Fantasy FanHouse

Roto Strategy: Using Your Games Wisely

Tom Lorenzo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy Basketball, NBA Lineup Planner

This post is in response to a question a reader posed regarding the "games played" strategy in roto leagues. For those who may not be familiar with what I'm talking about, most standard roto leagues mandate an 82 game 'cap' at each position. Which means, you are only allowed to have an active player in your point guard position for 82 games. You can use the games whenever you want, with whichever player you choose. But, once you hit the 82-game mark, be it in February or April, you can no longer start a player at the point guard position.

This rule is put in place to keep owners from 'streaming' -- this means keeping owners honest and not having them add and drop a handful of players each night just to accumulate stats. Certain head-to-head leagues use an add/drop cap, usually at five moves per week.

Simple enough, right? But the question remains, what's the best strategy for using your games played? How do you manage the totals? Some people have different ways of approaching the games played strategy, but I'll give you some tips that I feel work best -- at least for me.

Use All 82 Games

This is about as basic as it gets. The worst thing you can do is finish the season with a few extra games in your bank. This obviously gives your competitors an advantage. So make sure you finish the season with each position maxed out. The only case you could make for leaving extra games at a position is if you know you've got the blocks or rebounds strategy wrapped up in the final game of the season and you're up by mere percentage points in free-throws. In this instance, you could make the case for sitting Dwight Howard. His negative FT% will hurt you more than the blocks or rebounds you already have wrapped up.

Leave Your Stars Alone

In this case you ignore matchups and leave your top players in, period. I don't think I need to explain why it's better to get 82 games out of LeBron James as opposed to 65 games out of James and 17 out of Ryan Gomes. In roto you don't have to worry about games played each week or team/defensive matchups. If LeBron plays just twice this week and Gomes plays four times, don't worry. It all evens out in the end.

Stay Within +2/-2 Games, Give or Take

Don't get ahead of yourself. Or behind, for that matter. It's never worth chasing the stats early on. Pace yourself and don't make rash decisions on starting a fringe player just to chase a block or a steal. It's too early in the season. There will be plenty of opportunties later on to chase stats. I know that many try to compensate early on for the innevitable games missed by your stars, but there are a few misconceptions out there. Last season, LeBron James played 81 games, Drirk Nowitzki played 81, Dwyane Wade played 79 and Chris Paul played 78 games. So yes, you'll more than likely have to make up those extra games. But for every Marcus Thornton -- who scored 20-plus points in two straight in week four -- there are enough Brandon Rush's out there who make the most of the final three weeks of the season. And while you may want to make up for LeBron's 'missed game', who's to say that he doesn't play all 82. Don't fall behind early, but don't get too far ahead of yourself. Afterall, an opportunity may arise later on in the season. It's still too early.

Take Advantage of a Impatient Owner

When you're playing in a roto league, use your bench slots wisely. In one of my experts leagues we have three bench spots. Two of my three slots are taken up by Eric Gordon and Tyrus Thomas. Luckily I drafted Gordon and O.J. Mayo, so I have the shooting guard position covered while Gordon is out. But I also refused to drop Thomas, even though there were a few attractive short-term adds out there. Will you be able to find a blocks specialist like Tyrus Thomas anywhere else on the wires in January? No, it's not likely. Given that it's not in your best interest to stream early on, you won't need to shift players in and out, so you can save your injured stars or add the ones who are dropped in haste. I grabbed Kevin Martin in another roto league the day after he went down for two months. It's about accumulating stats, so it matters less to me that he's not available now and matters more that I get a second-round talent down the stretch.

Please feel free to add to your personal strategy below. There's no exact science to it, just a few approaches that work better than others.

Roto Strategy: Using Your Games Wisely originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Garnett Ends It Late; Kobe Ends It Early

Tom Lorenzo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

After starting the game 1-for-10, Kevin Garnett finished strong hitting four of his last five field goal attempts, including the game winner in overtime. Paul Pierce lead the way for the Celtics scoring 33 points, while Rajon Rondo just missed posting a triple-double going for 14 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and four steals.

The Knicks with another one of those famed moral victories, were led by Al Harrington's 30 points off the bench and David Lee's 22 points and 15 rebounds. The Knicks are 3-10 on the season, yet they lead the league with seven moral victories -- two more than the New Jersey Nets, yet almost as many as my fantasy football team.

Also In the Headlines

o. The Lakers ended their game with the Thunder early, taking a 57-34 lead into halftime. So we'll let Lamar Odom's two-point, five-rebound performance slide. Same goes for Ron Artest who went for just seven and seven. It was worth sticking around, however, to watch Shannon Brown get up for a few dunks and a couple of fastbreak rundowns -- which both resulted in fouls. But he did make Ryan Bowen look like he wanted nothing to do with the basketball as he "went up" against Brown on a fastbreak. It was rather funny and awkward at the same time.

o. Jason Williams posted his best line since opening night going for 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, zero turnovers and two three-pointers. A nice, solid, efficient line. Again, he won't replace Jameer Nelson's productivity, but he adds value and that's more than we can ask from some of the other options out there -- Chris Duhon?

o. Marco Belinelli sat out Sunday's game with a sore groin. This after he had made the case for being a standard-league add. I wouldn't bite on DeMar DeRozan, though, since Coach Triano has remained focused on keeping the rookie on a 20-22 minute leash. The player worth looking at is Jarrett Jack who responded on Sunday afternoon with eight points, 11 assists, two threes, a steal and zero turnovers in 32 minutes.

o. Dahntay Jones hasn't lost a beat since Troy Murphy returned to the lineup on Friday. One Sunday Jones led the Pacers in scoring with 19 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Murphy eventually will return back to the starting lineup, but thanks to the versatility of Jones he can play three positions, meaning that the Pacers will find a way to get him involved. And let's not get too excited about Mike Dunleavy Jr. returning this Wednesday. He's not quite relevant enough.

o. I had a good feeling about Marcus Thornton when Chris Paul went down. Right now he's most certainly the guy to watch in New Orleans. Last night he posted an man's man line -- 24 points, 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, and three steals. His scoring abilities are no joke. His peripherals? That's another story. But Thornton may end up having an Eric Gordon type of rookie season and find himself in the starting lineup in no time. The only problem is that the Hornets play just seven games over the next three weeks, which is the fewest in the NBA.

o. Udonis Haslem returned to action, posting 14 points, eight rebounds and a block against the Hornets. I'd tell you it's safe to get him back into your lineup, but the Heat play a fairly tough three-game schedule this week -- at Orlando and home to Washington and Boston.

Lost and Found

o. Not much defense to speak of in Orlando-Toronto game Sunday. The Magic failed to record a single block and picked up just three steals. The Raptors weren't much better going for four steals and two blocks. Lately, Toronto has been, as coach Jay Triano put it, a "fair-weather" defensive team allowing 112.2 points per game over their last four.

o. Jared Dudley kept up his steals/threes output last night with two picks and a trey. At least you know what you're getting with Dudley.

o. The Thunder did at least one thing better than the Lakers -- block shots. Serge Ibaka led the way five as Oklahoma City out-blocked the Los Angeles 15 to six.

Classified Adds

o. Amir Johnson looks like he might be ready to breakout a little. And by that I mean provide deep league value. On Sunday Johnson posted 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds and two steals. Granted, the minutes were there for Johnson after Andrea Bargnani fouled out in just 26 minutes. But thanks to the upside he provides on defense and his efficient, garbage-point offensive game you can justify adding him in any leagues that run 14 or deeper.

o. Kendrick Perkins remains under-owned at just 54-percent in Fleaflicker leagues. Perk posted his second double-double in four games with 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. Considering that Rasheed Wallace's game is such a mess right now, Perkins is taking the extra minutes and making the most of them.

o. Nazr Mohammed filled in nicely for an injured Tyson Chandler on Sunday -- 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 18 minutes. Chandler's listed as day-to-day, and I'll admit I'm not necessarily a huge Mohammed fan, so I'm not going to bite on this one.

o. Leandro Barbosa scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, a three-pointer and a steal last night. He's been a huge disappointment this season and already owners are starting to cut-bait. I would keep an eye on him because he's going to catch fire at some point. Put him on your "watch list" and monitor his progress. He's just too valuable to let slide to someone else.

o. Serge Ibaka posted career-bests across the board with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in 32 minutes. Again, it all came in a blowout game, but his progress is certainly worth noting. He might have earned himself a few more minutes off the bench and if he can put a nice string of games together he could be a solid add in deep leagues. He got scooped up early last night in my 30-team league. That seems about right.

Tonight

o. Just four games on the schedule -- SAC @ MEM, MIL @ SAS, CHI @ POR, and MIN @ LAC.

o. The Bulls play the first of their two games this week in Portland on Monday. Weekly leaguers if you can still change your lineup I would get all but Bulls not named Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah out of my lineup.

o. As of Sunday night Tyreke Evans was still listed as day-to-day.

o. Andre Miller is likely to come off the bench once again. See how he responds and watch Martell Webster to see if he can get on a nice roll.

o. Manu Ginobili is out tonight, while Tony Parker is expected to go.

Lotto Line

2-3-7-11-19

o. Nate Robinson worked his way back into Mike D'Antoni's good graces on Sunday. Coach gave him a second chance playing him 27 minutes after benching him for the second half of Saturday's game for shooting at the wrong basket. Robinson didn't disappoint, going for 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting with three treys and two blocked shots. He's still behind Larry Hughes on the depth charts, but he shoots enough and is active enough on defense that he can provide a solid returns coming off the bench.

Garnett Ends It Late; Kobe Ends It Early originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nuggets, Lakers With Favorables; Bulls, Hornets Each Play Two

Tom Lorenzo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy Basketball, NBA Lineup Planner

Court Vision is a breakdown of the weekly schedule to help you set your fantasy lineup.

The Nuggets have arguably the most favorable schedule with home games against the Nets, Knicks and a home/road series against the T-Wolves. For starters, the Nuggets have won 15 straight home games, while averaging 117 points per game at home. Then there's the fact that Minnesota is allowing 114.4 points per game on the road, while the Knicks yield 105.5 points away from The Garden.

And do we need to get started on the Nets? Yes, the 0-13 Nets. New Jersey is 27th in the league offering 8.8 steals per game and 25th in opponents rebounding at 44.6 per. With that, Kenyon Martin made top of my list in this week's waiver adds. Look at Ty Lawson in deep leagues as well. Chris Andersen should tattoo the Knicks on the defensive end of the ball. Eh? Tattoo? Get out of my way, I'm on fire!

With that, let's break down the schedule.

Schedule Breakdown

Below are the teams listed by the number of games they play. You'll find the home/away games listed as '(home, away)'.

Four-game teams: Mavericks (1,3), Nuggets (3,1) Clippers (2,2), Grizzlies (1,3), Bucks (1,3), Timberwolves (2,2), Nets (0,4), Knicks, (1,3), Magic (1,3), 76ers (1,3), Blazers (3,1), Kings (3,1), Spurs (3,1), Raptors (2,2)

Three-game teams: Hawks (1,2), Celtics (2,1), Bobcats (2,1), Cavaliers (1,2), Pistons (3,0), Warriors (1,2), Rockets (2,1), Pacers (2,1), Lakers (2,1), Heat (2,1), Thunder (2,1), Suns (1,2), Jazz (3,0), Wizards (2,1)

Two-game teams: Bulls (0.2), Hornets (1,1)

Favorable Schedules

Sacramento sits near the top of the list of favorable schedules with three home games -- Knicks, Nets, Hornets -- and a road game against the Grizzlies. Aside from the Hawks game Saturday night in which Atlanta shot 4-of-22 from beyond the arc, the Hornets have allowed 106 points per game since Chris Paul went down. We already discussed what the Nets and Knicks lack on defense, but we can add the Grizzlies to that list as they stand 26th in the league in defensive efficiency at 120.5. Hopefully Tyreke Evans will be able to suit-up for all four. Omri Casspi and Donte Greene are deep leaguers to grab this week.

