Posts Tagged George hill
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%).
Week 16 Recap (That was short) and Week 17 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades on February 15, 2010
WEEK 16 RECAP
After a shortened week and a lackluster dunk contest, I have to admit the All Star game itself was kind of exciting, at least for an exhibition game. You could tell the 108,000+ spectators helped to motivate the players (or distract, in the case of one Deron Williams).
Hmm, did anything else happen last week? Well, there was that trade. And oh yeah, Stephen Curry put up a ridiculous triple-double (36, 10, and 13 with 7 treys) thanks to a buzzer-beating rebound with the help of one of the most clutch box-outs I’ve ever seen…by Anthony Tolliver (more on him below). Check out the 6:30 mark for the play:
In fact, Curry has been so impressive lately, I’m not even going to mention those two other guys until they show me they’re capable of making this a Fantasy ROY race again.
See, I told you Week 16 was short.
WEEK 17 PICKUPS
As has been the theme around here lately, most of these pickups will actually be speculative long-term adds based on trade rumors. Others will be named Anthony Tolliver. (p.s. Anthony Morrow and Darren Collison have both cleared the 50% ownership mark required for this list, but make sure neither are taken before continuing below.)
Andray Blatche (34%)
See my post from over the weekend. But essentially, with Brendan Haywood out of the picture and Antawn Jamison likely (but not surely) to follow, the door is open for Blatche to get 35+ minutes a night. In 4 games as a starter this year, Blatche is only averaging 11 ppg and 7.5 rpg with 1.8 bpg in 34 mpg, but that was as a starting PF playing alongside Haywood. Last year, he averaged 12 ppg and 6 rpg with ~1 spg/bpg in 28 mpg as a starting C without Haywood. Project that to 35 mpg, and those numbers come out to roughly 14 ppg and 8 rpg with 1+ spg/bpg. Add in the Wizards’ great playoff schedule in H2H leagues, and you want to own this kid.
Drew Gooden (28%)
I also like Gooden’s value to take a step up as he’ll get more consistent minutes in WAS (assuming he isn’t flipped to a contender). In fact, the only downside to owning Blatche will be seeing Gooden gobble up double-digit boards on certain nights, while Blatche only snatches 5 or so. That being said, I’d still prefer Blatche for his steals and blocks, but Gooden will be an excellent source of rebounds.
Anthony Tolliver (7%)
Curry and Tolliver probably won't lead Golden State to many W's this year. Good thing we live in a fantasy world. (Getty)
Gasp! What is this — a player who likely doesn’t stand to benefit from a trade on this list? Well, with the rate that Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, and the rest of the Warriors get injured, Tolliver is essentially getting theboost in minutes a trade would have. (Not to mention Andris Biedrins actually has been mentioned in some rumors. But then again, who hasn’t this year?) There are so many different ways to hype Tolliver, but I’ll just go with his averages from the last 3 games: 17 ppg and 8 rpg with 1.3/1.0/0.7 3s/stl/blk.
The Warriors recently decided to cut Speedy Claxton’s valuable expiring contract to keep Tolliver (a move that angered many GS fans), so you can expect management will give him plenty of minutes to prove himself the rest of the way. I recently picked up Tolliver, then dropped him for Blatche. If Carlos Boozer doesn’t get traded, I’m dropping Paul Millsap for this kid.
[02/18/10 UPDATE -- Boozer didn't get dealt, but Ronnie Brewer did, freeing up time for both Andrei Kirilenko and Millsap. Add in the fact that Millsap has been on fire lately and looks to get 30+ mpg, and no, I am in fact not dropping him for Tolliver at this point. Just to clarify...]
Robin Lopez (38%)
He sputtered a bit last week, but with Amare Stoudemire trade rumors swirling faster than a Mid-Atlantic snowstorm, Lopez is worth owning (or at least keeping a close eye on) over the next 3 days.
J.J. Hickson (9%)
Speaking of Amare trade rumors, Hickson will be a likely beneficiary of any trade the Cavs make because the Cavs will likely be bringing in a stud PF (Amare, Jamison, or Troy Murphy), leaving a nice, empty starting PF spot on the other team. Of course, Hickson wouldn’t have LeBron James feeding him for easy scores anymore, but considering the opposing team would most likely be rebuilding (except in the case of the Suns), and Hickson should get more run than he did/does in CLE.
