Give Me The Rock » Author: Nels

Day 124 of 124: Anybody Home?

Nels — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:18:06 +0000

When it’s the morning after the last day of regular season basketball, and the stats aren’t loading, and everyone’s rested their main guys last night anyway, and I haven’t gotten together with Patrick and Erik for our End of Year Awards yet… all I’m left with is a playoff preview… If it’s interesting to me, hopefully it’ll be interesting to you too.

I’m going to these cutesy/clever nicknames for the conferences even though I don’t think they’re really applicable. Though I do believe that if the Bulls somehow make it to the Finals, they are capable of beating whoever comes out of the West. Perhaps more so than I think the East will still win if Miami makes it. That said, I still think Miami will make it. Oops… Spoiler Alert!

Beastern Conference

Bulls vs. 76ers

Yeah, I’m going to start with my home team, but they do have the overall best record (after the tie-break with San Antonio). Even with Derrick Rose still rounding back into form, the Bulls will take this one. I’m glad that Evan Turner wanted to play the Bulls instead of the Heat. If I were a lower seed, I’d probably rather play the Bulls too, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Of course, as a Bulls fan, I was also hoping that they’d get to play Philly, because they’re an easier matchup than the Knicks. So, take that Evan Turner.

Bulls in 5.

Heat vs. Knicks

I’m really not sure if the Knicks even take one in this series. I’ll give it to them just based on Miami’s lack of mental toughness and their Center position. Tyson Chandler should dominate, but it won’t be enough.

Heat in 5

Pacers vs. Magic

Poor Magic. I feel bad for the rest of the guys on the team to have to deal with Dwight’s drama all season and then lose him two weeks before the playoffs. Glen Davis says he’s going to play, and who would have ever thought that saying something like that would carry such weight? Still…

Pacers in 5.

Celtics vs. Hawks

This is probably the closest matchup in the East (which makes sense because it’s the middle seeds), but with Garnett and Rondo rested and Pierce seeming to be the same player he always is, the Hawks just don’t have enough to take it. They’re still very undisciplined (if Josh Smith had an Indian name it would be “Settles For Jumpers”) and they are still stuck with Joe Johnson’s contract (which basically formed a straight-line cause-and-effect to the lockout) and they aren’t supposed to get Al Horford back unless they make it to the second round (see you next year Al).

Celtics in 5.

Lesstern Conference

Spurs vs. Jazz

The Jazz are good, and the Spurs have a history recently of being vulnerable in the first round. But Utah just doesn’t quite have all the pieces yet. Their front court of Jefferson, Millsap, and Favors is pretty intimidating, though, and even Gordon Hayward seems like he might have more of an impact than I think anyone really thought he could. Perhaps with another year or two of playoff experience (and playing together experience) and a better Point Guard they could beat this Spurs team.

Spurs in 6.

Thunder vs. Mavericks

Too bad for the Mavs their attempt at a repeat ends here. I’m sure Mark Cuban did his fancy analysis and determined that the guys he has should have played better than they did, but losing Tyson Chandler left them with a much bigger hole than I’d ever thought Tyson Chandler would leave. And of course, the Thunder just continued to get better.

Thunder in 5.

Lakers vs. Nuggets

Maybe the second most interesting series of the whole playoffs. The Lakers are good… but very vulnerable. The Nuggets aren’t as good as they maybe could have been, but they’re still pretty good. Their team is finally all there, and while they don’t have anyone on the level of Kobe, Pau, or Bynum, they do have one of the deeper teams in the league. And the Lakers will be without Ron Artest for most (if not all) of the series. It’s one of only two real toss-ups in my mind, but I feel like if the Nuggets can get up 2-1 then they’ll take it in 6. If they get down 2-1, then Lakers in 6. Which is more likely? I’ll put my money down on Denver.

Nuggets in 6.

Grizzlies vs. Clippers

This is certainly going to be the most closely contested first round match-up. Each team won its home games, so the fact that it went 2-1 LA probably just means it would have been 2-2 if they’d played one more in Memphis. Since Memphis earned home court advantage with their win over the starter-less Magic last night, I’m going to say the trend continues. Both teams are still young and will probably not have the strength or discipline to stand up to the other team’s home crowd.

Grizzlies in 7.

And now that the stats are updated, here’s our regularly scheduled program called This Is Why Your Leagues Should End Before The Last Two Weeks of the Season (in which the stars of your regularly scheduled program have been replaced by a bunch of no-name actors; e.g., if Billy Baldwin replaced Alec on 30 Rock’s LIVE episode, or if Parks & Rec replaced Amy Poehler with Kristin Wiig… no, wait, that would be equally good… How about if Person of Interest replaced Michael Emerson with someone who wasn’t from LOST… no, the old people watching CBS wouldn’t know the difference… How about if the Secret Circle replaced… no… that won’t work at all…).