The Lakers get a nice gift this week with home games against the Knicks and Nets and a road game against the Warriors. There's some sort of pattern going on here and it starts with the word "new." If you can't find it, e-mail me. We'll discuss further. The Lakers got Pau Gasol back this week, meaning Lamar Odom was shipped to the bench. No fear, Odom will gets his this week. I would even go as far as taking a shot with Derek Fisher in deep leagues this week.

Memphis has a nice slate -- vs. Sacramento, @Phoenix, @Portland, @Clippers). The Portland matchup is a tough one, but by the way the Warriors dissected their defense it's possible that Rudy Gay and company won't have much of a problem getting it going. The Suns, of course, have made a habit out of giving up 100-plus points to their opponents, while Sacramento has allowed 100-plus points in each of the past four games. Maybe Mike Conley will give us a reason to believe again. Wishful thinking, no?

Phoenix has three games -- home to Memphis and at Minnesota and Toronto. The Raptors have been the worst defensive team over the past week allowing their opponents 117.2 points per game with teams shooting 51-percent from the floor against them. As Jay Triano puts it, the Raptors are a "fair-weather" team. With things not going so well, it might be worth exploiting that defense. Then again, the Suns are all but a lock for scoring 100-plus points per game this week. Give Jared Dudley a look in deep leagues.

Unfavorable Schedules

The Bulls play just twice this week -- @Portland, @Utah). I can't argue against sitting the league's leading rebounder, Joakim Noah, or Derrick Rose who dropped 20-plus in two straight and is starting to look like he's about to go off. After that, with just two games the rest of the Bulls should see the bench.

The Hornets also have two games -- vs. Milwaukee, @Sacramento. The Bucks are a tough defensive matchup this season. Only three teams have topped the 100-point mark against the Bucks this season. I would sit each and every one of my Hornets this week. David West has scored double-figures in just two of the four games since Chris Paul went down. Emeka Okafor should be played only if you're short on centers. Even Darren Collison, after his 22 and 11 game on Saturday, should sit. Unfortunately, the Hornets play just seven times over the next three weeks. That's pretty awful.

Utah plays three of the top seven defensive teams in points per game allowed. The only sure starts are Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko. Paul Millsap put up four points and four rebounds on Saturday knocking him off my list of guys to start. All I need is a bomb from Millsap in a three-game week. No thanks. Ronnie Brewer is an interesting start if you need steals, points, and a nice field-goal percentage from your shooting guard. Mehmet Okur is coming off the flu. It might take him a game or so to get his wind back. I would give him a sit this week as well.

Cleveland is at Detroit, at Charlotte, and home to Dallas. Tough. Shaquille O'Neal will more than likely sit a game or two, so you should probably get him out of your lineup. J.J. Hickson has been a nice spark, but I'd be worried against the Pistons and Bobcats on the road. They both lead the league in home defense allowing fewer than 85 points per game in their respective arenas. LeBron James -- start him.

Atlanta Hawks also have a tough one -- Orlando, at Philadelphia, at Detroit. Mike Bibby is likely going to miss the week, so you should definitely start Jamal Crawford. Marvin Williams? As hot as he's been, I think it's just a little hot streak he's on and considering the Hawks don't play again until Thursday he might be chilled by then. Against this schedule I would probably sit him.

Nuggets, Lakers With Favorables; Bulls, Hornets Each Play Two originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Who's Got Next: Turning to Hughes

Tom Lorenzo — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Waiver Wire, NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Who's Got Next is a weekly look at some of the top players widely available on the waiver wires.

Larry Hughes owners let out a sigh of relief on Friday when news dropped that the Knicks were no longer interested in signing Allen Iverson. It seemed to me that we would have seen his name on a majority of waiver wires come Saturday morning if the Knicks did happen to pull the trigger on Iverson. And given that fact that Hughes has been stellar of late, providing 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 treys over his last ten, losing his production would have been disappointing. Now, though, with Nate Robinson on the Mike D'Antoni's s-list, Hughes should start getting a serious look and his ownership percentage should see an increase into the upper-80s, possibly the 90s.

What I'm getting at is, go pick up Larry Hughes. The Knicks play four times this week, and I suspect Hughes to get the bulk of the minutes at the 'two' going forward.

Looking at the schedule for Week Five, here are a few guys available on most waiver wires who are worth giving a look.

Kenyon Martin, PF, Nuggets -- K-Mart is owned in just 55% of Yahoo! leagues and 31% of FleaFlicker leagues. Over his last three he's posted 13 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocks. This week the Nuggets have arguably the easiest schedule in the league -- NJN, @MIN, NYK, and MIN. Minnesota and New York are currently 29th and 30th in the league, respectively, in rebounds allowed per game. The Nets aren't too far ahead at 25th in the league giving up 44.6 rebounds per game. Martin could prove to be quite useful this week.

Rasual Butler, SG, Clippers -- Ricky Davis started at the two-guard position on Friday night, but it was Butler who cleaned up -- 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting, four three-pointers, three rebounds and two assists. Davis looked awful, which is why he logged a mere 10 minutes and was pulled for good early on in the third quarter. While the Clips wait for Eric Gordon to return, I think they'll look to Butler to take the bulk of the minutes at the 'two'. The Clips get four this week -- MIN, @IND, @DET, MEM -- giving Butler a chance to put up some nice lines.

Ersan Ilyasova, F, Bucks -- Everyone has Ilyasova fever! As they should. In his last five he's given his owners 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 2.0 threes. He also shot 92.8-percent from the free-throw line making 2.6 attempts per game during that span. The Bucks have four this week, they're shorthanded right now and Ilyasova remains in the starting lineup. There you have it in 140 characters or less.

Rudy Fernandez, SG, Blazers -- The extra minutes in Portland seem to belong to Rudy Fernandez. Done deal. In his last three he's played 32.7 minutes per, posting 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.3 three-pointers. Those steals and threes are worth the add alone. Portland has Chicago, New Jersey, Memphis and Utah. The Bulls, Jazz, and Grizzlies are all allowing 7-plus threes per game, while the Nets are giving up 8.8 steals per game on the season. But if I can't sway you, maybe Rudy can make the case for himself -- vote for me! That never gets old, does it?

Anthony Morrow, SG/SF, Warriors -- I'm still rockin' Morrow in most of my leagues. After Don Nelson let him run on Friday night for 48 minutes I'm starting to feel more comfortable about my choice to hang onto him -- 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, four threes, six rebounds and two steals on Friday night. He's shooting 52.9-percent from the floor, 52.5-percent from beyond the three-point line, and 87.5-percent from the free-throw line on the season. It's a beautiful thing. The Warriors have three games this week and I expect to see Nelson stick with Morrow until his magic 8-ball tells him otherwise.

Marco Belinelli, SG, Raptors -- Prior to Friday night, Belinelli had posted four straight double-figure scoring lines, averaging 2.7 threes over that span. He had been terrific coming off the bench, and with four games this week -- IND, @CHA, @BOS, PHO -- he's certainly worth a flier. Those Phoenix and Indy games might return nice lines, at the very least.

Derek Fisher, PG, Lakers -- This one is strictly based on the Lakers schedule -- NYK, @GSW, NJN -- three teams that yield a rather favorable number of three-pointers, steals, rebounds, and a high number of free-throw attempts. Fisher is no sure thing, but with a schedule like that and a number of ailing point guards he could be a deep league flier this week.

Jared Dudley, F, Suns -- He's having quite the month -- 10.4 points, 1.3 steals, 2.0 three-pointers, and a 48.7 field-goal percentage in just 22 minutes. Only one game all season has Dudley not posted at least one steal and in just three games was he unable to his a three-pointer. Phoenix has MEM, @MIN, and @TOR this week. Toronto has allowed 115.7 points per game over their last three and Minny and Memphis sit in the bottom three in steals allowed per game. Based on the matchups, I would give Dudley a look this week if you're in need of steals and threes.

Who's Got Next: Turning to Hughes originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Home Delivery: Pau Gasol's Big Night

Tom Lorenzo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Kobe Bryant told Craig Sager last night that is was good to have Pau Gasol back. I couldn't have said it any better. Gasol was indeed back, and back in a big way -- game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 13 rebounds and a blocked shot. The early effects of Gasol returning played out in the frontcourt: Andrew Bynum went for 11 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes, while Lamar Odom came off the bench to play 25 minutes and put up 11 points and eight rebounds. A thoughtful gesture, considering Gasol has played eight full seasons, prior to this one, and missed the first 11 games before making his return. It was definitely his night.

The NBA's leading rebounder, Joakim Noah, pulled down 15 boards to go along with 12 points, four steals and two blocks. He's having a great season. The same can't be said for Derrick Rose, though he did come on last night and score 20 points and dish six dimes. Let's hope this gets him going.

Also In the Headlines

o. If you were watching the Suns-Hornets game last night then you heard the big news: ~~Men of a Certain Age debuts on December 7~~ David Aldridge reported during a timeout in the second quarter that the Knicks and Allen Iverson are close to a deal and something "could happen" this weekend. I wouldn't be shocked. Leave it to Reggie Miller to be the voice of reason in all of this when he said that Iverson is going to take away from the development of the young guards. Really though, that's something that should only trouble Knicks fans and those who own Chris Duhon, Toney Douglas, Nate Robinson, Larry Hughes (not young) and even Wilson Chandler. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but as I mentioned yesterday Iverson should be a target on the wires if/when the news breaks.

o. Andrew Bogut is down and out once again. We learned yesterday that he is going to miss 2-to-4 weeks thanks to a strained leg. Tough break. Bogut was starting to look like he was finally getting his game back on track. As a filler, if you put a gin to my head I would take Kurt Thomas over Dan Gadzuric. If there is not gun involved, I'll opt for neither. I think it's going to be guys like Hakim Warrick and Ersan Ilyasova who are going to step it up. And besides, there are enough good centers still available on the wires that you don't have to dip into either Thomas or Gadzuric.

o. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sat out last night's game against the Jazz. Parker for his ankle and Ginobili because of a strained groin. Ginobili is supposedly out for the next week or so, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him take his time and wait until he's 100-percent before returning. Parker, on the other hand, is day-to-day. Make sure you keep an eye on his status heading into Saturday's game against the Wizards.

o. Mehmet Okur sat out for the second straight game with the flu. The Jazz don't play again until Saturday night and all indications are that he'll play. So he should be a safe play this weekend. All you Kyrylo Fesenko fans out there have been warned.

o. Paul Millsap played awfully well alongside Carlos Boozer last night -- 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds and a block. Still not sure that he's consistent enough to start on a nightly basis. Unless, of course, there's an injury in the frontcourt or Utah pulls a favorable matchup.

o. Darren Collison continues to plug away as the starting point guard for the Hornets -- 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, five assists, a three and a steal. So, essentially he posted what Chris Paul would have given you... in the first half.

o. David West struggled with just six points, four rebounds and five assists. He's scored in single-digits in two out of the three games since Chris Paul went down. Hmm. Something to think about, right?

Lost and Found

o. Theo Ratliff's contract is back in play, as he blocked three shots in 13 minutes against the Jazz last evening. Actually, it's been a while since he's been known for anything other than his contract. He's stepping out.

o. Darius Songalia had three steals and a block in 24 minutes. I don't know about adding him, but if for some reason David West were to go down he might be a solid add -- not now, though.

Classified Adds

o. Eric Maynor went from an intriguing add to a dud overnight. He was held scoreless last night in 17 minutes. This after three straight strong showings. Given the superb play of Ronnie Brewer, Sloan's man-crush on Wesley Matthews, strong showings by both Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko and the return this weekend of Mehmet Okur, we might have to shelve Maynor for the time being.

o. George Hill dropped double-figures in his fifth straight game -- 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, a three and two assists. Again, Parker missed last night's game, which allowed Hill to log 30 minutes in his absence. Once Parker returns, possibly this weekend, Hill won't be much of a fantasy contributor.

o. Jared Dudley went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished last night's game against the Hornets with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals. Dudley has been a nice contributor from the three-point line and in the steals category. The Suns have a fairly favorable three-game schedule next week, so look to Dudley if you need more treys and picks.

o. Devin Brown had 19 points, two threes, six rebounds and five assists starting at the two-guard for the Hornets, but I still like Marcus Thornton better. The rookie came off the bench to score 19 points in 20 minutes. Brown might be the "safer" bet right now since he's starting and getting more minutes -- for now -- but I wouldn't count out Thornton. He's the guy to add in deeper leagues as far as I'm concerned.