Keep an eye on:
Wow, I didn’t realize this list was so F-C heavy. Here are some other guys to keep an eye on (including G’s!), either due to trade speculation or strong play: Brad Miller and Taj Gibson (43% and 10% respectively — Joakim Noah still hurting and Tyrus Thomas on the trade block), Ryan Gomes (32%), Marcus Thornton (38% — coming back from injury and should still benefit from Chris Paul’s absence), DeJuan Blair (25%), George Hill (38% — better with Tony Parker healthy?), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (8% — 11 rpg over last 3), Jared Jeffries (8%), T.J. Ford (33% — don’t get your hopes up, but back in rotation), Marquis Daniels (2%), Charlie Bell (4% — a trey in 12 straight games)
Week 16 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on February 6, 2010
George Hill plays on Monday and Thursday this week. If that's important to you, then congratulations. You're a fantasy nerd. (AP)
Because Week 16 is a short week (4 days), pickups are that much more important in H2H leagues. So, in order to give you guys some more time to make those make-or-break pickups, I’m skipping the Week 15 Recap (Noah and the Foot Arch) in favor of posting this a day earlier than usual. First, some logistics:
Mabye the most important thing to note: ORL has 3 games.
Most teams have two games, but SA has two games and plays on both Monday and Thursday (where there are only a total of 5 games going on). This is important because it allows you to maximize (if your league doesn’t have a cap) the number of games you can get in for this week.
Think about it: If you’re only able to start 6 or 8 players per night, for example, you can maximize your games played (and minimize your games wasted on the bench) by picking up players that play on Monday and/or Thursday (or what I call “Off-Days” because most teams have those days off). ORL and SA both play on both of the Off-Days for this week. The following teams have 2 games this week, 1 of which occurs on an Off-Day: NO, GS, DAL, LAK, SA, DEN, and CLE. In other words, if you have limited pickups, target players on ORL, SA, or these squads. Now onto the pickups (by team, with all/most guys available in 50+% of Yahoo leagues):
Orlando
J.J. Redick and Jason Williams are both decent bets for 3’s, as they’re getting solid minutes off the bench. Matt Barnes has slowed of late, but he provides across the board production (and 3 games from him might be worth more than 1 game by a better player).
San Antonio
The best potentially available option out of SA is George Hill. I’ve already written enough about him the past couple weeks so I won’t add too much more. DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess could be helpful if you’re looking for boards.
Guys with 2 games (1 on an Off-Day)
The guys above are nice from a “quantity” perspective. These guys might provide better quality: Darren Collison (if he’s available in your league, but if you’re reading fantasy basketball blogs, he’s probably not), Marcus Thornton (missed last two games, check status), Drew Gooden and Rodrigue Beaubois (esepcially on Monday vs GS), Shannon Brown, Arron Afflalo, Daniel Gibson/Delonte West (check West’s status)
And if you don’t care about schedules…
Courtney Lee (heating up again), Brad Miller and Taj Gibson (with Joakim Noah out until the All Star break), Rudy Fernandez (with Roy out next week as well), Brandon Rush (only 1 game)
Week 14 Recap (Who Dat? It’s Darren Collison) and Week 15 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball on January 31, 2010
Week 14 was business as usual for the most part… until it was reported Sunday that Chris Paul will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and miss 1-2 months. Before you even read anything else, run out and pick up Darren Collison, who had 18 assists in Paul’s absence on Saturday. More on that below, but first the (abbrev.) recap:
Darren Collison, it's time to shake up some fantasy basketball leagues. (Getty Images)
WEEK 14 RECAP
- Mike Miller exploded for 25, 9, and 8 including 7-10 from downtown against the Knicks on Saturday. When news of Gilbert Arenas’ legal woes first broke, I thought Miller would give Randy Foye a run for his money in terms of being the most valuable pickup. It’s just one game (and chances are the Knicks won’t play zone against WAS when they meet again this week), but at the very least make sure Miller isn’t a FA in your league.
- Attention, Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings: Stephen Curry is running away with the fantasy ROY race.
- The Detroit backcourt is slowly getting healthy… putting a dent in the fantasy values of every member of that team, as there are only so many minutes to go around.
- Channing Frye might be better as a sixth man, as he’s become a much more efficient player. Lou Williams: better as a sixth man? Not so much. (Although Lou posted a nice line Sunday, it seems whenever Jrue Holiday or Willie Green are playing well, Lou is the odd man out.) Both are worth holding, especially Frye, as the Suns and 76ers figure to make deals before the trade deadline. (I dropped Lou for Paul Millsap in one league though.) And if Amare Stoudemire gets shipped out of Phoenix, Frye could very well end up back in the starting lineup starting alongside Robin Lopez.
- Andrew Bynum is learning to coexist with Pau Gasol.
- And after nearly getting suspended earlier in the week, J.R. Smith had his best week of the year, averaging 17 ppg, 3.3 threes and 2.3 spg in Carmelo Anthony’s absence. Meanwhile, Kenyon Martin continues to dominate the boards, hurting Nene Hilario’s value. I expect that to even out (some) in the long term though, and since KMart is a perennial injury risk, I would sell high. (Nene could be a sneaky buy low as well, as nagging injuries have slowed him down some lately.)
