldn’t do so unless I was getting a near-sure bet in return. (That GSW squad just can’t seem to stay healthy, so Maggette will likely get his minutes.) But, because of the sub-1 threes/stl/blk, once Maggette’s 55% FG rate dips closer to his career averages, he’ll likely plummet out of top 10 status back into the top 50 range. That’s still nice, but if you can snag someone like, say, Brandon Roy from a panicked owner (in a packaged deal), go for it. Hey, you never know…
ROY Race
Aided by Monta Ellis’ gimpy anke, Stephen Curry continued to take steps forward, and in my mind he took a big step ahead of the pack in the fantasy ROY race, averaging 23, 5, and 5 with a whopping 3.8 threes and 1.5 spg. Tyreke Evans, on the other hand, had a mediocre week (still averaging 20+ ppg with great percentages), although in his defense that entire SAC squad had a pretty terrible week.
And while he’s in danger of becoming an Also Ran, Brandon Jennings showed some signs of life, averaging 18 ppg and 7 apg with 2 threes/spg (albeit still shooting sub-40% from the field). The emergence of Carlos Delfino and return of Jerry Stackhouse — both of which (at least for this week) seem much more like playmakers than Michael Redd ever was this year — seems to be having a positive effect on Young Money. Sure, his big games this week also came against PGs that couldn’t quite abuse him (Aaron Brooks and Jonny Flynn), but at the least Jennings’ trade value has some life again, in case you need to unload that FG% off your squad.
And in other Week 13 news…
Randy Foye continued to hit his shots until a 3-9 dud on Sunday, which made me feel a little better about ’selling high’ on him earlier in the week. What also made me feel better: Dwyane Wade’s awesome 2 games after my deal went through. (In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I traded Iggy, Foye, and Yi Jianlian for Wade + 2 scrubs who turned into Carlos Delfino and Drew Gooden. Robin Lopez was sadly picked up before my trade cleared waivers.)
Rashard Lewis is still missing a lot of shots, but also seems to be a more active member of the offense. There is hope…
F my life — Joakim Noah has plantar fasciitis. He seemed to be upbeat about the situation, but if he’s just being optimistic, Tyrus Thomas owners have to be thrilled. (Thomas had 6 blk in 20-something minutes against the (undersized) Rockets in Noah’s DNP over the weekend.) And by the way, here’s a message to FourPointPlay — I know you rigged my last poll!! Lol.
Andre Miller continues to excel in Brandon Roy’s absence.
Lastly, Lou Williams’ fantasy season is on life support, but if you can afford to, I’d try to wait until the trade deadline next month before bailing on him. Many think the 76ers will be active in trades, which might even include Lou but will more likely include Elton Brand or maybe even Andre Iguodala, the departure(s) of which would really help Lou’s fantasy life. If you need more immediate assistance, see below.
WEEK 14 PICKUPS
It seems like we’ve reached a point in the fantasy season where a lot of managers (namely, the ones out of contention) have checked out. This actually has a fairly significant impact on fantasy leagues — especially leagues that aren’t as deep — because it means there is a lot of talent in the free agent pool. If you’re in a H2H league where a lot of these guys are available, it might actually pay off to cut those iffy players and start churning players. (Although you probably want to hang onto some of these guys.)
Robin Lopez (42%)
Last week when I mentioned him, Lopez was owned in 7% of Yahoo leagues. That’s up to 42% now, and it should be even more. After Lopez posted two great lines to start the week, Channing Frye bounced back with a nice performance himself against CHI. But it’s telling that Lopez and not Frye got the minutes in PHO’s next game against run-and-gun GSW. Expect defenses to pay closer attention to Lopez in the future, but his starting job seems secure for now.
Since I think this site has more pictures of Robin Lopez than it can handle, I'll give Delfino some well-deserved publicity. (Getty Images)
Carlos Delfino (33%)
I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves: 16.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 3.5 apg with 3.0 threes and 1.5 spg in 4 games last week. Who knows if this can last, but you want to own Delfino while we all find out.
