Working the Wire

Unfortunately, as the Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, and Nets can attest, the early portion of the season isn’t without it’s share of significant injuries.  These injuries can cause not just a change in playing time, but a change in playing style leading to unlikely contributors emerging.  For example, Wolves forward Kevin Love went out in the preseason with an injury that’ll keep him out another week or two. It appears, though, that the main fantasy beneficiary isn’t another power forward; it’s…

Corey Brewer (SG/SF-MIN)—Though the early knock on him was his horrendous shooting percentage, his other contributions made sure he stayed on the court.  Now that his shooting percentage has moved into respectability (don’t expect it to go much higher), the rest of his game becomes fantasy relevant.  He’s grabbing a couple of steals, and putting up 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists as well.  And he’s really not shooting enough to hurt your FG% badly if he regresses there.  If the Timberwolves start to experiment with a Flynn-Sessions backcourt though, don’t hesitate to let Brewer go and start looking elsewhere.

Brandon Bass (PF-ORL)—With PF Ryan Anderson out for the next week or so, Bass looks like a prime pickup.  He’s shooting over 50%, and has proven he can rebound and block shots.  It may only be a stopgap, but he’ll give you good numbers for the next week or two.

Beno Udrih (PG-SAC)—With SG Kevin Martin out for 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist, it looks like the Kings will need someone to stop up the scoring.  The prime candidates are Tyreke Evans, and Mr. Udrih.  Granted it was against the Warriors, but Udrih was aggressive with the ball in the Kings previous games and looked to some added responsibility.  It looks like the natural setup is playing Evans and Udrih side-by-side, which bodes well for both of them.  They may not be the most efficient numbers, but Udrih should be a solid pickup over the next couple of months.

Larry Hughes (SG-NYK)—One of the things I like about fantasy basketball is that it mirrors the real game closely (cough, football, cough) in that good fantasy players are almost always good real players, and vice versa.  This, though, is not one of those occasions.  Despite all evidence that it’s a poor strategy, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni continues to give Larry Hughes major minutes (in D’Antoni’s defense, there aren’t a lot of other options).  And Hughes, never one to be shy…isn’t.  He usually puts up numbers when given playing time, and it appears he’ll be seeing the court a lot this season.  As long as he’s getting minutes, he’ll contribute across the board and is a major plus if you’re looking for steals.

Will Bynum (PG-DET)—Will Bynum continues to impress when given time, and is perhaps the anti-Larry Hughes, in that despite all evidence he should be played more, he simply hasn’t gotten on the court enough.  Now, though, it appears the Pistons are recognizing his contributions and are gradually increasing his role.  He’s currently averaging 11 ppg, 3rpg, 4apg with almost a steal as well.  I don’t see these numbers going down in the near future, as the trend league-wide is toward smaller guards.  

Roy Hibbert (C-IND)—Hibbert is averaging a double-double (11 and 10) with three blocks, yet he’s owned in just 31.5 percent of ESPN.com leagues.  There’s no excuse for this people—blocks are hard to come by, he’s even pitching in an assist and good percentages. He’s a borderline #1 center at this rate.

Quentin Richardson (SG-MIA)—Q has always been a bit mercurial, to say the least, but he seems to have found his niche playing in between fellow scorers Dwayne Wade and Michael Beasley.  With the pressure off, Richardson is thriving again.  In his last 3 games he’s averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds, along with 3.3 3PG.  The big difference has been a jump in playing time with Daequan Cook sidelined by a shoulder injury.  As long as the minutes are there, the stats should be too.

Channing Frye (C-PHO)—Another good center owned in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues.  He’s tailor made for the Suns system—a big man that can shoot along side Amare Stoudemire.  He’s been good for 14-5 with 2.8 3PM, and steal and a half per contest.  I shouldn’t have to advocate picking up a center that contributes in 4 categories, but here we are.

Bill Walton Retires

It is fitting that my copy of “The Breaks of the Game,” ordered off of Amazon last week in a fit of League Pass induced basketball euphoria, would arrive on the day that Bill Walton’s day in the basketball spotlight would be ended by the man himself. Walton announced today that he’d be leaving the broadcast booth after what he described as a “life threatening, life changing ordeal with back problems. I, like most fans, will miss Walton’s vague, hyperbolic adjectives and celestial metaphors.