Tonight

o. There are 10 games on the schedule for Friday night.

o. LeBron James is probable after injuring his wrist on Wednesday night and Shaquille O'Neal is "out" against the Pacers.

o. I don't expect to see Marcus Camby on the court as the Clippers take on the Nuggets.

o. Raja Bell will likely suit-up again as the Warriors remain shorthanded. I still wouldn't put him in your lineup, since all it will take is a minor tweak for him to remain on the bench.

o. The Bobcats will be without Tyson Chandler in Milwaukee.

o. The Celtics and the Magic get together in Boston. This should be a good one.

Lotto Line

7-11-13-25-36

o. Peja Stojakovic looked 28 years young again last night. He made 7-of-11 three-pointers, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 36 minutes. Oh to be young again.

Home Delivery: Pau Gasol's Big Night originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Return of Eddy Curry, Antawn Jamison and ... Raja Bell?

Tom Lorenzo — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

The Knicks bench came up big as they erased a 19-point deficit in the second-half on their way to picking up their second victory of the season. Al Harrington led the way with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while Larry Hughes added 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Hughes has trumped both Nate Robinson and Toney Douglas at the 'two' and continues to look like a safe add.

Danilo Gallinari's big goose egg was overshadowed -- literally? -- by the return of every Knick fan's favorite big man, Eddy Curry. Big Slacks had 10 points and four rebounds in 12 minutes coming off the bench. Mike Breem said it best when he insinuated that the Knicks were going to start giving Curry more playing time in order to showcase his "talents" with the hopes that someone will bite on his contract. That says a lot, doesn't it?

For the Pacers it was Danny Granger who led the way with 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting and five treys. He wasn't very helpful in the second half, scoring just three of his 33 in the final two quarters.

Also In the Headlines

o. The rumors are swirling. It seems that the Knicks are seriously pursuing Allen Iverson as a free agent for the remainder of the season. I'm all ears. The Knicks have to know that Allen Iverson expects to play and play often, meaning they are likely to promise him minutes. I would immediately add Iverson if he signs in New York. Have you seen the way Larry Hughes has played under Mike D'Antoni? There might not be enough shots to go around, but I imagine that Iverson will make sure he gets his.

o. Remember when we were told that Raja Bell would have season-ending surgery on his wrist? Well, last night he scored 11 points and hit three treys in 23 minutes. Wait, what? Bell played due to the fact that the Warriors had just seven active players the night prior. He's still supposedly going to have surgery on his wrist, so I suspect we won't see him in uniform much longer.

o. Antawn Jamison and Randy Foye returned to action last night against the Cavs. Jamison looked like he was trying to make up for lost time. He went for a team-high 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting with 10 rebounds, two threes and a steal. Foye, however, played just four minutes and looks like he's drop-able now, especially with the way Earl Boykins is playing.

o. Tony Parker missed last night's contest against the Mavs thanks to the left ankle sprain he suffered on November 6. He's listed as day-to-day and questionable for Thursday night's game against the Jazz. Not to be outdone, Manu Ginobili left last night's game with a groin injury. As of now, It would seem that Manu is out for Thursday night's game. In that case, Roger Mason would get the start and should be considered for owners in need.

o. Marcus Camby left late in the first quarter last night with a lower back contusion. Craig Smith and DeAndre Jordan got extra minutes in his absence. Smith led the way with 12 points and four rebounds. Neither is a must-add, but depending on how long Camby is out it's worth following to see if one of these young bigs steps forward and starts showing some consistency.

o. In other injury news, Udonis Haslem missed last nights game with a sore shoulder. He should be ready to go for the weekend.

o. Rashard Lewis posted a near triple-double, in just his second game since returning from a 10-game suspension -- 17 points, 10 rebound, nine assists, two threes and two steals. And you took him in the fourth round, didn't you?

o. Elton Brand cares not for your rumors! The 30-year old power forward had a season-best 19 points and 11 rebounds in a two-point victory over the Bobcats. He also added six blocks and three steals, including a block on the first play of the game and a key deflection at the end of regulation to seal the victory for the 76ers. After speculation that he would come off the bench last night, Brand found himself in the starting lineup, playing nearly 42 minutes. This is a great sign, but I'd still like to see more from EB before I raise the roof in his honor.

o. Trevor Ariza had 18 points and four three-pointers against the T-Wolves, However, he shot 6-of-19 from the floor and is now shooting just 37-percent on the season. It's starting to become worrisome. Especially when you consider that he's taking 16.5 FGA per game.

o. Luis Scola doubled-up last night with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Some impatient owners have already bailed on Scola. I think that's a mistake. If he's available on your wire you should seriously consider making the move.

o. Chris Douglas-Roberts posted a career-high in points for the second straight game. He had 31 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. He's a universal add, even with Devin Harris and Courtney Lee looking to return to action this weekend. CDR has the confidence that fantasy owners love to see in a scoring two-guard. He is not messing around right now.

Lost and Found

o. Delonte West tallied three blocks and two steals in a losing effort. It's till hard to own West right now, but the defensive effort was certainly there and for that he gets a mention.

o. After a bit of a steals drought, Chuck Hayes picked up four more last night. I still think he's worth owning, if only for his defense and the fact that he's center eligibile.

Classified Adds

o. J.J. Hickson was quiet last night with just six points and two rebounds in 20 minutes. A bit of a disappointment, after he went for 18 or more points over the last three. It was second-year big Darnell Jackson who provided the spark -- 10 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Still, Hickson is the better option at this point. Last night the Cavs were absolutely flat in the second-half blowing a 17-point lead, so don't read much into Hickson's performance.

o. James Harden had a career-best 24 points, hitting six three-pointers and grabbing three rebounds in 31 minutes. This is a great sign for the rookie, however it came in a blowout loss in which no Oklahoma City starter played more than 27 minutes. Still, he's worth keeping an eye on.

o. Jason Williams debuted in his new role as the starting point guard of the Orlando Magic with a 4-point, 5-assist and 4-rebound performance against the Thunder. Again, this game turned into a blowout early, but Williams looks like he can be a nice short-term option at the point.

o. Flip Murray followed up his career-best 31-point performance with a nine-point showing against the 76ers. I think he just fell off our radar screen, no?

o. Corey Maggette dropped 20-plus points for the fourth time in his last five games. That Stephen Jackson trade seems to be working out in his favor. You would be well-advised to add Maggette right now.

o. Ramon Sessions, ladies and gentlemen. Now this is the Ramon Sessions we've all come to love and know. Last night he dropped 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting with five assists and three steals. He's widely available in 70-percent of Feaflicker and Yahoo! leagues. Jameer Nelson and Chris Paul owners, I hope you're paying attention. He's had four solid games in a row. We might see him get into a little groove here.

o. Jamaal Tinsley made his Grizzlies debut last night. In just six minutes he was held scoreless, but Mike Conley wasn't much better in his 15 minutes on the court -- one point, two assists and two rebounds. it seems to me that there is an opening in Memphis and Tinsley might be in line to take over as the starter. It might take some time, but keep an eye on Tinsley.

o. Carlos DelFino had a season-high 21 points and four three-pointers in 39 minutes. He's a bit too inconsistent for me, however. Remember that this was against the winless New Jersey Nets. I don't see him as a must-add.

o. Terrence Williams double-doubled with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Williams is a streaky scorer, but he has the ability to put up a solid line when his game is on. Deep leagues should be taking a shot on him.

o. Marco Belinelli could care less that Hedo Turkoglu was active last night. Belinelli dropped 19 points on the Jazz with two three-pointers and four rebounds. He's starting to put his fellow Italian Danilo Gallinari to shame. Belinelli has put up 15.7 points and 2.7 threes over his last four. I'm buying on Belinelli right now in my 12-team leagues.

o. Eric Maynor played some two-guard last night alongside Deron Williams. He had 15 points, six assists, a block and a steal. Maynor scored 11 of his 15 in the fourth quarter and looks like he might be making a case to see 20-25 minutes per game. I have a lot of faith in Maynor. Moreso than Wesley Matthews, for sure. If Maynor starts getting legit playing time he could be a nice waiver add.

o. Drew Gooden started at center yet again with Erick Dampier still sidelined. In an overtime victory against the Spurs, Gooden had 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. This is three straight double-doubles for Gooden and it looks as if the starting gig is his, even when Dampier returns.

Tonight

o. There are just three games on the schedule Thursday night -- Hornets at Suns, Jazz at Spurs, and Bulls at Lakers.

o. Finally, we'll get to see Pau Gasol in action as he is scheduled to make his season debut on Thursday night against the Bulls.

o. I'm sure TNT isn't happy that they have to market the Suns-Hornets game as a battle between Steve Nash and Darren Collison, but what can you do.

o. Utah plays in San Antonio. Mehmet Okur sat out Wednesday night with the flu and will more than likely miss Thursday night's game.

Lotto Line

1-12-15-29-41

o. Dirk Nowitzki is no joke this season. He scored a season-high 41 points on 15-of-29 shooting with 12 rebounds and one three-pointer. There's not much more you can say about his performance. Best line of the night.

The Return of Eddy Curry, Antawn Jamison and ... Raja Bell? originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Home Delivery: The Magnificent Seven

Tom Lorenzo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

The first thing I thought of while watching the Warriors-Cavs game was: The Seven Samurai. And the tag-line for the film is nearly perfect -- "The Seven Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Town." OK, so maybe we can take out "national heroes of a small town" and replace those words with "fantasy contributors for one evening."

Last night the Warriors went into Cleveland with just seven active players. Each, however, posted double-digit point totals, with Monta Ellis leading the way -- 23 points, eight assists, and three steals. Anthony Morrow looked pretty good himself, dropping 18 points and hitting four of his seven three-point attempts. All in all, you can't go wrong this week adding Morrow, Anthony Randolph, Stephen Curry or Corey Maggette. I'm still not sold on Mikki Moore or Vladimir Radmanovic, but I'm sure that will change over time.

Also In the Headlines

o. I touched on the Jameer Nelson injury yesterday. You can read more about it in my 'spin' post.

o. What groin injury? Kobe Bryant was on fire last night dropping a 40-spot on the Pistons. He made 17-of-29 field-goal attempts and picked up five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

o. Brook Lopez was a beast. He had 26 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks last night against the Pacers. Great. However, he ended up shooting just 10-of-27 from the floor. This was a concern of mine heading into the season, that Lopez would be a more focal point in the offense and with that his FG% would take a hit. In my mind, though, as long as he gets over 50-percent, we're good.

o. J.J. Hickson had some night. He posted a career-high 21 points on a whopping 9-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds, a steal and a block. Nice add. Hickson has upped his scoring in three straight games, and with Anderson Varejao possibly missing more time due to a hip contusion you should be able to ride Hickson for a while.

o. The Hornets had a balanced attack in their victory over the Clippers last night. Darren Collison, filling in for Chris Paul, had what you would call a "Darren Collison" game -- 12 points, six assists and a steal in 24 minutes. I would still keep him active. It's too early to bail.

o. Steve Nash was in a giving mood last night as he dished 16 dimes against the Rockets. Aaron Brooks tried to match him, but fell short while posting a season-high 13 assists.

o. J.R. Smith announced he was back in a big way. Smith dropped 29 points in just his fourth game of the season. Along the way he added five three-pointers, which is what he does best.

o. Donte Greene got the start with Andres Nocioni shelved due to a sore hip. Greene went off for a career-best 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting and five rebounds. If you followed Greene during his brief stint at Syracuse then you know this kid has it in him to put up numbers like this. He's still young, a bit too raw, and not consistent enough to trust as an add in standard leagues, but if Nocioni gets moved or misses more time that of course might change everything.

o. Say what you will, but I'm still banking on Tyreke Evans being the top fantasy rookie this year. He had another terrific game last night scoring 20 points with four rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks. He's also starting to pick up his FG%, shooting nearly 48-percent over his last four games. He's the best rook right now as far as I'm concerned.

o. John Salmons found that golden touch, yet again. He had 23 points, five rebounds and four steals against the Kings. But more importantly he shot 9-of-18 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. That's a good sign. I still think you should buy-low on him.