Drew Gooden (21%)
Gooden was projected by many to be the starting C in Dallas when the year began, but due to injury and Erick Dampier’s strong play, he’s mainly played a bench role. Sunday may have just been a spot start (Dampier was a DNP-nagging injury), as Gooden probably matched up better against the more mobile David Lee anyway, but even in a bench role Gooden has quietly put up top 50 numbers (by averages) over the last month, with 10 and 8 to go along with ~1 stl/blk and great percentages before Sunday’s 15 and 16 outburst.
Delonte West (23%) and Daniel Gibson (8%)
West is the guy to own in February, but for this week Gibson will hit some threes and get some assists just being in the same building as LeBron.
Craig Smith (5%)
I mentioned that Rasual Butler (and Al Thornton) was worth long-term consideration after it was learned Blake Griffin would miss the entire season. But it’s Craig Smith who has really thrived while not having to look over his shoulder. He has solidified his place as the third wheel in that Clipper frontcourt, averaging 15 and 5 on 69% shooting over the last week.
George Hill (8%)
Hill has started three games in a row at SG and produced 16 ppg with 2.3 treys. Keep an eye on this situation.
Other guys to pick up/keep an eye on: Mike Miller (44% — slowly coming around), Corey Brewer (42% — #38 in Yahoo rankings by averages last week), DeJuan Blair (29% — see last week), Matt Barnes (40%), Brandon Rush (26% — he’s been hot since Granger returned), Rasual Butler (30%), Chase Budinger (3% — if you need 3’s in deep leagues), Cartier Martin (1%).
Loading ...Injury Timeout: Joel Przybilla
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Injury Timeout on December 23, 2009
If you are taller than 7 feet and live in Portland, chances are your knees look like silly putty. (AP)
I was talking with a friend the other day about how there are so many more quality C’s (or C-eligible players) in fantasy now as opposed to five years ago. Well, last night was a reminder why you still need to be deep at the center position on your fantasy teams. Joel Przybilla suffered a ruptured patella Wednesday night versus the Mavs. It wasn’t as ugly as, say, Shaun Livingston’s ruptured ‘everything’, but it was still painful to watch.
I still find it hard to believe Przy only made it up to 39% ownership in Yahoo leagues (he was averaging exactly what everyone who owned him was hoping for as a starter: 10 rpg and 2 bpg), so if you own him, chances are you originally had Greg Oden or you play in a deeper league. Since Przy is likely done for the season, here are some guys available in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues:
Roy Hibbert (45%)
See last post. He also added 6 blk versus Boston Tuesday night despite a subpar offensive game.
Tyrus Thomas (44%)
Even though he’s not a C, he’s a nice option to replace some of those boards and blocks while adding more steals as well. Grab him if he’s still available, although in deeper leagues he’s probably been stowed away for at least a few days now.
Erick Dampier (45%)
Quietly averaging 10.4 rpg and 2.1 bpg in 10 December games.
Anderson Varejao (47%)
Probably won’t get as many blocks as Przy, but he’s a sneaky source of steals (1.0 spg).
Tyson Chandler (46%)
After being called out by Gerald Wallace recently, Chandler responded with a 13 and 14 double-double versus the undersized Knicks. He’s maddeningly inconsistent, but he’s a decent filler for REB with potential for more.
Marreese Speights (35%)
He doesn’t block the ball nearly as much as you’d hope for a big, but he’s getting quality minutes in Philly. Although Elton Brand was hot Tuesday night, Speights was very solid in the 3 previous games.
Serge Ibaka (2%)
Who? The third-string C for the Thunder of course! Well, he’s averaging 8+ rpg and 1.5 bpg over his last 4, including a nice 8 and 14 outing against the Lakers Tuesday night.
Josh Boone (4%)
Boone doesn’t do much besides rebound and block, but that’s probably what you’re looking for right now. If you’re scared (and rightfully so) by that putrid 26% FT percentage, take comfort knowing that he only averages 1 attempt per game. In 11 December games he’s averaging 6.9 rpg and 1.4 bpg. Not a huge dropoff from Przy’s stats.
Hasheem Thabeet (9%)
He’s disappeared in recent games with Zach Randolph blowing up and Marc Gasol playing well again, but Thabeet had a 3-game run earlier this month where he tallied 11 blk. Keep an eye on him.
