Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
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Because everybody loves lists!
I went through players sorted by rank over the past 30 days and found guys who have about a 50% chance of being available in your league (provided your league is hosted at Yahoo).
1. Derek Fisher: Ranked #40 according to Yahoo for the past 30 days, Fisher is only owned in 46% of leagues. He’s fairly one-dimensional, but his FG and FT percentages won’t hurt you, and his 1.7 threes can only help. His 3.8 assists are pretty good for someone you have a better than 50% chance of being able to find in the free agent pool.
2. Matt Bonner: Ranked #48, but with an ownership percent of only 26, Bonner has been quietly turning in performances worthy of a starting Center for a Small Ball team. His 0.4 blocks won’t get you far with a Big Ball team, but with a FG% of 54.5, a FT% of 100, and 1.7 threes per game (yes, that’s the same as Derek Fisher), he is an ideal substitute for someone like Mehmet Okur or Troy Murphy.
3. Mario Chalmers: It must be the 2.5 turnovers per game that are scaring people in 49% of leagues away from Chalmers, but his FG% of 46, FT% of 82, and 1.8 threes per game make him another fine addition to a small ball team. He’s owned in 51% of leagues despite being ranked 62 over the last 30 days.
4. Luke Ridnour: He’s still starting, and still getting a bunch of minutes. His numbers aren’t overwhelming by any stretch, but they’re enough to get him to #64 over the past 30 days: 11.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.9 steals with some decent percentages.
5. Tyrus Thomas: I can’t recommend picking up him up in H2H leagues because his minutes have been so erratic. It sucks (for lack of a better word) because when Tyrus is on, he’s ON. But getting a double-double with a steal and multiple blocks every 2-3 games only makes you look good on the overall Yahoo rankings (where Thomas sits at #69 for the past 30 days). His game is probably more acceptable for Roto league managers who can tolerate the inconsistency in the pursuit of stat totals. And now that Luol Deng will be out 1-2 weeks with a sprained ankle, the time might be right to give Thomas a longer look.
6. Larry Hughes: Tyrus’ comrade-in-arms would be back to a Top 50 player this season if he could hit the broad side of a barn with the ball. His 42% from the field over the past 30 days is above his season average. Yeah. Ouch. That said, he’s hanging tough at #70 by netting 1.5 threes and grabbing 1.5 steals per game. It’s not quite vintage 2.9 steals per game Larry Hughes, but it’s a consistent part of what the Bulls have going for them right now. And Hughes is only owned in 28% of Yahoo leagues while being able to play PG, SG, and SF.
7. Chris Anderson: The Birdman Cometh. And at #73, he makes this list as the first real Big Ball candidate. His 6 points and 5 rebounds aren’t much, but the 2.4 blocks per game might make you look again.
8. Mickael Pietrus: Now would be a good time to pick up Pietrus. He has only played 3 games back from a thumb injury, and was probably dropped in most leagues because of that injury. He’s owned in 39% of leagues, but is still hitting threes and getting steals, and I’m sure the 17 and 19 minutes games are bringing down his recent averages. He should be back up to 25+ minutes per game soon.
9. Anderson Varejao: Varejao’s game is slightly more consistent than someone like Tyrus Thomas, but it’s also much less explosive. His weakness has traditionally been a lack of anything besides points and rebounds. Over the last 30 days, though, he’s up to 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game which beats and equals his career averages, respectively. He’s a fairly prototypical Big Ball Center if you’re looking for someone to replace a guy like Paul Millsap.
10. Nick Collison: Like Pietrus, Collison was probably saw his ownership percentage drop with his injury. Of course, I think many owners felt like he was underperforming expectations before the injury, so Collison was likely already below the 50% ownership threshold. I’m throwing him on the list because I feel like now is a good time to stash him on your bench. He’s at #98 over the past 30 days, which is still higher than his average draft position of 111. While his FT% over the past 30 days has dropped to just under 65% (from his season average of nearly 78%), his FG% stands at 66%. Collison has also topped 1 block per game (barely, he’s at 1.1). He may not get as many points or rebounds as Andrew Bogut, but he is 2 spots ahead of him in the 30-day rankings because of his other categories (mainly the percentages).
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