Lost and Found

o. Dahntay Jones picked up three steals and a block against the Nets to go along with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Careful, though. With Troy Murphy back in practice on Monday night, we may see Jones coming off the bench by the end of the week.

o. Thabo Sefolosha had four steals against the Heat. That's makes it eight out of the last nine games in which he picked at least one steal. That's really why you own Sefolosha, isn't it?

o. Trevor Ariza had three steals and three treys, though he shot just 8-of-21 from the floor. Ariza is once again shooting below 40-percent from the field. That is not sexy.

o. I have to give Nene Hilario props for his four steals and four blocks. He wins the defensive player of the evening award. A very prestigious award, I might add.

Classified Adds

o. I'm still amazed that Roy Hibbert is available in 60-percent of FleaFlicker leagues and 35-percent of Yahoo! leagues. Last night Hibbert had the touch against the Nets. He played the glass and made a few impressive pivot moves against Brook Lopez on his way to 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds and three blocks. I'm starting to think that the center position it less scarce than well all initially thought. Granted, the multiple position eligibility given to most power forwards are helping. But I'm still puzzled as to why Hibbert isn't getting more play.

o. Chris Douglas-Roberts was another guy I suggested in my weekly adds piece. Not to pat myself on the back, but he had career-highs in points, rebounds and field-goal attempts -- 26 points on 11-of-25 shooting with 12 rebounds and three assists. CDR took over the offense at times and played a bit of a one-man game driving into the paint and playing the glass. He's the lead guard right now in New Jersey with Devin Harris still out. Definitely worth an add.

o. Carl Landry is another hot name right now on the waiver wires. Landry was fresh, coming off the bench to add 27 points on 13-of-18 shooting and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. That's four 20-point performances in his last seven. And we're talking about an efficient scorer here. He's shot above 66-percent from the floor in six of his last eight and is shooting 58-percent on the season.

o. Will Bynum went for 24 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals, a block and 9-of-12 shooting from the floor against the Lakers. He continues to play like a universal add.

o. Al Thornton continues to make me eat my words. Another great game for Thornton last night against the Hornets -- 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting and four rebounds. I still think he adds little fantasy value, other than a recent string of plus-scoring performances, but you now know you have another option if you're shopping for points.

o. DeMar DeRozan? Sonny Weems? Marco Belinelli? Which one? Each scored in double-figures and played at least 23 minutes last night against the Nuggets. DeRozan looked really impressive with his 17 points in just 23 minutes, but Belinelli was no slouch either draining three treys in 24 minutes on his way to scoring 16 points. I like the upside of DeRozan, but right now Belinelli is hitting threes like it's nobody's business -- 12 in his last four. If you had to choose one, go with Marco. Remember too, though, that Hedo Turkoglu missed last night's game, so extra shots and touches were there for all three.

Tonight

o. There are 12 games on the schedule tonight, so we'll have a lot to talk about Thursday morning.

o. Antawn Jamison and Randy Foye are scheduled to return to action Wednesday night, so keep an eye on the Wizards-Cavaliers game.

o. Golden State heads into Boston with seven active players after taking on the Cavs in Cleveland just 24 hours earlier. Wow. Good luck.

o. Philadelphia welcomes Charlotte to town. With the rumors that Elton Brand has been removed from the starting lineup, you might want to keep an eye on this one.

o. Jason Williams will make his debut in the starting lineup as the Magic welcome the Thunder to town.

o. The Heat and Hawks play in what could be the game of the evening. Both teams are fighting for first place in the Southeast.

Lotto Line

8-10-12-15-32

o. You've got to love when a big scoring stud like Carmelo Anthony goes out and drops 32 points in an efficient manner. Melo shot 8-of-10 from the line and 12-of-15 from the field. That's about as close to perfect of a shooting line as you'll get. Big ups to Mr. Anthony.

Home Delivery: The Magnificent Seven originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Fantasy Spin: Jameer Nelson Out, Warriors Still a Mess

Tom Lorenzo — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Injury Report, Fantasy Basketball

I was working on a Hoops Heist post to give you a few players to target on the trade market, but I had to switch gears as the injury news this afternoon started to pile up.

Jameer Nelson underwent an MRI this morning and we're now hit with the news that he needs to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. It is estimated that Nelson will miss four-to-six weeks. Now what? Well, if you're a Nelson owner it would be in your best interest to pick up point guard Jason Williams, then stand back and reassess.

Jason Williams propped up his fantasy profile in the season opener against the 76ers with 15 points, five assists, and three treys. Since then it's been a mixed bag. Williams' minutes have declined to the point where he hasn't hit the 20-minute mark in any of the previous five games. Now, however, it would seem that he's a lock for at least 25-plus minutes, with Anthony Johnson willing and able to fill in as the back-up. But what should you expect from Williams as your newly acquired point guard?

It's not known whether or not Williams can go for 30 minutes per game, given his age -- 34 years old. However, that doesn't mean we won't see him post any fantasy-relevant lines. In limited action, Williams is sitting on a 44:9 assist-to-turnover ratio. With more than enough weapons on Orlando, J-Will should be able to rack up the assists and could top -- or come close to -- Jameer Nelson's current 5.5 assists per game. At his current rate of 1.1 field-goal attempts per assist, Williams will look more to set up his teammates than create shots for himself. Whereas Nelson, a scoring point, was sitting at 2.0 field-goal attempts per assist.

The points, yes, the points are going to be missed dearly. Williams, however, won't leave you hanging in the three-point category. At the very least he'll give you just over one per game. In extended minutes, he should also give you a steal per. There's little else out there right now, so turning your lonely eyes his way should help you bide some time while you figure out which league-mate might throw you a bone and trade you a point guard.

Trust me, you could do much worse than White Chocolate. So don't fret.

The other story this morning was news that newly acquired Raja Bell decided to opt for season-ending surgery on his wrist. This comes after the Warriors traded Stephen Jackson to Charlotte in exchange for Bell and lost Kelenna Azubuike for most, if not all of the season. Tuesday night in Cleveland the Warriors will dress just seven players. You know what that means, don't you?

Anthony Morrow needs to be picked up. The same goes for Stephen Curry, Anthony Randolph and Corey Maggette. I know it's a messy situation in the Bay Area, but each of these players are too good to pass up on right now. Even Vladimir Radmanovic and Mikki Moore are looking like attractive free agents.

I know that Nelson has made life hard on fantasy owners, but with just seven players active I can't see how he'll be able to stick it to us this time. Then again, anything is possible with Nellie.

Fantasy Spin: Jameer Nelson Out, Warriors Still a Mess originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Home Delivery: Iverson Walking on Memphis, S-Jax Joining Charlotte

Tom Lorenzo — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:05:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Well that was one busy Monday, wasn't it? And to think, we only had three games on the schedule.

Monday afternoon we learned that the Warriors had traded Stephen Jackson to the Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic. The early fantasy implications on this one were on display Monday night as Jackson was in uniform and in the starting lineup for the Bobcats. He had a typical Jackson line: 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, one three-pointer, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and four turnovers. Some things remain the same.

The implications in Golden State won't necessarily be known until Tuesday night when the Warriors play the Cavaliers. Then again, it's never a given when you're talking about Don Nelson's rotation. One night Raja Bell might be in; the next he's out. Stay tuned.

Oh, yeah, and Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways. It might be safe to drop Iverson outright, unless of course the Knicks come to the rescue. Isn't that something the old regime would have done?

Also In the Headlines

o. Rashard Lewis returned to action and was able to muscle 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting. He also pulled down two rebounds, missed all six of his three-point attempts, and ~~hit three home-runs~~ picked one steal. Give him time, it was just his first game. The good thing was that he was fairly aggressive, taking 15 shots, and played 35 minutes right off the bat.

o. Rudy Fernandez broke free in the post-Travis Outlaw era. He had 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting with four treys and four steals, including a three-ball that sent the game into overtime. Martell Webster was a non-factor in this one (two points in 11 minutes). Fernandez has the early lead in the "who will replace Travis Outlaw" battle. I picked him up Monday morning and so far I have no complaints.

o. It's worth noting that Joe Johnson took over the game Monday night with 35 points, eight of which came in the five-minute overtime period. He was max-contract good last night.

o. Jason Kidd is back! He missed picking up a triple-double by just one point -- nine points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists (!), three treys and two steals. Thank you! Oh, and Mavs fans you may want to give a big "thanks" to Dirk Nowitzki for his game-winner in OT. There's no questioning Dirk's fantasy credentials: 32 points, 11 rebounds, one block and two steals.

Lost and Found

o. Dwight Howard with two more blocks. That's seven in the last two games after posting just three in the previous five. It's nice to see that he's back to blocking shots. Super, man.

o. Josh Smith with two blocks against the Blazers, giving him at least one in each of the first 11 games. That's something worth noting.

Classified Adds

o. Flip Murray welcomed Stephen Jackson to Charlotte with a 31-point performance in his honor. In typical Flip fashion, however, he was limited in his peripheral stats -- one assist, one rebound and two steals. The scoring was nice, but still I can't get too excited about Monday night's performance. A bit premature.

o. Week one I was sold on Ersan Ilyasova, then I dropped him at the end of week two. Now, I've got nothing but love for him. Funny how things change. Ilyasova had 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, four three-pointers, 12 rebounds and two steals. Note, though, that Monday night's game was a good old-fashioned shootout with the Bucks getting off 99 attempts from the field. I'm not saying that we should discount Ilyasova's performance, but that might put it in perspective for you.

o. D.J. Augustin might be the real loser in the Jackson trade to Charlotte. Deej had two points and four assists in 13 minutes. I'm not expecting many Flip Murray 31-point outbursts, but I'm also not expecting to see many Raymond Felton-D.J. Augustin backcourt sets. Might be time to drop Augustin.

o. Rodrigue Beaubois, as I mentioned Monday, is worth looking at. Still not sold on him in 12-team leagues, but after two straight double-digit showings, he's worth the nod in deeper leagues.

Lotto Line

1-4-7-8-25

o. Brandon Jennings had another strong performance against the Mavs with 25 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, four 3-pointers, and one steal. The problem, you ask? He shot 8-of-22 from the floor. That's the kind of shooting performance you'd expect from Jennings, not the 61.8 percent from the floor in his 55-point showing.

Home Delivery: Iverson Walking on Memphis, S-Jax Joining Charlotte originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bruised, Battered and Brooks

Tom Lorenzo — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Aaron Brooks led the Houston Rockets to a 101-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last night. Brooks dropped a game-high 33 points, hitting five three-pointers, grabbing six rebounds and dishing four assists. The Rockets out-rebounded the Lakers 60-38, while holding them to 38.1-percent shooting from the floor.

Andrew Bynum led the way for the Lakers with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Kobe Bryant left them game late in the fourth quarter. Initial word was that his knee was that it might have been a bruised knee. Then word came out that it was a groin strain. It looked more like a bruised ego to me, but what do I know about knees and groins?