Juwan Howard (3%)
Since Portland’s only other listed C, Anthony Tolliver, only has 1 career block, I’d lean towards the veteran Howard if you’re really strapped. Even though half his old Fab Five teammates (for those of you young’ns, that’s not a T-Mobile plug…) are now doing commentary for TV, Howard posted respectable stats the last time he had to log big minutes — in Houston during the 2006-07 season when Yao Ming missed 3 months. Don’t expect much more than double-digit points and 5-6 boards though. And if Portland signs another big man (which is likely), you probably can’t even expect that much.
And by the way: Yes, LaMarcus Aldridge owners, LA might finally start averaging double-digit boards…
Week 8 Recap (T-Mac plays “7 Minutes in Heaven”) and Week 9 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on December 21, 2009
7 minutes in heaven? Seventh graders are getting more play than T-Mac is right now... (Getty Images)
In Week 8, some of the most important fantasy happenings occurred off the court, with several fantasy stars on the verge of returning to the court. It also featured Superman returning to form, T-Mac getting “out-played” by seventh graders, and a possible new contender in the fantasy ROY race.
Lou Williams, Jameer Nelson, and Tyrus Thomas (and Marreese Speights)
Hopefully you heard some of my barking (as well as some of the guys on my message boards) and were quick enough to pick up Williams, Nelson, or Thomas over the past week. Williams actually already returned to action with a subpar outing versus the Clippers, but with Allen Iverson out at least a week due to arthritis, Sweet Lou will have plenty of time to get back into form… and before we know it, Iverson will be the one adjusting to him instead of the other way around.
Meanwhile, Nelson is expected to return early in Week 9, while Thomas will likely return at the end of the week. And another guy who returned to the lineup after an extended absence and has already turned in 3 solid (including one great) game is Marreese Speights. With both Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert healthy and playing decently, I’m not expecting too much consistency from Speights. But if you need help at C, he’s definitely worth a look, and he’s only taken in 30% of Yahoo leagues right now.
By the way, if you missed out on any of the above guys, the next (mini) wave of injured guys returning includes Leandro Barbosa (expected to return around mid-to-late week) and in deeper leagues, Yi Jianlian (expected back mid-week).
Dwight Howard
Meanwhile, Superman returned to form, averaging 17 and 18 with 4.5 bpg in 4 games. It’s no coincidence this Superman-esque stretch occurred after a Dec. 11 game at Phoenix in which the Suns went Hack-a-Howard and allowed D-12 to only get off 1 (yes ONE) field goal attempt. I unsuccessfully tried to buy low on Howard all year in one H2H league where I already own Rajon Rondo and Andrew Bogut (FT% punt, anyone?), and that window has probably slammed shut for good now. Oh well.
Week 7 Recap (Raymond Felton is a model of efficiency) and Week 8 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on December 13, 2009
In Week 7, Rip Hamilton and Michael Redd returned from injury. Allen Iverson returned from the grave. Several fast-starters hit a wall. Raymond Felton did his best Chris Paul impersonation. And in the biggest news of all, Danny Granger did his best, well, Danny Granger impersonation. (And Jose Calderon might have done his Jose Calderon impersonation as well.)
Is Raymond Felton turning into a crafty veteran? Because here he sure looks like that old dude at the Y who somehow uses his off-elbow when he shoots. (Getty Images)
Danny Granger
I already posted an immediate reaction to Granger’s injury, and a lot of it holds true. As a lot of you agreed, Mike Dunleavy is the guy to own, especially after a monster performance against the Wizards Friday. Roy Hibbert indeed shifted into the starting lineup and has taken about 12 shots per game since DG went down, but he only hit those shots in one game where he went off for 20 and 9 (on his birthday). Once those shots start falling, he’ll be a very useful fantasy C over the next month. I’d expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 and 8 with 1.5 bpg. And last but not least, Tyler Hansbrough has had three very solid performances, averaging about 18 and 7 with 1.7 spg.