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Line of the Night/Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Patrick Mills (2.70) scored 34 points (4 threes), with 5 rebounds, and 12 assists. I mean, come on. I’m not even going to comment on this…

Honorable Mentions: Only two guys out of the Top 10 lines last night were from guys over 50% ownership: Josh Smith (1.67), whose Hawks were still trying for home court advantage, had 23 points (10-14 from the field), 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Marc Gasol (1.62) had 22 points (8-13 from the field, 6-6 from the line), 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Then we get to The Replacements.

Pick Up Lines: Ben Gordon (2.58) exploded as Detroit rocked the 76ers. Gordon had 26 points (8 threes, 9-13 from the field), and 5 assists (44% owned), and while I didn’t see the game and I’m not going to bother to look at the box score, I’m going to say that Philly basically threw this one so they could play the Bulls instead of the Heat. And the Bulls will make them pay.

Speaking of the Bulls, how about that John Lucas (2.03) guy? He had another 25 points (3 threes, 10-16 from the field), 4 assists, and 2 steals (2% owned). While the Bulls need a Shooting Guard from the draft this year, I kind of hope they take a Point Guard just so they can get rid of Lucas. He’s a decent basketball player, I just have to cringe way too much when I watch them and he’s in.

Jason Thompson (1.85) finished out a strong season with 17 points (7-11 from the field), 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks (40% owned). I think he’ll probably be rated high enough going in to next season that he’ll start off at higher than 40%.

And I think this might be a first… 3 guys with 0% ownership make the list: Jeremy Evans (1.83) with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks (0% owned); Chris Wright (1.71) with 25 points (11-14 from the field), 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks (0% owned); and Ben Uzoh (1.68) with a triple-fucking-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals (0% owned).

Biggest Loser: Yeah, it seems appropriate that Michael Beasley (-1.06) makes it down here with 13 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assists, and 4 turnovers. It’s not his first time and it probably won’t be his last.

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Daily rankings and stats come from the GMTR H2H Player Rater (beta version). They are based on the stat Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP) an estimate of the number of wins a player produces per week in H2H leagues over a replacement (waiver wire) player.

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Day 122 of 124: Chris Paul Makes a Run At Fantasy MVP

Nels — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:37:11 +0000

or: The Heat hand over home court advantage to the Bulls and Celtics

Line of the Night: Chris Paul (2.87) is trailing LeBron and Kevin Durant by a lot in the race for Fantasy MVP – according to the Give Me The Rock Player Rater, but his 34 points (4 threes, 10-11 from the line), 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals solidify his Bronze Medal spot ahead of that fresh-faced kid from Minnesota.

Honorable Mentions: Of course, Kevin Durant (2.28) held Paul and LeBron with his 32 points (3 threes, 15-16 from the line), 9 rebounds, and 2 steals. Of course (x2), LeBron sat out the Heat’s second-to-last game along with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, so he had no chance to get 30+ points, 3-4 threes, above average (for him) free throw shooting, nor 2 steals. DeMarcus Cousins (1.33), going against Durant and the Thunder, showed that he wanted a place in last night’s 30 Points and 2 Steals Club with 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Al Jefferson (1.87), meanwhile, shored up his 5th place finish with a nice double-double of 18 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. I’m pretty sure I can see the Top 5 draft picks for next year… Paul Millsap (1.64) isn’t one of them, but his Top 10 finish (most likely) after another 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals makes him an intriguing candidate for next year… Will he be first round material again? Hard to say…

Joe Johnson (1.66) had 28 points (6 threes), and 7 rebounds while teammate Jeff Teague (1.58) scored 21 points (6-6 from the line) with 2 blocks. Blake Griffin (1.42) (and the aforementiond Paul) fought hard against the Hawks with 36 points (17-23 from the field) and 8 rebounds, but with Miami laying down for the Celtics (the Heat scored 66 points without their Big 3), the Hawks had little chance of gaining on Boston for home court advantage in the first round. The Clippers remain tied with Memphis for the 4 and 5 spots, and I’d certainly want home court against a dangerous team like the Grizzlies.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Here’s a name I haven’t heard in a while: Travis Outlaw (2.16). With Marcus Thornton and John Salmons still out for the Kings (yes, Outlaw plays for the Kings), Travis started at SF and went for 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks (1% owned). It’s easily his best line of the year and his most minutes of the year. The Kings have one more game tonight, and if you’re still looking for someone to throw in there, Outlaw seems like a good play with Metta World Peace and games of 28 and 33 minutes in his last two.