Also In the Headlines

o. Rashard Lewis is making his season debut on Monday night. We'll get our first chance to see just how enhanced his performance really is. Hopefully weekly leaguers got him in their lineup on Sunday as Lewis should step right in as Orlando's starting power forward.

o. Erick Dampier was taken to a hospital due to whatever "illness" has been going around. With that, Drew Gooden got the start Sunday night against the Pistons. Gooden posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes. While Dampier is out Gooden looks to be a nice add. However, once Damp returns it will be anyone's guess as to who gets the bulk of the minutes in the middle.

o. Will Bynum came off the bench to score 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting last night against the Mavs in just 29 minutes. Bynum has been worth a flier ever since Richard Hamilton went down. I'm not sure what else he has to do to convince you that he's the best Bynum in the league -- not named 'Andrew'.

o. Ben Gordon shot a woeful 1-for-16 from the floor last night and wound up with four fewer points than Ben Wallace. Need I say more?

o. Al Thornton dropped a season-best 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting with five rebounds and an assist. He's available in close to 60-percent of Yahoo! leagues. I find it difficult to own Thornton not because he lacks the talent, but because he just can't put it together. He's put up 15.5 points per game over the last three and seems to be getting a lot better since Eric Gordon went down. I'm not buying into Thornton's new-found offensive game, but I can't blame you if you want to take a flier.

Lost and Found

o. Oh to be young again. Ben Wallace with three more blocks and a steal last night. And what do you know, he dropped a season-high nine points to go along with 10 rebounds.

o. Kareem Rush saw legitimate playing time for the first time this season last night against the Thunder. He came off the bench to score nine points, picking two steals and blocking two shots. It's nice to see Rush turning up again, but he's not worth an add.

o. Thabo Sefolosha is generally used for fantasy purposes as a defensive specialist, but last night he wasn't very helpful at all. Hitting just one of his nine field-goal attempts and adding just one steal in 30 minutes -- yikes. You would have been better off owning Kareem Rush. How often will you be able to say that again this year?

o. Jared Dudley broke his seven game streak of hitting at least one three-pointer last night against the Raptors. He did, however, offer up two blocks as a sign of peace.

o. Trevor Ariza had little effect on the offensive side of the ball in his return to the Staples Center. He did, however, pick up four steals, two blocks and a championship ring -- which belonged to him, so no I didn't count that one as a steal.

Classified Adds

o. Rodrigue Beaubois started at shooting guard for the Mavs with Josh Howard out. Still, Jason Terry is right behind him ready to purge the bulk of the minutes. Beaubois had an excellent line for a guy with just two career starts under his belt prior to this one -- 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, two threes, four assists, and two steals in just under 20 minutes. I wouldn't get too excited about owning the rook, but he's worth watching.

o. Amir Johnson continues to look like a guy worth keeping an eye on. He's done nothing spectacular this season, but last night he had season-high nine rebounds and seven points in 25 minutes. Should the Raptors for one reason or another decide to move Chris Bosh this season... hey, It's just a thought.

o. Marco Belinelli does the family proud and scores in double-figures and draining at least three treys for the third time in four games. The unfortunate thing about Belinelli is that he offers up little else as a fantasy contributor. But we've all got needs, and it points and threes are what you need then Belinelli might be worth owning.

o. David Andersen made up for the goose egg he laid against the Lakers on Nov. 4 with a career-best 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting last night. Yao Ming who, right? Not exactly, but a nice showing nonetheless.

o. Carl Landry remains as one of the hot names on a majority of waiver wires. Landry doubled-up against the Lakers with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Houston has four games this week, making Landry one of the top adds.

Lotto Line

1-1-2-8-40

o. Kevin Durant got the gold star last night with a season-best 40-point performance. He also added one steal, one block, two threes, and eight rebounds. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to beat the Clippers, but it was more than enough for fantasy owners not to care who actually won and lost the game.

Bruised, Battered and Brooks originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Picks and Roles: Speights Out, Lewis In

Tom Lorenzo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy Basketball, NBA Start 'Em Sit 'Em, NBA Lineup Planner

Picks and Roles provides all the vital information you need in making those tough lineup decisions for weekly leagues.

Injuries like the one to Marreese Speights garner mixed reactions. Those who took a flier on Speights are disappointed now that they've lost him for up to 6-8 weeks with a partial tear in his MCL. In his last five, Speights averaged 24.7 minutes, 12.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 60.0-percent shooting from the floor. Not quite overwhelming numbers, but promising nonetheless. With Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert both struggling to get into an offensive groove, Speights was starting to see some daylight in the rotation and many eager fantasy owners were beginning to think that they snagged this season's Paul Millsap. Unfortunately, we won't see him again until late December.

On the other side of the coin are the Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert owners. They are hoping that this will force Eddie Jordan to stick with both Brand and Dalembert in the rotation as they continue to work through their struggles -- as opposed to opting for the young Speights off the bench. Any spark to get fourth-round draft pick Elton Brand going would do at this point.

Start 'Em

Rashard Lewis finally returns to action on Monday night after completing his ten-game suspension. I would get him in the lineup this week and not worry about any rust or lack of playing time. Lewis will step right into the rotation and get plenty of minutes.

Deron Williams should be in the lineup on Wednesday after having to leave the team this weekend to deal with a personal matter. In his absence Eric Maynor played like a stud on Saturday night dropping 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. With Williams likely to return to the team early this week, Maynor will return to his role seeing limited action coming off the bench.

Paul Pierce complained about soreness in his left knee this weekend. It doesn't seem like anything serious, and with the Celtics off until Wednesday he should be good to go. With games against the Warriors and Knicks, I have a feeling there's no way he sits out.

Shaquille O'Neal should be ready to go this week after missing Saturday's game with a strained shoulder. With the Cavs facing such a favorable schedule, Shaq could return to form as a semi-dominant fantasy big.

Darren Collison would get the nod from me this week. I know we still aren't sure what kind of fantasy contributor he'll be, but the Hornets have four games on the schedule so it might be worth taking a shot.

Dahntay Jones should still be in your lineup. In his last four he's averaging 18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, including a 25-point performance on Saturday night against the Celtics. As long as Troy Murphy remains out, which seems possible for the start of the week, Jones should continue to pay off.

Question 'Em

Jameer Nelson is questionable for Monday night's game with a flu-like illness. Orlando plays four times this week, and I find it hard to believe that he'll miss Wednesday night's game. So at the very least you might be looking at a three-game week. I would take the chance, but it's up to you if you think you've got a better option.

Ryan Anderson is likely to play on Monday night, however with the return of Rashard Lewis his minutes are going to take a hit. It's up to you, seeing as how well Anderson has played this season, but I would sit him.

Mario Chalmers is suffering some pain in his injured right shoulder. He may play on Tuesday night, but it's still up in the air. Carlos Arroyo played pretty well in his absence on Saturday night, so that too may factor into your decision.

Sit 'Em

Josh Howard is out until mid-December. This is good news for Jason Terry owners.

Richard Hamilton may not return until the end of next week. Sit him this week and we'll check back on his status next weekend. Will Bynum still looks like a nice add while Hamilton remains out.

Pau Gasol is still listed as day-to-day, but it's time to bench him in weekly leagues until we actually see him out on the court. This is getting ridiculous!

Travis Outlaw is out 6-8 weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot. Now we turn our attention to Rudy Fernandez and Martell Webster as they battle for minutes. I would give Fernandez the early advantage, but then again Nate McMillan always seems to come back to Webster. Some guys just have their... guys.

Kelenna Azubuike is out after injuring his right knee on Saturday. It's never easy to tell which player will get the minutes in Golden State, but one thing we know is that Corey Maggette is the guy most likely to take advantage of the extra minutes. And by that I mean he's a "gunner."

Marreese Speights is out, as we already know. I would look at Jason Smith as the guy to step forward for more minutes. He has the size and the outside shot to step in and play both center and power forward in this offense. Keep an eye on him early.

Picks and Roles: Speights Out, Lewis In originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Who's Got Next: Beyond Point Guards

Tom Lorenzo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Waiver Wire, Fantasy Basketball

Who's Got Next is a weekly look at some of the top players widely available on the waiver wires.

Obviously the biggest story this weekend was the injury to Chris Paul. We're now hearing that Paul is going to miss close to a month. That's the worst possible news. There's now way to replace a loss like that, but I already gave you a few tips on which point guards you should look to add in Paul's absence. So take a look at a few of those suggestions.

Now that we're looking at him missing up to a month, though, it might be time to make a move. I'm not sure how long you can live with Darren Collison as your point guard.

This waiver wire post focuses on which players to add, keeping in mind the schedule for the week ahead. It's slime pickings this week, but I can assure you that with the Timberwolves slated as the only team to play twice this week we can go ahead and knock Oleksiy Pecherov off the list.

J.J. Hickson, PF/C, Cavaliers - After two straight starts, Hickson has posted 18.5 points and four rebounds per game while shooting close to 70-percent from the floor. The Cavs have such a favorable schedule this week that I have no qualms about taking a flier on the young big -- home to the Warriors and 76ers, and at the Wizards and Pacers. He's been a spark-plug for the Cavs and could turn out to be a nice fantasy flier this week.

Corey Maggette, F, Warriors - I continue to say that it's a crapshoot when trying to figure out which Warrior to start. However, after Kelenna Azubuike went down with a tendon injury, Maggette looks like he's in line for more minutes. He came off the bench to score 25 points in 21 minutes on Saturday night marking the fourth time in the last five games that Mags dropped at least 20 points in a game. The Warriors have an extremely tough schedule this week -- at Cleveland, at Boston, and vs. Portland -- but that never keeps them from scoring 100-plus points.

Kendrick Perkins, C, Celtics - Perk picked up his first double-double of the season on Saturday night against the Pacers and should have a nice week with the Warriors and Knicks on the schedule for the Celtics. Perkins is also blocking two shots per game this season and should continue to keep pace. The Warriors are 26th in the league allowing 6.6 blocks per game.

Jared Dudley, F, Suns - He's recorded at least one steal in all but one game this season and at least one three-pointer in all but two. Dudley has scored in double-figures in five of his team's last six games and has started to raise his FG% to the point where he's nearing 50-percent from the floor on the season. Phoenix has just a three-game schedule this week, but if you're looking for blocks and threes you can slot him in for someone like Corey Brewer who plays just twice.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG/SF, Nets - Back from a bout with swine flu, CDR is finally 100-percent healthy. He showed this by playing 36 minutes against the Heat on Saturday dropping 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Douglas-Roberts was on a bit of a roll before falling ill, averaging 21.3 points in the three games prior. The Nets have the Pacers, Bucks and Knicks on the schedule this week. Take Douglas-Roberts and you'll get a nice boost in your scoring category with a couple of threes, steals and rebounds.

Carl Landry, F, Rockets - The Rockets have a fairly easy schedule themselves this week - vs. Phoenix, at Minnesota, at Atlanta, and vs. Sacramento. Landry was quiet on Friday against the Kings, but prior to that he had four straight in which he scored at least 19 points and shot 66.7-percent from the floor. Landry should come back strong this week and offer up more scoring, a high FG% and a few defensive numbers sprinkled in.

Who's Got Next: Beyond Point Guards originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cavs, Rockets, Pacers With Favorables

Tom Lorenzo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy Basketball, NBA Lineup Planner

Court Vision is a breakdown of the weekly schedule to help you set your fantasy lineup.

The Golden State Warriors continue to warm the hearts of fantasy owners in need of a helping hand. Just look at what Brandon Jennings did to the Warriors last night -- 55 points on 21-of-34 shooting (61.8-percent), seven treys, five rebounds and five assists. There seems to be a running theme with young players performing at their peak against Golden State.

In the Warriors past five games, three rookies, a sophomore and a Danny Granger each led their respective teams in scoring. Jennings with his 55 points, Tyreke Evans dropped 32 points, Jonny Flynn had 19 points and Danilo Gallinari had 19 and 10 against the Warriors. This must kill Stephen Curry who is not seeing the early minutes most expected him to get.

At any rate, it's nice to see the Golden State Warriors show up on the schedule when you're looking at your weekly matchups. Let's see who gets the lucky draw this week.

Schedule Breakdown

Below are the teams listed by the number of games they play. You'll find the home/away games listed as '(home, away)'.