WEEK 15 PICKUPS
In New Orleans, everyone's saying "Who Dat?" lately. Why, it's Darren Collison again. Pick him up. (Getty Images)
Darren Collison (15%)
At the time I’m writing this, Collison has already jumped up from being owned in 2% of Yahoo leagues to start the week to 15% and rising. He filled in admirably for Paul on Saturday night and could deliver some teams to fantasy victory in the coming months.
Marcus Thornton (25%)
Likewise, Thornton should benefit from Paul’s absence. I was already going to include him on this list as he was recently inserted into the starting lineup, but now his playing time/value increases even more. In 4 games as a starter (one without CP3), Thornton is averaging 18 ppg and 2.3 treys.
Goerge Hill (23%)
Continuing with the point/combo-guard theme, Hill is a great add with Tony Parker out in the short term. And, like Thornton above, Hill had recently been inserted into the starting lineup anyway, where he was already being productive. I give a slight nod to Thornton in preference, but only because the Hornets will need him to step up without CP3 the next 1-2 months, whereas Parker’s injury isn’t as serious.
Brandon Rush (39%)
One of my preseason sleepers, Rush is quietly averaging 13.6 ppg and 5 rpg to go with 2.1/0.6/1.0 threes/stl/blk per game over the last two weeks. Like I mentioned last week, Danny Granger’s return has really sparked him.
Robin Lopez (40%)
There’s no reason Lopez should be owned in less than half of Yahoo leagues (unless all his owners are dropping him for Collison). If Amare Stoudemire does in fact get traded, Lopez should get all the minutes he can handle, with Steve Nash spoon-feeding him buckets. He had a mediocre week last week, but he’s still worth a calculated gamble in my book.
Jared Jeffries (5%)
If you need defensive help in deeper leagues, Jeffries has averaged 1.3 spg and bpg over the last two months.
Keep an eye on: Keyon Dooling (2% — check Devin Harris’ status), Brad Miller (41% — resurrected his season this past week), Kris Humprhies (7%), Chase Budinger (3% — second guy off the bench with Kyle Lowry out), Goran Dragic (16%)
And before I go…
Corey Brewer (54%)
He’s made my “Keep an eye on” list the last several weeks, and Brewer has finally cleared the 50% hurdle with another stellar 3-pt shooting week. Add in the fact that MIN only has 2 games this week, and you’re probably wondering why I’m including him here though. Well, I just needed an excuse to post this video. (Apologies, Derek Fisher.)
Injury Timeout(s): Tony Parker and Carlos Boozer
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Injury Timeout on January 28, 2010
According to Rotoworld, Tony Parker will miss “several games” with an ankle injury, which means George Hill — who has already been very productive since starting at SG (see my latest pickups) — will get an extra boost in value. He’s only taken in 14% of Yahoo leagues, up from 8% over the weekend and sure to rise by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, with Carlos Boozer suffering a calf strain last night, Paul Millsap is the obvious beneficiary. Since Millsap is already taken in most leagues (75%), this is more a reminder that you might want to actually start him now (depending on Boozer’s status).
If you’re thinking more long-term, once Parker returns, Hill will likely slide back to the starting SG spot where he’s already been fairly productive. As for Millsap, he gets a huge boost in long-term value if a) Boozer’s injury turns out to be serious or b) Boozer is dealt by the trade deadline. Depending on what you need, I think they’re both worth stashing, and Millsap has a higher risk/reward payout.
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%).
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Rotoworld- O'Neal sets timetable with GM Danny Ferry - Shaquille O'Neal (C) Cleveland Cavaliers
- Williams scores 14 points vs. Blazers - Reggie Williams (F) Golden State Warriors
- Watson puts up numbers, loses game w/ foul - C.J. Watson (G) Golden State Warriors
- Morrow held to just nine points vs. Blazers - Anthony Morrow (G) Golden State Warriors
- Maggette scores 24 points in strong effort - Corey Maggette (G/F) Golden State Warriors
- Tolliver double-doubles in start at center - Anthony Tolliver (F/C) Golden State Warriors
- Ellis (back) returns to action vs. Blazers - Monta Ellis (G) Golden State Warriors
- Curry held to 6-of-15 shooting vs. Blazers - Stephen Curry (G) Golden State Warriors
- Camby grabs 17 rebounds against Warriors - Marcus Camby (F/C) Portland Trail Blazers
- Miller handles the Warriors, as expected - Andre Miller (G) Portland Trail Blazers
- Adrian Wojnarowski
- WojYahooNBA: RT @ArtGarcia_NBA: Step toward coaching gig? Mark Jackson signs w/Kauffman Sports Mgmt joining stable of NBA assistants. Ty Corbin too.
- WojYahooNBA: RT @AdamZagoria: St. Anthony 63, PC 49. 28 and 14 for St. Bonaventure-bound Elijah Carter. 22
- 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.
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