Pick Up Lines: Marco Belinelli (2.16) showed up again with 23 points (9-14 from the field), 4 assists, and 3 steals (22% owned). Yeeeeeeee-hoo… cares?

We’ve been pushing Jason Thompson (1.38) for a while and I’m sure that’s why he’s up to 39% owned… Again, the Kings have another game tonight, so you could add something like 22 points (9-11 from the field), and 6 rebounds to your totals if he’s still available.

Gustavo Ayon (1.32) had another nice line with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks (5% owned), but let’s keep in mind that the Hornets are sitting on Emeka Okafor, Chris Kaman, and Jason Smith. The first two have histories of injury, but I’m mentioning it so that we can all be cautious about drafting Ayon next year since he’ll probably have more competition for the starting job than he’s had this year.

Derrick Favors (1.16) had a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks (33% owned). It’s kind of crazy how Utah can have 3 big men who all put up pretty awesome numbers. I suppose it helps that Paul Millsap can play Small Forward, and I have no idea what their chemistry is really like, but the numbers are pretty nice, and they managed to make the playoffs with the win last night. Utah is definitely a very interesting team going into next season.

Biggest Loser: Paul Pierce (-1.10) only played 18 minutes against the Heat B-team, but he managed to turn the ball over 6 times while only scoring 8 points and adding 2 rebounds and 1 assist. I know it’s the end of the season, and it was a smart move to limit his minutes, but there are guys who can do a lot more (or in the case of turnovers, a lot less) in 18 minutes on the floor, so I’m sticking with Pierce as the Biggest Loser.

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Day 117 of 124: Danny Granger Lines It Up

Nels — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:57:38 +0000

Line of the Night: Danny Granger (2.01) is no stranger to the Line of the Night. It’s hard to say what his preferred line was last night. Was it the three-point line, behind which he made 4 threes for 12 of his 29 points? Or was it the free throw line, from behind which he made 11-11 shots for (obviously) 11 points. Granger also had 5 rebounds. His relatively weak WARP score for a LotN is due to the fact that he only shot 7-20 from the field.

Honorable Mentions: Granger’s teammate David West (1.82) has not done as well as most had hoped, moving up to only #94 on the season with 21 points (9-14 from the field), 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. Too little, too late, as my friend JoJo once said.

LeBron James (1.76) and the Miami Heat kind of had their way with the Bulls, LeBron ending with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Of course, the Bulls sat Derrick Rose, a wily veteran move by Tom Thibodeau, not letting the Heat play against the full Bulls team in their last meeting before (theoretically) the playoffs. Rose also got to rest, which was good, but it’s also nice to let the Heat get a little overconfident and not let them game plan for a (hopefully) ECF matchup.

Those who waited so long for Eric Gordon (1.76) have been rewarded with 6 games, 4.5 of which have looked like this: 27 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Gordon is definitely a guy to keep if you’re in the sort of league that lets you keep players… but other than that, well, I’m sure you probably just want to forget about it. See also: my friend JoJo. (Who, by the way, has a new album coming out which has one of the longest Wikipedia entries I’ve ever seen for an album. I guess maybe I shouldn’t consider her a punchline because clearly there are some rapid JoJo fans out there)

Injury of the Night (sort of): Dwight Howard is shutting it down for the season. I think Kelly Dwyer summarizes quite nicely. Of course, I can only hope that either the Magic hang on to 6th place so the Heat don’t get the luxury of playing them, or that they drop down to either 7th or 8th and the Bulls end up either 2nd or 1st, respectively. Of course, playing New York or Philadelphia isn’t a bad reward for winning so many games without Derrick Rose either.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: It seems like neither the Bucks nor the Pacers were real focused on defense last night, as the end score was 118-109. George Hill (1.39) played 38 minutes and went for 22 points (8-12 from the field), 5 rebounds, and 8 assists (36% owned). We’ve seen him enough on here that I’m sure you’re familiar with his game, but he’s on a streak over these last two weeks that I would say makes him a must own player for anyone still trying to battle it out for whatever place they hope to achieve in their league. The Pacers have 3 games left, which is the lowest of anybody, but since 5 games is the best you can do, Hill is still a good option the way he’s playing. Especially with Indiana at home against Philadelphia, Detroit, and even Chicago (since they always seem to get psyched to playing my boys).

Pick Up Lines: Chase Budinger (1.29) continues to play pretty well, and even though his WARP is exactly 0.00 for the season, he might end up on the positive side with a couple more games like 22 points (4 threes), and 6 rebounds (32% owned). Over the last 2 weeks, he’s at 0.26.