Four-game teams: Hawks (3,1), Bobcats (1,3), Cavaliers (2,2), Pistons (0,4), Rockets (2,2), Pacers (2,2), Heat (2,2), Bucks (3,1), Hornets (3,1), Thunder (1,3), Magic (2,2), Blazers (2,2), Raptors (2,2)

Three-game teams: Celtics (2,1), Bulls (0,3), Mavericks (2,1), Nuggets (2,1), Warriors (1,2), Clippers (1,2), Lakers (3,0), Grizzlies (2,1), Nets (2,1), Knicks (1,2), 76ers (2,1), Suns (1,2), Kings (1,2), Spurs (2,1), Jazz (2,1), Wizards (1,2)

Two-game teams: Timberwolves (1,1)

Favorable Schedules

The Cleveland Cavaliers have what some would call one of the easier schedules this coming week. Four games -- home to Golden State and Philadelphia, at Washington and Indiana. The home game against Golden State should yield a ton of fantasy points for the Cavs, seeing that the Warriors are allowing 111.8 points per game this season. The 76ers game should benefit Mo Williams and the other three-point shooting wings, with Philly giving up a league worst 9.1 treys per game. All-in-all, the Cavs should have no problem putting up fantasy-friendly returns in week four.

Houston splits the week with two road games and two home games -- vs. Phoenix and Sacramento, at Minnesota and Atlanta. Each of these teams yields at least 100 points per game, while the Kings, Suns and Timberwolves are all in the bottom eight in the league in defensive efficiency.

The Indiana Pacers finally see the scales tip in their favor this week. Nothing like a back-to-back set against the Nets and the Knicks. New Jersey, while not nearly as awful of a defensive team as the Knicks, are giving up 9.4 steals per game, good for 29th in the league. I also can't say enough about how enjoyable it is to see your fantasy players go up against the Knicks. They are yielding 110.1 points per game and teams are shooting a league best 50.7-percent from the floor versus New York. The Pacers do close out the week at home against the Cavs and in Charlotte, neither of which look awfully appealing. But then again we all thought the same thing about their matchup on Saturday against the Celtics. Surely enough, the Pacers dropped 113 points and a 31:8 assists-to-turnover ratio on the Celtics.

The Hornets are a mess right now, but thankfully they have a few favorable matchups for fantasy owners to exploit this week -- home to the Clippers, Suns, Hawks, and at Miami. The Clippers and Suns are 24th and 26th in the league in turnovers per game, respectively, each allowing at least eight steals per game. If it's any consolation, the Heat statistically tend to be a worse defensive team at home than on the road. It's a but early to read much into that, but it's worth noting.

Boston has just three games this week, but two are against the Knicks and Warriors. The Celtics are going to put up some serious numbers in those two contests. The third is a home game against the Magic who, by the way, have yet to crack the top 10 in team defense.

Unfavorable Schedules

The Minnesota Timberwolves are an obvious choice. They are the only team that play twice this week, and those two games are against the Rockets and the Blazers. I would even consider sitting Al Jefferson this week, now that I think about it. Jefferson has yet to get on track this season and the Blazers currently boast the top-rated frontcourt defense, with the Rockets coming in at number 10.

Philly has three tough games. They are at home to the Bobcats and Grizzlies, and on the road against the Cavs. OK, so the Grizzlies game isn't necessarily a tough one, but the Bobcats and the Cavs can pose a challenge. The front-line of the 76ers, namely Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert, have yet to get into an offensive groove. Maybe against the Grizzlies they'll find it, but I doubt they'll get it going against the 'Cats or the Cavs.

Washington sees three of the top 13 teams in defensive efficiency this week -- vs. the Cavaliers, at the Thunder, and at the Spurs. The Thunder are actually underrated as a defensive team. They are currently 4th in the league in points allowed and 5th in defensive efficiency. And you have to give the Spurs a break at number 13 because they were without Tony Parker and Tim Duncan for two games prior to this weekend.

The Lakers with three home games all against teams that are allowing fewer than 93 points per game. It's hard to not start Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum, but this slate of games might make it a little easier for you to sit Ron Artest.

Golden State plays three times -- at Cleveland, at Boston, and home to Portland. That's a brutal schedule. And given the questions regarding Don Nelson's rotation it's never easy deciding which Warrior to start. Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis seem like safe bets, but from there it's just really a guessing game.

Cavs, Rockets, Pacers With Favorables originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Fantasy Spin: Chris Paul Down and Out

Tom Lorenzo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Injury Report, Fantasy Basketball

Leave it to me to go ahead and write the following words less than 48 hours ago: "if you're worried about Chris Paul -- don't be." In all fairness, that was meant as a bit of reassurance that Paul would not let the Byron Scott firing affect the way he plays on the court. Now let me say this: If you're worried about Chris Paul, you're only human.

On Friday night Paul went down with a severe ankle injury that has knocked him out for up to two weeks, possibly more. So what can we do in his absence?

The first thing you need to do is go and pick up rookie point guard Darren Collison. No, he won't "replace" Paul, but his Friday performance after the injury looked rather promising. Collison finished the gamed with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting with two assists and two steals. At the very least you can slot him into your lineup next week with the Hornets on the schedule for four games: home to the Clippers, Suns, Hawks, and at the Heat.

Collison, though, was known more for his leadership and intangibles in college, and less for his ability to take over games. His upside may be limited, but at this point you have to take what you can get.

Marcus Thornton is another guy worth looking at. He probably has the best scoring instincts of any of the remaining guards in New Orleans. On Friday night Thornton scored a career-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting with two threes and a steal. Again, with four games next week if might be worth rolling the dice on Thornton, who will provide an offensive boost in Paul's absence.

Rafer Alston's triple-double on Friday night against the Magic shot him up to the top of the free agent list. He scored 17 points on 7-of-20 shooting with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and a three-pointer. Unfortunately you'll have to live with his poor efficiency from the floor, but aside from that he hasn't been too bad filling in for Devin Harris. At the very least you know he's going to get 40 minutes a night from a guy who'll try his best to pad his stat-line. That's what every fantasy owner looks for in a player, isn't it?

Toney Douglas has point guard eligibility and has been a hot add of late. Even with Nate Robinson back, Douglas still managed to play 28 minutes on Friday night, scoring 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. That marks the fourth straight game in which Douglas has scored at least 15 points. The Knicks play 11 games over the next three weeks, which is tied for tops in the league over that span.

Beno Udrih has been fantastic in his new role as the starting point guard for the Kings. Not only have the Kings won four straight since he was named the starter, but Udrih has averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 three-pointers, 55.8-percent shooting from the field and 85.7-percent shooting from the free-throw line. There's no reason why he's available in over 70-percent of fantasy leagues.

You'll never be able to replace Chris Paul. Not even if Steve Nash is available on your waiver wires. For now the best you can do is hope that he returns in two weeks and by then you haven't lost much ground in the standings. Good luck with that.

Fantasy Spin: Chris Paul Down and Out originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Suns Learn an Important Lesson

Tom Lorenzo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

The lesson in last night's game was: what goes around comes back around. Just 24 hours after punishing the Hornets with a 124-102 victory, the Suns went into the Staples Arena and ended up on the other side of a lopsided loss. The Suns shot just 36.5 percent from the floor and pasted 12 assists to 13 turnovers. It was a pretty ugly game as each Phoenix starter played less than 25 minutes. On the bright side, Louis Amundson made sure that the Los Angeles fans went home taco-less.

Steve Nash had just five assists. There's really no need to read to much into this one. It was a road loss against the Lakers after playing on back-to-back nights. We won't hold this one against you, though owners have to be dissapointed with how the Suns performed.

Andrew Bynum returned to action for the Lakers to drop 26 points on 13-of-18 shooting. He also pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked three shots. This is great news for Bynum owners. You can know breathe easier.

Also In the Headlines

o. We learned that Al Jefferson is going to miss his team's next two games due to an illness in his family. Nothing more to report here, but if you're in a daily league you should get him out of your lineup for the next two.

o. I'll just get into the New Orleans situation for a moment. Chris Paul seems to be miffed about the front-office decision to let Byron Scott go. No reason to stress if you're a Paul owner. Chris Paul will continue to be right there with LeBron James as one of the top 2 fantasy ballers, as frustrated as he may be. Paul is a real competitor and he's already in the midst of one of the great fantasy seasons in recent memory. Any specific fantasy implications now that Jeff Bowers has taken over as head coach are unknown at this point. He's just the interim coach for now and has brought on (ugh) Tim Floyd as an assistant. We might have more to talk about once the Hornets pull the interim tag and name someone else the head coach. For now, if you're worried about Chris Paul -- don't be.

o. Mo Williams has nine threes in his last two games. He's starting to pay-off nicely.

o. Anthony Parker is turning out to be good for a few threes and some steals. I'm not to high on him right now and would give him the heave-ho or at the very least put him on my bench until he starts to show he's worth more than a few threes and a couple of steals each night.

o. Quentin Richardson went scoreless for the second consecutive game. That's 66 minutes without a single point. And unlike Ben Wallace, who is also averse to scoring, Q-Rich provides nothing else in terms of fantasy value. May his twitter feed remain silent until he once again scores a bucket.

o. Pau Gasol to Cheryl Miller: "I'm in the right place." No, you're not. You're on the bench in street clothes. That's the wrong place. Well, at least we got Andrew Bynum back last night. This whole Gasol hamstring thing is getting extremely frustrating.

Lost and Found

o. Michael Beasley continues to add some defense to his game. He added two more steals and a block last night. A nice sign for his fantasy value.

o. The Suns managed just two steals and one garbage time block against the Lakers. Yeah, it was that kind of night.

Classified Adds

o. J.J. Hickson started once again at power forward for the Cavaliers. He scored a season-best 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting with four rebounds, a steal and a block in 32 minutes. A nice showing from Hickson, but it's hard to get too excited about his value. Anderson Varejao picked up four quick fouls and was limited to 15 minutes, scoring two points and five rebounds -- plus a posterized moment on behalf of Dwyane Wade. Varejao has had two straight sub-par games. He'll come around and I expect Hickson's minutes to fade back to the bench because he's not nearly as good of a rebounder as Varejao is.

Lotto Line

0-1-1-1-3-5

o. It wasn't just a bad game for the Suns. Ron Artest would rather not talk about his performance last night. He had just five points on 2-of-6 shooting with one rebound, three assists, one steal and one block. It would have been nice to see him at least outscore Derek Fisher.Oh well.

Suns Learn an Important Lesson originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Suns Score 123 Points, None of Which Belong to Alando Tucker

Tom Lorenzo — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

It was all Phoenix last night as the Suns beat the Hornets 124-104. The Suns scored 101 of their points in the first three quarters, so you can tell where this is going. Steve Nash needed just 23 minutes to post 12 points and 10 assists. Amare Stoudemire added 21 points. Even Goran Dragic got in on the fun adding 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Unfortunately, Alando Tucker was the only Sun held scoreless. On the bright side he wasn't the worst player in the game. That honor goes to the player responsible for last night's lotto line.

On the other side of the ball Chris Paul played inspired ball after Steve Nash called him the best point guard in the league. Paul had 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting with four treys, six assists and four steals. Chris Paul is making 2.2 threes per game and is shooting 63-percent from the floor in his first nine, which is making him the clear-cut No.1 player in all of fantasy.