Perhaps the reason we’ll miss Walton is not so much because he was good at calling a basketball game, but because he turned a basketball game into an experience. When you heard his voice at the start of a broadcast, you got the feeling that something awesome was about to happen; whether it was the action on the court or the often psychedelic musings of an enraptured observer who just happened to be one of the game’s greatest big men. His love for the game permeated everything he said, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Half the fun was determining what it was that the man meant, and we were so interested in doing so because we knew the source so well.

In some ways he announced like he played, grabbing something only he could and giving it to us in a special way to digest and decipher.  Hubie Brown makes great points, Gus Johnson excites, and Jeff Van Gundy is astute. But none of them can make the observer think (or want to, really) the way Walton could.  Sure, sometimes they were just mumblings that belied a man who had dabbled in the cannabis. Maybe they were most of the time. But he could make a blowout interesting, even if he just made you examine ideas that had never occurred to you before. Because they couldn’t occur to you, they were unique to him, for better or worse.

These are just my quick thoughts; feel free to leave yours below.  I’m guessing many of you think he’s a rambling idiot, and to that I don’t have much of a defense if my thoughts above don’t change your mind. Just know that it’s rare to get access to a guy with such a genuine transparent and infectious love of the game. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some reading to do.

Week 2 Fantasy Primer

In leagues with weekly changes one of the best ways to rack up stats is to squeeze extra games out of your roster.  While superstars should be started every week, scheduling will factor in when deciding whom to round out your roster with.  This is an in-depth look at the schedule for each week, identifying teams with extra games and favorable matchups to help you take advantage.

Two Games: San Antonio

Three Games:  Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Golden State, Houson, Indiana, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto

Four Games: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Utah, Washington

There’s not much to be gleaned from this, as only San Antonio plays two games next week.  PG Tony Parker and PF/C Tim Duncan are the only definite plays on this team, though PF Dejuan Blair and SG Manu Ginobili could be useful options if you’re in trouble.  Hopefully, though, there are better options available.

Good Schedules

Atlanta (@POR, @SAC, @CHA, DEN)—Atlanta gets four games this week, including two against Sacramento and Denver.  Those two figure to be high-possession affairs, meaning guy like PG Jeff Teague and SG Jamal Crawford could see a nice uptick in value this week.  I like Crawford more of the two, but either could be used in deeper leagues.  Of course the usual suspects (Bibby, Johnson, Smith, Horford) should all be started as usual.  SF Marvin Williams might also be worth a thought, but I’m passing on him until he shows any consistency.

Orlando (@DET, PHO, DET, OKC)—While the two games against the Pistons aren’t anything to get excited about, Orlando can score with anyone.  It’s in the other games that they’ll get the chance to do just that.  Look for C Dwight Howard to have big games all week, as none the teams Orlando plays this week have a center that can even consider matching up with him.  Beyond the usual suspects, this week JJ Redick, PF Ryan Anderson, and maybe even PF Brandon Bass deserve your attention.  I like Anderson as a source for efficient three point shooting and some boards even after Rashard Lewis’ return.


Boston (@PHI, @MIN, PHO, @NJ)—Boston has a particularly favorable schedule, including two games against Phoenix, and a Minnesota team that had ten blocked shots against the Nets.  This makes C Kendrick Perkins a particularly attractive play, and he’s available in 63% of ESPN leagues.  He could be a difference maker in the block category.

Golden State (MEM, LAC, @SAC)—Most every week there are a plethora of Warriors that have fantasy value, but this week their opponents all happen to take the same “defense optional” approach that Nelly does.  Beyond Ellis, Jackson, and Biedrins I’d suggest looking at PG Stephen Curry, PF Anthony Randolph, SG Anthony Morrow.  Morrow in particular could be a great source of threes, as the Warriors have made it a point to get Morrow more open looks.  SG Kelenna Azubuike could be a nice all-around sleeper for this week as well.

Manu Ginobili Kills a Bat

 

As my dad always said, "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end."

Underrated part of the video:  Dejuan Blair ducking and running from it.  Oh, rookies.