When Mike Dunleavy (1.28) plays, he is highly unlikely to give you anything great, but he is also highly likely to give you something. It’s a bit annoying, and probably what leads to his 38% ownership rate, but sometimes you have to take what you can get and when he’s at #98 on the Player Rater because of games like 23 points (3 threes), and 8 rebounds, then somebody’s got to play him. Milwaukee’s got 4 games left, so definitely think about it.

Milwaukee may have 4 games left, but don’t expect 4 more games like this from Luc Mbah a Moute (1.10)L 16 points (7-11 from the field), 11 rebounds (3% owned).

Gustavo Ayon (1.07) tried to right his ship with the winds of overtime in his sails. He managed 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, but it came in only 22 minutes, so don’t be fooled (5% owned). His time may come again, but it won’t be this season.

Not even sure if I should mention Jose Barea (1.00) since he’s 43% owned, and I’m sure he’s been picked in any league where people are still competing at this point, but he did have a double-double with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists, and I suppose that deserves mention just because.

Biggest Loser: Luol Deng (-0.89) takes it for his lackluster 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, including 5-15 from the field, and 1-4 from the line. Carlos Boozer (-0.47) wasn’t far behind, though with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assists on 4-11 from the field. It’s a tough matchup for those two going against LeBron and Chris Bosh, I’ll give them that.

Rodney Stuckey (-0.77) is definitely a nominee for the Most Inconsistent award. Last night he did manage to score, racking up 4 points, with 1 rebounds, and 3 assists, on 2-8 from the field.

***

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Day 115 of 124: Paul Pierce can score 43 points too, Carmelo

Nels — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:00:04 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but over the last 2 weeks, Carmelo Anthony (2.55) has increased his scoring from a season average of 22 points to over 31 points including games with 39, 42, and 43 (and last night’s triple-double that seems like it should have won Line of the Night: 35 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals). Well, the Celtics played the Knicks last night and evidently Paul Pierce (2.84) decided he’d had enough and he was going to show Carmelo that he could score 43 points too.

Line of the Night: Paul Pierce (2.84) scored the aforementioned 43 points on 4 threes, 11-19 from the field and a huge 17-18 from the line. He also had 2 steals and only 3 turnovers compared to Anthony’s 5. If you originally drafted Pierce as a Small Ball SF, then that kind of game is exactly what you’re looking for. Not sure that it’s exactly what the Celtics are looking for, though, as they ended up losing to New York. (Anthony, by the way, is #2 on the Player Rater over the last 2 weeks)

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Honorable Mentions: Greg Monroe (2.32) only had 12 points, but he led the Pistons in what might be the biggest ass-whooping I’ve ever seen. The Pistons won by 39 points, but if you look at the box score, the Cavs outscored them by 11 in the 4th quarter. Yes, that means they had a 50 points lead (100-50 as a matter of fact) at the end of the 3rd quarter. How bad is Luke Walton feeling right now? Going from clinching a playoff spot to losing by 39… ouch. Anyway, in only 27 minutes, Monroe was 4-4 from the line and added 13 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Teammate Brandon Knight (2.20) played almost 30 minutes, ending up with 28 points, including 4 threes, and 11-12 from the field while adding 7 assists.

Paul George (1.97) only had 9 points (on 3 threes) but added 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals to make the Player Rater like him. Danny Granger (1.46) was the one who took on the scoring load for the Pacers with 24 points (6 threes), and 6 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Tim Duncan (1.51) scored 19 points (9-14 from the field), with 8 rebounds, and 2 steals in the second game of a back-to-back (SEGABABA) but the Spurs play again tonight, (and it’s against the Kings) so if you’ve got daily changes, keep an eye out for any word that he might be sitting. Seems like a very good time for it. In fact, with one more game against the Lakers and then two sets of back-to-backs against the Cavaliers, Blazers, Suns, and Warriors, I wouldn’t expect more than 3 games out of Duncan for the rest of the year. Who knows, though, maybe Poppovich will get worried that they’ll be rusty going into the playoffs…

Finally, Mike Conley (1.49) led the Grizzlies to a win with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.

Injury of the Night: Rajon Rondo (1.30) played 38 minutes to end up with 13 and 13 with 2 threes and 6 rebounds, but evidently he took a hard fall and was down on the ground for about 3 minutes and then getting treatment after the game. Since the Celtics play again tonight, check for news on his status if you’re in a daily changes league. If he doesn’t play tonight, I would think he could rest up and play again on Friday.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Speaking of guys who are playing well over the last 2 weeks: J.R. Smith (2.38) added another 25 points (7 threes), and 6 assists to push himself to #12 over that time span (45% owned). With that high of an ownership rate, though, he’s probably not available in the super competitive leagues that the elite readers of GMTR play in.