Also In the Headlines

o. We got some terrible news in regards to Pau Gasol this evening. Phil Jackson told the Los Angeles Daily News that Gasol might be out until Christmas. Well that's awful. An awful joke, to be exact. It turns out that Jackson was only kidding around and Gasol is still considered day-to-day. Still, this is getting a little frustrating. It's easier to own a player when you know what his actual status is. Jokes on us.

o. Russell Westbrook left last night's game with an ankle sprain in the third quarter. Kevin Ollie stepped in at the point and added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and five rebounds. I'm not sure Ollie is worth a look even if Westbrook misses time, but let's think positively and hope that Russ can tape it up and return to the court as soon as possible.

o. Elton Brand took a long walk off a short "is he back" pier last night. He shot 0-of-6 from the floor and finished with just five points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. I would rather have Marreese Speights or Carl Landry on my team right now.

o. Just when we thought Anthony Randolph was left for dead, he comes up big with his fourth straight high-value game. Randolph posted 17 points and 13 rebounds to along with three steals and two blocks. Those who sat him this week are less concerned than the owners who dropped him outright.

o. Paul Millsap had an OK game last night in Boston -- nine points and 13 rebounds. Don't get too excited, though. He played plenty of his minutes against the Celtics second unit, thanks to the whoopin' that the C's gave the Jazz.

o. Chris Duhon continues to struggle at the point. He went scoreless last night on 0-of-6 shooting and had three turnovers to just two assists. It wouldn't surprise me to see Duhon on the waiver wires in most of my leagues come Thursday morning.

o. I wrote in Hoops Heist on Monday that Charlie Villanueva was a buy low candidate. Well, after he dropped 30 points on the Bobcats last night he might have just come off the market. It's a tough to get a read on this performance, however, since it came against the lowly Bobcats. But it's nice to see Chaz V. come up big last night.

o. On a side note: man the Bobcats are a terrible offensive team. This is the 5th time in eight games that the Bobcats scored fewer than 82 points in a game. They scored 75 points on the same night the Suns scored 75 in the first half. An Allen Iverson/Larry Brown reunion anyone?

o. Brandon Jennings was on point last night. He and Carmelo Anthony instigator Andrew Bogut led the Bucks to victory against the Nuggets. Jennings had 32 points and nine assists. Bogut went for 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Jennings needs to be universally owned. He has to be.

o. Greg Oden had his best game of the season. He posted 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting with 11 boards, a block and a steal. More importantly he didn't pick up a single personal foul in 26 minutes. If he plays like this, he might be one of the top 10 bigs when all is said and done.

o. I wrote this about Erick Dampier yesterday: "Damps is that kind of guy who you hold-off buying into because you tell yourself the moment you pick him up he's going to put up a 6 and 5 line with no blocks. But he performs again. And yet you still hold off. Rinse. Wash. Repeat." I picked him up Wednesday morning and just 12 hours later he had one point, four rebounds and zero blocks. It was nice knowing you, Mr. Dampier.

o. Marcus Williams played 30 minutes to starter Mike Conley's 17 minutes. Conley with two straight stinkers. I don't think we'll see Williams play more minutes than Conley on a regular basis, but if Junior doesn't get more aggressive on the court all bets are off. The Grizzlies had 17 assists to 18 turnovers last night. Marcus Williams had seven of those assists and just one turnover.

Lost and Found

o. Dahntay Jones scored in double-figures in his fourth straight game. Too bad he didn't pick up a single rebound. That's no way to fill-in for Troy Murphy. To his credit, he did block four shots. Jones still strikes me a as a short-term add while Murphy is out.

o. Samuel Dalembert had four blocks against the Nets, but he's still not as good as Marreese Speights.

o. Josh Boone had three blocks to go along with six points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes. He's a nice flier option in deep leagues while he fills in for Yi Jianlian.

o. Joel Przybilla had four blocks in 21 minutes, but if Oden continues to play as he did last night you might not see his minutes get above 20 per game on a consistent basis.

o. Carl Landry showed that he was more than just a scorer by blocking four shots against the Grizzlies.

Classified Adds

o. T.J. Ford left last night's game after just four minutes with back spasms. Earl Watson filled in nicely with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting, three treys, six rebounds and three steals. Don't make the move yet on Watson until we learn what the next steps are for Ford. If we do lose Ford for some time, Watson could be a nice add.

o. Taj Gibson did his thing against the Raptors. Filling in for Tyrus Thomas, Gibson dropped 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Nice to see. This was obviously his best game of his young career, so monitor Saturday's game against Philadelphia and see how he follows up this one before you drop any assets for him in standard leagues.

o. Toney Douglas got the start at the point for the Knicks last night. Coach D'Antoni said he was looking for a spark and was hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. Well, Douglas came alive for the second night in a row scoring 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting with two threes, four rebounds, just one assist and no defensive stats in a losing effort. For the second straight game, Douglas has scored at least 20 points. I would suggest taking a flier on him, but I wonder what his role will be once Nate Robinson returns this weekend.

Lotto Line

0-0-0-0-2

Peja Stojakovic had one of the worst lines you could imagine. He missed all eight of his field-goal attempts. He was held scoreless and he wasn't even able to pick up any assists, steals or blocks in 23 minutes. He did manage two rebounds, but have a feeling that doesn't mean much to his owners. At least Alando Tucker can sleep well tonight knowing that he wasn't nearly as awful as Peja was.

Suns Score 123 Points, None of Which Belong to Alando Tucker originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bulls Celebrate a One-Point Loss

Tom Lorenzo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Nobody celebrates a loss quite like the Chicago Bulls. In all fairness, at first glance it looked like Brad Miller had hit the game-winner as time expired. Unfortunately, the red light never lies.

Joakim Noah had the best line of the game with 12 points and 21 rebounds. He now has reached double-digits in all but one game this season. He also added two blocks, giving him 11 total over the last four games. Teammate Derrick Rose chipped in with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five assists, a steal, two blocks and no turnovers. If he's not 100-percent healthy, he sure looks like it.

For the Nuggets it was Carmelo Anthony who once again led the team in scoring with 20 points. Kenyon Martin played despite a minor leg injury and doubled up with 15 points and 10 rebounds. What about Earl? Well, J.R. 'Earl' Smith returned from hit seven-game suspension to come off the bench for 29 minutes, scoring five points on 1-of-9 shooting. He just needs to shake off the rust.

Also In the Headlines

o. Eric Gordon's diagnosis is in and he's now out for 10 days, thanks to his stinkin' groin. Time to make a move to replace him for the next two weeks.

o. Both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are doubtful with ankle sprains for Wednesday night's game. So, daily leaguers, get them on your bench.

o. Randy Foye injured his ankle last night. It looks like he'll miss some time, so make the change in your lineup.

o. Vince Carter returned to action and played 25 minutes, scoring 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting, four rebounds, three treys, a steal and a block. Glad to see him back and jacking up shots. It's hard to keep a good Carter down.

o. Gerald Wallace, the NBA's leading rebounder, pulled down nine more last night marking his seventh straight game with at least nine rebounds. I said this in Hoops Heist last night, but I still think that Wallace is a nice buy-low trade option as he can average 10 boards, 16 points and at least two steals this season. He shot 5-of-12 from the floor marking an improvement on his 32.1 field-goal percentage and, thankfully, he did not shoot a three-pointer. The Bobcats as a team shot just 2-of-17 from beyond the arc.

o. Gilbert Arenas was so-so last night scoring 21 points, hitting three treys, dishing eight dimes and picking up three steals. Of course, if you're in turnover league his 12 TOs just killed your entire week.

o. Zach Randolph will single-handily bring his teammates down. Literally. Last night his head broke rookie Hasheem Thabeet's jaw. The hit looked pretty rough, though I never expected to hear that his jaw was broken. We don't know how long Thabeet will be out, but it's pretty clear that he probably shouldn't be owned right now.

o. Andre Miller and Steve Blake once again started in the backcourt for the Blazers. Blake provided the scoring (14 points) while Miller was responsible for the dishing (seven assists). Miller has the upside and it's only a matter of time before he puts it all together. I'm sure I've said that a dozen times this week alone, but give him a little more time to get adjusted to his starting role and don't bail on him just yet.

o. LaMarcus Aldridge had has shot falling last night and Brandon Roy followed up his two-point performance on Sunday with a 20-point showing last night. Things seem to be going well in Portland.

o. Erik Dampier had 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting with 20 rebounds (!) and three blocks. Come on, man. What's it going to be? Damps is that kind of guy who you hold-off buying into because you tell yourself the moment you pick him up he's going to put up a 6 and 5 line with no blocks. But he performs again. And yet you still hold off. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

o. Jason Terry doesn't seem to be worried by Josh Howard's return. He scored 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, 1-of-1 from beyond the arc and 9-of-9 from the line. Efficient.

o. The Kings with a fantastic victory last night against the Thunder, led by Tyreke Evans' 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and clutch free-throw shooting hitting 10-of-10 -- including two in the final seconds after Kevin Durant hit a three-pointer to pull the Thunder within one. Jason Thompson turned in another huge performance with 21 points and 14 rebounds, marking his fourth straight double-double. Too bad for fantasy owners that the Kings play only twice this week. They are riding a high, winning three in a row since the Kevin Martin injury.

o. Speaking of free-throws, Kevin Durant hit all 18 of his attempts to finish with 37 points to go along with his five rebounds and three steals. Durant owners get seven games out of him over the next 12 nights. Nice.

Lost and Found

o. Marcin Gortat had a nice defensive showing with four blocks and two steals. Unfortunately, there's that Dwight Howard fella blocking his minutes, so there's still no need in picking up Gortat in standard leagues.

o. Dwight Howard failed to block a shot for the third time in four games. I would be worried if he wasn't Dwight Howard.

o. Mario Chalmers had four more steals giving him 17 on the season. Not sure why owners are bailing on him. You know what he can and can't do, so keep that in mind when you're cursing him for not scoring 15 per game.

o. Chuck Hayes is a one-man defensive beast. Sure he went scoreless last night, but he picked up another three steals. He's now averaging 2.4 steals per game and is eligible at the center position. He's obviously a defensive specialist, but there's certainly some value in that. On the flip-side you have Carl Landry who had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, picking up a steal and block. He'll sprinkle those in from time to time.

o. Thabo Sefolosha continues to come up big on defense. Last night he had three steals and four blocks against the Kings. The Thunder have seven games in the next 12 nights, making him a nice add for defensive purposes.

o. Spencer Hawes had four blocks last night, giving him seven over the last three. He's another value big.

Classified Adds

o. Brandon Bass had another nice game. He scored 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, one steal and a block. Rashard Lewis returns next week, so Bass might have a two-game run left in him before he returns to his role coming off the bench.

o. Brendan Haywood double-doubled once again last night, giving him three in his last four games. He also blocked four shots. That's 13 blocks in the last three for Haywood! He's still available in nearly 40-percent of Yahoo! leagues and more than half of FleaFlicker leagues. At this point he should be owned across the board.

Lotto Line

3-5-5-12-41

o. Who dare doubt the greatness of Dwyane Wade? Not I. Wade went for 41 points making 12-of-13 free-throws, with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. One note, though: watching this game you could tell that Wade knows he's in for a long season. A couple of times when he got fouled and went to the line his face had that "wow it's been a long season" look on it. He's a tough guy, and I'm not speculating anything here, but it's tough to watch him sometimes and think that he's the guy who is going to carry your fantasy team all season long.

Bulls Celebrate a One-Point Loss originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Hoops Heist: Go Get Granger

Tom Lorenzo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Value Machine, Fantasy Basketball, NBA Trade Advice

One of the best parts about playing fantasy basketball is that we all get to play the role of Sam Presti, Daryl Morey or, for some of us, Isiah Thomas. It's fun to be able to pull of a trade with the kicker being that it has no real life implications.

So you traded away Carmelo Anthony last week for Kevin Martin. It happens. You wake up tomorrow, put your pants on one leg at a time, and go about your business. Hoops Heist, however, is here to help you target players in your league who will return value that will make you wake up and put your pants on two legs at a times. Imagine that.

We'll run through a few players whose current value might make them an easy target in the trade market. In other words, buy-low candidates. Don't worry, it's not stealing. It's more of a business transaction.

Danny Granger is the first guy I targeted on the trade market. He's currently rated No. 82 overall in fantasy hoops, but that ranking is a little deflated for a few reasons. First, the Pacers have only played in five games this season. In comparison, the No. 1 overall player, Chris Paul, and his team have played in eight games thus far. (Note: Granger's per-game ranking is No. 41.) That then says a little bit more about his on-court performance, which has been a bit disappointing to say the least. Granger is shooting 38.7-percent from the field, 29.4-percent from beyond the arc and 73.0-percent from the line. You might be able to find a frustrated Granger owner who may not have wanted to draft him in the first place. Of the Top 10 fantasy players heading into draft night, there is no question that Granger had the least sexy name of them all. What's the cost, though? Would fring first-rounders like Al Jefferson or Kevin Garnett get it done? How about Andre Iguodala, who is out-playing Granger at the moment? I'd take a shot at stealing Granger now, while you still can. The slow start from a shooting efficiency standpoint plus the fact that the Pacers have played the fewest games in the league might work in your favor. So would a little sweet talking.