Raymond Felton
It’s already almost been a month since Stephen Jackson was traded to Charlotte, and there are some clear patterns emerging. First of all, I decided to play my “wild card” guess on Gerald Wallace, predicting that Jackson’s arrival would spark him, so I’ll pat myself on the back for that. I also took an educated guess that Raymond Felton’s AST would go down, which was also true (barely), but I didn’t expect his value to skyrocket to the tune of a #57 ranking over the last month (Yahoo averages).
| FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | |
| Raymond Felton | .482 | .769 | 0.9 | 11.9 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 1.6 |
There’s a few things working in Felton’s favor here. First of all, he’s enjoying what might be his most efficient stretch in his career, shooting 48% from the field (career 40%) with only 1.6 TO per game (career 2.7) over the last month. A lot of that has to do with taking less shots because of Jackson, and also more efficient shots playing alongside another playmaker for once. Over the last week in particular, he’s shooting 60% from the field with 3.7 spg, which probably qualifies him as a sell high candidate… Read the rest of this entry »
Fantasy Fallout, Rumor Edition: Tyrus Thomas, Tracy McGrady, Andre Miller, and Elton Brand
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Fallout on December 4, 2009
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports just posted a must-read article on the latest trade rumors in the NBA. Some highlights:
Is Thomas the next Stoudemire? Marion? Or just the next heckling target for New Yorkers? (Getty Images)
Tyrus Thomas
“Several sources believe the Bulls are agreeable to a package of Thomas and Jerome James for Knicks forward Al Harrington.”
Mike D’Antoni has apparently coveted Thomas’ athleticism for years, although I’m not exactly sure how Thomas would be used on offense. Is he more the Shawn Marion or Amare Stoudemire type?… because he seems somewhere in between and not necessarily in a good way, although I can’t really pinpoint why. Maybe because he’s more generally regarded as a defensive player. Anyway, he takes a nice speculative bump in value going to that open offense and is worth a roster spot if you can afford it.
Meanwhile, Al Harrington could be taking Ben Gordon’s old 6th man/instant offense role, but going to a more structured offense makes it hard to predict exactly how his value will be affected. It probably goes down though, as Al likely can’t jack up 5 three-pt attempts per game anywhere outside of NY or GS.
And even though Al would be coming in, Taj Gibson gets a nice boost in confidence/value, while it becomes more likely that Joakim Noah can maintain his nice start. (I was thinking of selling high on him as late as last week, but will hold off on that until news breaks.)
Tracy McGrady
“Houston seems willing to take back a longer-term contract for McGrady, but most executives believe his high salary makes it hard to put together a package.
“Rockets GM Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman don’t want McGrady back with the team, and have insisted that he isn’t physically ready to return to the lineup. McGrady would love a trade, but knows he must start playing again for it to be possible.”
This situation seems messier and messier to me, although this is the first “new” news I’ve heard in a while. (And updating my last post here, apparently there are T-Mac trade rumors. Of course!) In my last post, I also said this all reminded me of Allen Iverson’s past couple weeks, but it actually might be more reminiscent of the Stephen Jackson situation in GSW.
Remember that night Jackson got benched the entire second half when things got really heated/awkward, then played almost the entire next game? It’s called “showcasing”… and I’m guessing the Rockets are waiting for the right time (i.e., until T-Mac is absolutely healthy) to showcase his skills and ship him off. To where? Who knows. But a lot of New Yorkers on this message board from The Knicks Blog think it will be, you got it, the Knicks.
Andre Miller
“Sources say that Brandon Roy clearly prefers playing with Blake over Miller, and that’s an issue that Pritchard must contend with.”
This all stems from the Blazers’ need to fill the gap left by Travis Outlaw’s injury. It’s great news for anyone who recently picked Steve Blake off waivers. I’ve been saying I’d rather own him than Miller all year, so gooo me! (Unfortunately I don’t own him in any leagues though. So, hypooocrite!) It’s probably good news for any Miller owners too, as he’s clearly good enough to start on most NBA teams and this seems like more of a personal preference (on Brandon Roy’s part) rather than a big character issue that would hurt Miller’s value.
Elton Brand
“Sixers GM Ed Stefanski is desperate to unload forward Elton Brand and the $66 million owed over the remaining four years of his crippling contract, sources say, but that will be incredibly difficult.”
