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Line of the Night: OJ Mayo (1.19). Playing the Phoenix Suns will perk up anyone’s fantasy game, especially someone who isn’t afraid to shoot the rock. Mayo took 21 shots in this one – 11 of them threes – and finished with 28 points, 5 threes and 3 steals as Memphis handed the Suns their fourth straight loss, 125-118.
Honorable Mentions: Were you worried that Tyreke Evans (1.01) would get the short shaft once Kevin Martin returned? Nah, instead he exploded for 34 points on 13-20 shooting and added 7 assists, while Martin was only 3 of 9 from the field; Jonny Flynn (1.01) had 29 points and 9 assists in an overtime win against the Sixers; being one of the only healthy players on your team is always a good thing for fantasy purposes and Stephen Curry (0.97) – with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists yesterday – is making the most of his run in Golden State; and Marcus Camby (0.96) owners have to be excited to see his name here. He scored 17 points with 14 boards against the Nets – his first double-digit scoring effort in the month of January.
Waiver Wire Line of the Night: An unusual day in that you have to go all the way down to Carlos Delfino (0.71) and the 19th best line of the night to find a player who is currently available in most fantasy leagues. I think Delfino and his 9% ownership qualify. I touted Delfino just the other say in this spot as an under the radar guy who would stand to benefit from Michael Redd’s absence. While Delfino only scored 11 points in 37 minutes off the bench yesterday, he compensated for the lack of scoring with 10 rebounds, 3 threes, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Of course, now that the Bucks signed Jerry Stackhouse to replace Michael Redd and his chronically injured knees, Carlos Delfino and more directly, Charlie Bell are going to see a squeeze for minutes. If you listened to the RotoRadio show last night, you know that I’m not a fan of this Stackhouse signing unless we can find a worm hole back to the year 2000. The 35-year old has played in a total of 10 games over the past 2 years and has not played at all this season. The last time he played significant minutes or games for Dallas in 2007-08, he averaged 11 points on 40% shooting with a three a game and not much else. I don’t see how this story has a happy ending for either Stackhouse or the Bucks.
You also need to grab Robin Lopez (0.55) immediately if he’s available in your league. Lopez replaced the slumping Channing Frye (-0.41) as the starting center yesterday for the Suns and responded with a career-high 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Meanwhile, Frye only saw 14 minutes on the court and 3 points. Coach Alvin Gentry made the switch to give the slumping Suns a kick in the ass. They still lost the game, but Lopez played well enough to make me worried for Frye owners. Hold onto Frye for now to see how the situation plays out unless you can still trade him to some unknowledgeable owner in your league for decent value.
Nate Robinson (0.92) is owned in exactly 50% of leagues, so technically he doesn’t quite qualify as a free agent player. But he’s worth a pickup if he happens to be available in your league as he’s been getting double the play of Chris Duhon right now. In yesterday’s game, Robinson hit 5-9 threes and finished with 27 points in 33 minutes.
The Biggest Loser: On the other hand, if Chris Duhon (-0.65) is currently the main PG for your fantasy team, it is time to look for a different PG. While technically still starting for the Knicks, Duhon only got 20 minutes of run in yesterday’s game and finished with 0 points, 5 assists and 4 turnovers. It’s not exactly a performance that screams “I should be your starter D’Antoni.”
All Eyez on Me: Only two games today:
Toronto (21-20) at Cleveland (31-11) – Six games back from injury and Jose Calderon is still coming off the bench for the Raptors while Jarrett Jack starts at PG. What’s the deal? Well, the problem is that the Raptors have been playing well and winning with Jose Calderon coming off the bench. This rotation has been working for them and why mess with success. But, eventually Calderon will earn his starting spot back, as evidenced by the fact that Jack’s minutes have already fallen into the low 20’s in the Raptors’ last two games after getting 30+ when Calderon first came back. However, the actually switch might not happen until the Raptors go on a losing stretch.
Indiana (14-26) at Miami (20-19) – The Grizzlies may be interested in trading for Miami forward Dorell Wright. The trade would leave the team Keira Knightley-thin at the small forward position, but it would save them $7 million in luxury tax, which a team of Miami’s mediocrity has to seriously consider. If Wright were to get moved, expect to see a lot of Quentin Richardson for the remainder of the season.
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Tags: Carlos Delfino, Chris Duhon, Jerry Stackhouse, Nate Robinson, OJ Mayo, Robin Lopez
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