Gerald Wallace is leading the league in rebounds per game as well as minutes per game. Too bad he's shooting just 32.1-percent from the floor and 11.1-percent from the three-point line. Well, that's too bad for his current owners. His field-goal percentage is actually starting to climb -- little by little. I don't think he'll lead the league in rebounding when all is said and done, but double-figures is not out of the question. Also, considering that Wallace is shooting just 5-of-33 from beyond 10-feet of the basket, I suspect that he'll start nailing his jumpers, pushing his FG% back up above 45-percent. Things are quite messy in Charlotte right now, so it might be a bit easier to convince his owner that they're better off letting you deal with Wallace's woes.

Derrick Rose's value is about as low as it's going to get all season. The problem is, most people drafted Rose for his name and potential. The key word is "potential." Rose will be a tough guy to pry, but he's bound to start turning it on. Especially as he starts to get closer to 100-percent healthy. Try and get creative and see if you can make a move, but don't over-pay for Rose. He's a potential superstar in the making, but he does have his fantasy shortcomings.

I'm not giving up on Charlie Villanueva. He did just have a nice breakout game last weekend against the Magic -- 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, five rebounds and a trey. Chaz never really plays inspired basketball, but with his current ranking of 115 overall, I think it's time to strike on Villanueva while his value is still low. He has plenty of 20-plus scoring games ahead and his rebounding should start to pick up as well. Just don't expect much consistency from him on the defensive side of the ball.

Leandro Barbosa has a few things working agaisnt him. First, he's coming off an injury in which he's still not fully healed from. Then there's Jason Richardson and Steve Nash hogging all the minutes in the backcourt. Barbosa is typically good for nearly 1.5 threes and 1.5 steals when healthy. Currently his poor play has been mostly in part because of his injury. When healthy, Barbosa is one of the top bench players in the game. Make a low-ball offer and see if you can steal him away before he returns to full strength.

Kevin Love is targeting a retun in two weeks. Put a feeler out there an see what it might take to get him in a trade. Minnesota is desperate for any frontcourt help. I wouldn't get crazy and trade any value away, but if you can move a sell-high candidate for him -- I'm all for it.

Hoops Heist: Go Get Granger originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No Duncan, No Parker, No Problem

Tom Lorenzo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sat out last night's game against the Raptors. Of course, as you'd imagine, the Spurs put up 131 points and defeated the Raptors by seven points. Duh. I mean, who needs Tony Parker and Tim Duncan anyway? The Lakers won a ring last year without them, didn't they?

Manu Ginobili went off for 36 points, eight assists, six threes and four blocks. I'm not saying the rabies shot had anything to do with his performance, but I'll let you go ahead and draw your own conclusions. George Hill stepped in and filled Parker's shoes quite nicely -- 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting and five assists. Parker's due back next week, so I'm not sure that Hill has long-term value.

Chris Bosh on the other side of the ball scored 32 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor and 15-of-17 from the line, plus 10 rebounds, a block and a three. Fun fact: Chis Bosh is 6-of-6 from the three-point line. The Raptors shot 59.2-percent from the floor in a losing effort. That always hurts.

Also In the Headlines

o. Steve Nash with 21 points and 20 assists (seven turnovers) -- his second 20-assist game this season. He now has 37 assists over the past two nights. Damn he's good. Jason Richardson continues to tear it up as well. He had 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, with eight rebounds and six three-pointers.

o. Deron Williams, not to be outdone by Nash's seven turnovers, had seven of his own to go along with four points and 16 assists against the Knicks. His teammate Andrei Kirilenko nailed five three-pointers, four more than his wife would allow. Zing!

o. Eric Gordon missed last night's game with a groin injury. There is no specific timetable for his return. Uh-oh. Rasual Butler started in his place, scoring 14 points and hitting three treys. That's pretty much what you'll get out of Butler if you decide to pick him up in Gordon's abcencse.

o. Devin Brown made the most of his second straight start. He torched the Clippers for 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, with five treys, five rebounds and three steals. He's starting to look like an add. He can shoot the three-ball fairly well, but 25-point performances won't be the norm.

o. Where do I start with the Golden State Warriors. How about the bad? It looks like Andris Biedrins will miss the next two weeks with back/groin/abdomin injuries.Anthony Randolph? Indeed!

o. On the court the Warriors handled their business. They scored 146 points against the Timberwolves, shooting 57.1-percent from the floor, draining 12 threes, shooting 52.2-percent from the three-point line, dishing 36 dimes to just 12 turnovers and picking up 22 steals.

Here's the breakdown:

o. Eight different players scored in double-figures.

o. Stephen Jackson had a career-high 15 assists to go along with 10 points, four steals and two blocks

o. Kelenna Azubuike scored a game-high 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting, with four rebounds, a steal and a block.

o. Monta Ellis double-doubled with 18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a block.

o. Anthony Morrow shot 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the three-point line to finish with 20 points, four rebounds, four steals and three steals. I still advise picking him up.

o. Anthony Randolph, yes that Anthony Randolph, came up big with 23 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks. He no longer should be on your waiver wires. Especially with Biedrins out for at least the next two weeks.

o. I'm going to leave the Minnesota players out of this post. They've been through enough already.

Lost and Found

o. Jared Dudley had three steals to go along with 18 points, five rebounds and four treys. You can't count on the offensive stats, but he has stolen at least one ball in each of the Suns first eight games. He could be a nice option in the steals category if you're desperate for help.

o. Larry Hughes had four steals and two blocks last night, giving him 10 steals in the last three games. He's an add, what can I say.

o. Danilo Gallinari had two blocks against the Jazz. He's starting to look a lot better on the defensive side of the ball. His block against Ronnie Brewer made me say "Oooh baby, ooh-eee!"

o. DeAndre Jordan showed the power of his hands by blocking three shots. He really only got an opportunity because the game was well out of reach early in the third. I wouldn't add him based on last night's performance.

o. The Warriors posted 22 steals last night against the T-Wolves. Acie Law had five picks to lead the way. Nine different players had at least one steal, leaving Mikki Moore as the only Warrior not to get his hands on any errant passes.

Classified Adds

o. Marreese Speights wants to make sure that we don't forget about him. He had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds against the Suns. His third 20-point performance this season and he is now shooting almost 70-percent from the floor. He's owned in just 40-percent of Yahoo! leagues, making him widely available. Speights looks like the only Philadelphia big who is comfortable with the Princeton offense.

o. Toney Douglas poured in 21 points against the Jazz on 9-of-14 shooting. Though he missed the game-tying shot at the buzzer -- really, what do fantasy owners care that he probably shouldn't have been taking that shot in the first place -- he did hit three treys and pick up three steals. Unfortunately, this might be a short-lived love affair. Nate Robinson is scheduled to return on Friday. Douglas will get minutes, but more than likely you can't count on any more than 15 minutes per game with Robinson in the lineup.

Lotto Line

0-0-1-4-5

o. Yuck. I suggested sitting Paul Millsap this week and it looks like I actually got one right. Millsap had four points, five rebounds, one assist and zero steals/blocks in 25 minutes. Against the Knicks! Wes Matthews once again outscored Millsap. I can almost do without Millsap at this point.

No Duncan, No Parker, No Problem originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Home Delivery: Thunder on the Mountain

Tom Lorenzo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Last Night, Fantasy Basketball

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Dwight Howard and Orlando Magic came into last night's game against the Thunder without Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson and Rashard Lewis in uniform. And wouldn't you know, the Thunder we're more than happy to have them. The City popped the Magic in the eye with a 28-point victory. Kevin Durant led the way with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, two threes, four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Thabo Sefolosha continued to distance himself from James Harden in the battle for minutes at the two-guard position, posting a double-double -- 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, three treys, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. He's a nice option this week with the Thunder playing four games.

On the other side of the ball the Magic looked like a junior-varsity team, shooting just 36.8-percent from the floor and 16.8-percent from beyond the arc. Dwight Howard pulled down just seven rebounds and failed to block a shot for the second time in three games. On the bright side, even with his 10-of-17 performance from the line last night, Howard is shooting 74.1-percent from the line through the first five games of the month. Howard would be a top 3 fantasy baller if he could shoot over 75-percent on the season.

Also In the Headlines

The starting frontline of the Phoenix Suns each posted a double-double against the Wizards. Channing Frye had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Grant Hill posted 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Amare Stoudemire went for 17 points and 12 rebounds. Steve Nash chipped in with 11 points and 17 rebounds. There's no word on whether or not any snacks were injured by Antawn Jamison after this performance.

Andre Miller loves his new role as the co-starting point guard for the Blazers. He had a season-high 21 points in just 26 minutes. He only dished three dimes, but it's nice to see him get into the offense in one way or another. Saw he was available in one of my leagues this afternoon and I jumped all over him. No way people should be dropping Miller.

Brandon Roy picked a fine time to shoot 1-of-6 from the floor. He had just two points on Sunday night. You know, just when you're banking on him to score 20-25 to help you get over the hump as the week closes out. Nice. Of the 11 Blazers who got on the court, Roy scored the fewest points.

Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry combined for nine of their team's 14 turnovers and just 18 of the team's 107 points. Andris Biedrins came back from injury to chip in with just two points. Anthony Morrow and Anthony Randolph combined for 25 points, outscoring Ellis, Curry and Biedrins. I'm starting to get a headache trying to figure out this team.

Tyreke Evans is killing it in Sacramento. He had 23 points last night, with teammate Beno Udrih chipping in with 20 points and six assists. Jason Thompson had 19 and 10 in the frontcourt. Lookout! The Kings are now 2-0 since Kevin Martin went out with a broken hand.

Little to take away from many of the lines in Los Angeles last night. The game was out of reach in the third quarter, so nothing to Chris Paul and David West posting sub-par lines last night.

Lost and Found

Brendan Haywood blocked five shots against the Suns. He's blocked nine shots and pulled down 29 rebounds in the past two games. Too bad the Wizards play just twice this week.

Andray Blatche chipped in on the defensive side of the ball with three blocks. That's four straight games with at least two blocks for A-Blatche.

Rudy Fernandez had four steals against the T-Wolves. Too bad his minutes aren't consistent enough -- 13, 17, 11, 23 minutes per game over the last four. I'm still not buying until he starts getting consistent PT.

D.J. Mbenga blocked four shots and posted a double-double -- 10 points, 12 rebounds -- against the Hornets. Too bad for the Deej that Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are expected back this week.

Classified Adds

Ben Wallace had another nice line on Sunday posting 16 rebounds, three steals, three blocks and, as is obligated, two points. It might be worth it to consider Wallace, who has posted at least nine rebounds in all but one of Detroit's seven games.

Leandro Barbosa returned to action Sunday afternoon. He had just nine points and four assists in 18 minutes. If he's out there in your waiver wire, I'd suggest you scoop him up quickly. Barbosa has the ability to post plus-threes and steals.

Hello, my name is Nathan Jawai. I scored 16 points and pulled down six rebounds in 22 minutes last night against Portland. Hi, Nathan. No need in picking up Jawai, but I thought he deserved a mention.

Omri Casspi had 12 pints (all three-pointers), 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. This is the third time in the past week that I've mentioned Casspi in this section. I hope guys in deep leagues are paying attention.

Lotto Line

8-8-8-8-8

Will Bynum had eight points, eight rebounds, eight assists and eight field-goal attempts. The final eight? Well, you are reading this on the 8th of November, no? Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are likely out this week. Bynum still looks like a solid add to me.

Home Delivery: Thunder on the Mountain originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments