Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
The trades are coming fast now. In one that has already been around for a day, the Hornets moved Tyson Chandler to the OKC for cap space in the name of Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith. Fantasy wise, this has got to hurt the value of Nick Collison and Nenad Krstic (whatever value he did have) as both will see fewer minutes with Chandler around.
Wilcox on the other hand, is worth a pickup if he’s still available in your league. While he’s not close to the defender that Chandler is, when he’s sufficiently motivated he can be a decent scorer and rebounder, like in 05-06 when he averaged 14 points and 8 boards a game. The Hornets other option at center is Hilton Armstrong, so New Orleans fans better hope Wilcox is motivated.
And in slightly more interesting news, according to David Aldridge, the Kings and Bulls agreed to a trade today that will send John Salmons and Brad Miller to the Bulls for Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni. The deal gives the Bulls something they desperately need in Miller and the Kings something they desperately want for next year (approximately $13.5 million in cap space).
But we here at GMTR don’t care about money (which is why were still here writing this blog) or the real life consequences, what really matters are the fantasy implications. Lets break this down Magic 8-Ball style:
Brad Miller – GMTR is predicting… A Slight Value Increase. Miller will be the Bulls’ starting center and shouldn’t have any trouble fitting into his new team provided he’s healthy. I don’t think it will greatly affect his value, although the Bulls lack of frontcourt depth probably means a few more minutes a night for him. The change of scenery has also got to help his motivation and he no longer has to worry about Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson breathing down his neck (the Joakim Noah/Tyrus Thomas combo doesn’t evoke the same kind of fear). It seems reasonable to think he could put up a line with the Bulls on par with what he did last season – 14 and 9 with a block a game.
John Salmons – GMTR is predicting… An Epic Fantasy Fail. On the other hand, this trade is not good for John Salmons. He’ll go from starting in Sactown (where he’s averaging a career high 18 points and 1.5 threes a game) to what, being the second guy off the bench behind Hinrich (can I get a ruling on that, Nels)? He basically fills the Andres Nocioni spot in the rotation (minus the power forward), which means fewer and more inconsistent minutes for Salmons.
Spencer Hawes – GMTR is predicting… Double-Doubles. With Miller gone, Hawes gets to step into the starting role permanently. In games he’s started this year, Hawes has averaged 11 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks a game. Definitely a guy I’d pick up off waivers, but not necessarily good enough to pay full value for in a trade.
Andres Nocioni – GMTR is predicting… More of the Same. When in doubt with the Kings, turn to Tom Ziller. Sacramento is likely going to throw Andres Nocioni at small forward and power forward, where he’ll complete for time with Francisco Garcia, Donté Greene, Jason Thomson, and Shelden Williams. So, it’s basically a role he’s seen before. Nocioni also has a reasonable contract that extends past this year, so he’s likely going to be in the Kings short-term plans.
Drew Gooden – GMTR is predicting… Let the Auditions Begin. The Kings didn’t trade for Gooden’s basketball skills, they wanted his contract. While he’s hurt right now and he’s unlikely to have any significant role when he returns, there is one thing that consistently motivates players to play hard for short stretches at a time. Keep an eye on what kind of minutes he gets, we could be in for one of those famous two month veteran runs.
Overall, the trade means two things for the Bulls. One, they won’t be getting Amare without Gooden’s expiring contract. And two, it likely puts the Bulls past the luxury tax for 2009-10, which means they might not be done dealing yet.
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Tags: Andres Nocioni, Brad Miller, Drew Gooden, John Salmons, Nick Collison, Spencer Hawes, Tyson Chandler
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