Posts Tagged Lou Williams
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.
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 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.)
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 ...Week 10 Recap (Starring Gilbert Arenas as a Washington Bullet) and Week 11 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on January 3, 2010
Three explosive fantasy guards dominated the headlines in Week 10, with only one of them doing it for the right reasons.
Are you ready for your mug shot, or, er, close up, Mr. Arenas? (The Canadian Press)
Gilbert Arenas
Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to… Oh. That is a gun in your pocket. Agent Zero made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week as he inexplicably brought/stored three guns at work. In his defense though, he’s kind of a bonehead (and the guns were unloaded). There are sources reporting everything from Hibachi trying to pull off a practical joke gone awry to Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton going Alien vs. Predator on one another over a gambling debt. I have a feeling it’s a little closer to the former, but regardless of the intent, this doesn’t bode well if you own Arenas.
Some people, including Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo sports, think Arenas could be in store for an extended suspension. David Stern is hard to predict, but if he decides to make an example of Arenas, Caron Butler and Randy Foye (in theory) would enjoy an immediate jump in value. We should all know Arenas’ fate by Monday. Keep your fingers crossed if you spent a third round pick on him.
Nate Robinson
KryptoNate came back down to earth on Sunday, but I think you can forgive him after his 41-pt, 6-reb, 8-ast effort on Friday night — single-handedly carrying the Knicks over the Hawks. In his post-game interview, Robinson seemed genuinely humbled by his month layoff at the hands of Mike D’Antoni, and more importantly, in the game he seemed hungry. He’s still available in 47% of Yahoo leagues. (I added him in one league over the weekend.)
And on a side note, Larry Hughes hasn’t played the last 2 games.
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.
20-Second Timeout: Lou Williams and Chauncey Billups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on December 17, 2009
Lou Williams
According to Kate Fagan of the Philly Inquirer, Lou Williams could be back at practice as soon as today. Coupled with the news of Allen Iverson needing an MRI for his achy knee, Lou’s fantasy prospects suddenly look a lot brighter. If you can afford to hold him for what could be anything from 1-2 weeks of DNPs, I’d grab him off waivers. I just did in one of my leagues.
With Jameer Nelson and Mike Miller also on the verge of returning, all three are probably worth stashing depending on your needs/the size of your league. If you need STL, go with Lou. If you want more classic PG stats, go with Jameer. And if you’re looking for across-the-board production (and a sneaky source of AST from the SF spot), go with Miller. I value them roughly in that order as well, with Williams and Nelson neck-and-neck because of the AI factor.
Chauncey Billups
The other half of AI’s last trade is also awaiting MRI results. While Billups’ groin injury isn’t thought to be serious, you can bet the Nuggets will be cautious with their aging vet. Ty Lawson is worth a short-term pickup, and everyone else (especially J.R. Smith) should enjoy a few more shot attempts.
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.
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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Rotoworld- Beaussois hopeful for start of season - Rodrigue Beaubois (G) Dallas Mavericks
- Kleiza to face USA on Saturday - Linas Kleiza (G/F) Toronto Raptors
- Matt Barnes' fiancee says charges false - Matt Barnes (G/F) Los Angeles Lakers
- Ben Gordon says he's nearly 100 percent - Ben Gordon (G) Detroit Pistons
- Casspi says he's hurt by racisim - Omri Casspi (G/F) Sacramento Kings
- Jazz still waiting on Fesenko - Kyrylo Fesenko (C) Utah Jazz
- Jazz set to sign Francisco Elson - Francisco Elson (F/C) Utah Jazz
- Bulls, Nuggets talking Noah for Melo - Carmelo Anthony (F) Denver Nuggets
- Durant scores 33 to lead US over Russia - Kevin Durant (F) Oklahoma City Thunder
- Amundson considering Hornets, four others - Louis Amundson (F) Phoenix Suns
- Adrian Wojnarowski
- WojYahooNBA: RT @SpearsNBAYahoo: Vet free agent big man Joe Smith is expected to take a physical with New Jersey Nets on Friday & sign a contract, a ...
- WojYahooNBA: Column: Mike Krzyzewski's desperate, low-rent move with Team USA: http://tinyurl.com/3yjfw44
- WojYahooNBA: Still, Kevin Durant has 33 points the way he usually gets them: Smooth, in flow, efficient. He's such an incredible talent. USA, 89-78.
- WojYahooNBA: The dream scenario for Blatt would've been Kirilenko here for Russia, because he could've made Kevin Durant work a little more on both ends.
- WojYahooNBA: USA has worn down Russia with pressure defense and foul trouble in third quarter. Russia doesn't have depth to go distance. USA, 65-52. .