Not totally surprising, and hey, maybe that’s why he was getting big minutes before his hamstring got overheated. (Showcasing, anyone? No wait. That Marreese Speights guy got injured. Anyway.) Doesn’t look like anything will happen, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Fantasy Fallout: It’s Always Allen Iverson in Philadelphia
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Fallout on December 2, 2009
Good times! I only have one question. Which one's AI and which one's AI2 now? (NBA Media Ventures)
It’s official. After a close call with the Knicks, followed by hours and hours of meetings with Philly’s top brass, Allen Iverson is un-retiring and returning to the 76ers. According to Philadelphia’s own Stephen A. Smith, Iverson will step into the starting PG spot when he plays his first game Monday and is worth a roster spot in almost all fantasy formats. (By the way, despite the content of my last several posts, this is not a 76ers fan blog. It’s just the result of what I like to call Fantasy Dominos, starting with that broken jaw…)
But what exactly can we expect from AI? And how will AI’s return affect Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, and the other 76ers? Well, allow me to answer my two questions with two more questions:
a) What will be AI’s new role on his old team?
b) What will be AI’s role once Williams returns?
From Stephen A.’s article:
“Team sources confirmed on Friday that Iverson would be a starter because Jordan had planned on starting Williams with rookie Jrue Holiday anyway, just to put some excitement and more ball-handlers into his Princeton-style offense. So even once Williams returns from injury, he’d be in the starting lineup with Iverson.”
Oh. Well that’s convenient. As long as he stays healthy, Iverson is slated to start. Does that mean an automatic return to AI’s numbers circa 2006, the last time he was in Philly? Of course not. Although the core of the roster is familiar, this is clearly Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams’ team now. Or for the next 8 weeks, Iguodala’s team. I can almost imagine the conversations between Iverson, Iverson’s agent, 76ers GM/President Ed Stefanski (since Dec 07), and head coach Eddie Jordan (since May 09) over the last few days in Dallas:
ED STEFANKSI
It’s an honor to meet you, Allen. We’re all huge fans.
ALLEN IVERSON
You’re too kind. But please, call me AI.
20-Second Timeout: Andrew Bogut, Elton Brand, and Luis Scola
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups on November 30, 2009
Andrew Bogut
According to Rotoworld and Bucks play-by-play announcer Jim Paschke, Andrew “Australian for BeeeeRightBack” Bogut is back in the Bucks’ lineup tonight, two weeks earlier than expected. He’s currently available in 30% of Yahoo leagues so make sure he’s not available in yours.
Hopefully you didn’t start Kurt Thomas or Hakim Warrick if you’re in a weekly lineup league. And who knows, with the added offensive weapon/distraction, maybe Brandon Jennings will even shoot better than 30% tonight…
Elton Brand and Luis Scola
And in other news, it looks like EB will return to the lineup Monday as well, and Scola is good to go for the Rockets’ next game Wednesday. Jason Smith and David Andersen, please re-seat yourselves on the bench.
[update] Uh, just kidding on Scola. He’s now listed as doubtful for Wednesday. Apologies, David Andersen owners.
Fantasy Basketball Strategy: Week 5 Recap and Week 6 Pickups (updated)
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on November 30, 2009
WEEK 5 RECAP
Week 5 featured the return of an old fantasy friend, the departure of a new fantasy stud, and the comings and goings (and potential returnings) of a fantasy legend.
"Brett Favre ain't got nothing on me!" (AP)
Allen Iverson
Iverson was probably my favorite player over the past decade, as I’ve always admired his “fight” and determination. That’s why the announcing of his retirement came as a total shock to me. Turns out, it might have been a little premature. A week ago, the Knicks seemed like the only team desperate enough to give Iverson a starting job again. Well, it’s funny what a broken jaw can do to a team’s desperation factor. If the 76ers pick up Iverson, I don’t like him as much as I did had he become a Knick, but he’s probably too good to be a FA in most fantasy leagues. (He’s currently available in 64% of Yahoo leagues; so keep a close eye on this situation.)
Lou Williams
Speaking of that broken jaw, Williams was absolutely killing it when I finally admitted I might have underestimated him in my last article. If you own him, I’m sorry… I take all the blame for jinxing him.
It looks like Lou will be out 8 weeks. I was just telling some readers that I might hang onto him if I’m in or near the lead in my league (or at least see how my team does for the next week). On the other hand, if you’re in the middle of the pack in a H2H league, you might not be able to afford the roster spot. Adding a wrinkle to the situation is Allen Iverson’s possible un-retirement, which would put a damper on William’s eventual return and might push me over the edge in dropping Lou. By the way, so far the big “winners” from Williams’ injury are Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday (although beware of FG%’s!).
Mike Dunleavy
Dunleavy had a successful return last week, chipping in 13 pts against the Mavs in only 15 min (while adding 1 3pm/stl/blk). That Indiana wing position suddenly looks crowded with Brandon Rush and Dahntay Jones in the mix too, but Dunleavy might have the most upside of all three. And he’s currently available in over half (53%) of Yahoo leagues.
20-Second Timeout: Anthony Morrow, Elton Brand, and Lou Williams
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on November 25, 2009
Who has been the most valuable 76er in fantasy this year? Here's a hint: NOT Elton Brand. (Getty Images)
Anthony Morrow
After last night’s performance, this will probably be your last chance to snatch Morrow off the FA list. Against a solid defensive team in DAL (although granted they were without Josh Howard and Shawn Marion), Morrow poured in 27 pts, 9 reb and 5 ast on 9-16 shooting (6-8 from downtown) while chipping in 3 stl. Sure it took him 48 minutes to do, but when your team only dresses 8 players and only plays 6 of them, you’re going to end up playing 48 minutes some nights. (Or in Morrow’s case, 48 minutes 2 games in a row.) He’s somehow still available in 47% of Yahoo leagues.
By the way, every Warrior who played was worth starting tonight. Monta Ellis went off for 37, Stephen Curry had a nice all-around game, and even Vladimir Radmanovic recorded his first double-double since who knows when (adding 4 stl) as Corey Maggette and Andris Biedrins sat out with injuries. Curry should be owned in most leagues; Radmanovic should be owned in more than the 4% of Yahoo leagues he’s currently owned.
Elton Brand
When Marreese Speights went down with an injury a week and a half ago, some astute fantasy basketballers noted these next couple weeks could really define Brand’s value this season. Well, after last week’s dominant 3-game stretch, Brand fell back to earth with a resounding thud against the Wizards. EB only mustered 4 pts and 7 reb on 1-9 shooting, not to mention only recording one measly block and no steals after having 11/8 blk/stl his previous 3 games.
Initially, I thought it might have something to do with the front line WAS marched out against Brand: Brendan Haywood, Fabricio Oberto (one of those pesky defensive post players), and Antawn Jamison. (If I’m not mistaken, Brand’s only bucket came against Andray Blatche.) If this were the case… no big deal. Even first-rounders will have their off-nights against solid defenses.
However, Brand wound up leaving the game in the 3rd quarter with a sore hamstring, which is much more worrisome because his age/conditioning is the biggest red flag surrounding him this year. Last week he wanted to prove coach Eddie Jordan wrong by playing big minutes (35+ for 3 games); tonight he proved that maybe he actually can’t handle big minutes.
What’s it all mean? Brand probably goes back to having his minutes monitored somewhat (at least for the immediate future), which means we probably won’t see as many nights like last week’s. Then again, he’s also proven that he can still bring it. Unfortunately, I’d expect inconsistency (start him against J.J. Hickson and Ilgauskas; sit him against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum), but overall I think he can still average 16 and 9 with 1.5-2.0 blk, which is pretty much what he did last year (with one extra made FG per game). In other words, if you can get a top 50 player for him, I’d probably cut my losses and take it. If not, not all is lost as Brand can probably still provide value in the 50-75 range. (This, of course, is a moving target. This next week where we see what Brand can do with 30 mpg without Speights should be telling.)
Lou Williams
Lost in the Elton Brand Stock Panic of 2009 is the rise of Lou Williams in Philly. I doubted Sweet Lou in the preseason (because I’ve never been a fan of shoot-first PG’s), but Lou has been the most consistent 76er so far this year. He probably can’t keep shooting 50%, so I still think he’s a SELL HIGH candidate, but just don’t sell yourself short, as I think he can maintain his sneaky-good 1.7 spg (which is pretty on-target with his career steals per minute averages).
By the way, since Williams’ sleeper days are long gone, there’s a new sleeper in Philadelphia and his name is Jrue Holiday. 11 pts, 6 reb, 3 treys, and 2 stl last night…in 10 minutes as the 76ers almost came back against the Wizards. Keep an eye on him in deeper leagues as he makes his case for more playing time.
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