Pick Up Lines: When I was looking through last night’s game photos for that picture of Carmelo and Pierce, I kind of wondered why there were so many shots of Steve Novak (2.19) looking like he just farted while the captions said that he actually just made a three pointer. Well, Steve made 8 threes going 8-10 from the field en route to 25 points (19% owned). There are certainly guys I could recommend less highly, so I guess the fact that Novak seems all but guaranteed to make at least 2 threes a game is worth something if you need threes and points and not much else.

I’m going to cut out any flowery prose and just say, here’s three guys who should be owned: Jose Barea (1.63): 28 points (5 threes), 5 rebounds, and 8 assists (42% owned, so, he’s probably already taken, but definitely worth checking on); Avery Bradley (1.07): 17 points (5 threes, 6-9 from the field) – #67 on the Player Rater over the last week, but only 14% owned; Matt Barnes (0.69): 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists – #18 on the Player Rater over the last week, but only 18% owned. Barnes obviously is only good until Kobe comes back, but he should be out at least one more game, and if you’re micromanaging enough to still be paying attention at this point, take a look at Barnes.

Biggest Loser: Antawn Jamison (-1.63) was a huge part of the 50 point loss (sorry, it should be classified as a 50-point loss; there should be some kind of mercy rule in the NBA where if you’re down by 50 at the end of the 3rd quarter then you don’t have to finish the game). Jamison had 3 points on 0-10 from the field along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 turnovers. The team as a whole shot 34%, so Jamsion wasn’t the only one having an off-night, but everyone else who took a shot at least made one.

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Day 111 of 124: DHHD, Dwight Howard Herniated Disc

Nels — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:30:11 +0000

Injury Confirmation of the Night: Dwight Howard is out at least 10 days with a herniated disc. Not to brag, but it’s not the first time I’ve shared an injury/illness with an All Star. I’m sure the Magic medical staff has a lot of techniques, but when suggests that training in symptom and pain management are the first treatment options along with physical therapy, you can see why I’ve been dealing with my bulging (not quite fully herniated) disc for 5 years. Evidently there’s a treatment that can be done in 30 minutes, and while the name “discectomy” is not only hard to pronounce and makes it sound like they’re removing the disc (which would seem like a very bad idea for a man with as much weight on his spine as DH, it actually only takes out enough of the disk to remove the swelling. And it’s kind of making me wonder if I should get that (the wikipedia page was only created in 2008, so I don’t think they had that readily available when I was first diagnosed).

Anyway – Howard probably won’t have any surgery until after the season since he should be able to basically rest a bit, get some physical therapy and just tough it out during the playoffs. Meanwhile, though Glen Davis (0.00 last night) is a must add for pretty much everyone. The dude has been Ballin’ Outta Control lately, adding 16 points (on 61% shooting), 9 rebounds, and 1 steal last night. He did have 4 turnovers, but you can’t quibble too much knowing that he should have another monster game going against the Cavs on Sunday. If your league goes into the next week, then you’ve got at least 4 more games from him even if Dwight comes back for the last 2 games of the season.

Line of the Night: As Greg pointed out Marcus Camby (2.28) started off with a strong first quarter and while he only added 6 points and 8 rebounds in the subsequent 3 quarters, he ended up with 14 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks, and the Line of the Night. If Houston can keep him around next year, Camby could be back to his old (risk-laden) fantasy stud form. He’s at #85 on the year right now.

Honorable Mentions: I dropped Drew Gooden (2.00) in one league this week thinking that Channing Frye was a better fit for my small ball team. Well, Gooden is proving me wrong because even with only 5 minutes against the Knicks, after last night’s 26 points (12-18 from the field), 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, he is definitely better than Frye this week, and right ahead of Camby at #84 on the Player Rater.

I’m just going to leave these next few guys as a list, because honestly, what good is it to you that guys who are owned the majority of leagues are playing well at this poing?

Brandon Knight (1.87) 25 points (5-5 from the line), 5 rebounds, 8 assists
Chris Bosh (1.82) 18 points (8-11 from the field), 7 rebounds, 3 steals
Marcin Gortat (1.80) 20 points (10-15 from the field), 15 rebounds, 2 blocks
Dirk Nowitzki (1.79) 24 points (4 threes, 4-4 from the line), 9 rebounds
Kris Humphries (1.76) 18 points (4-4 from the line), 13 rebounds, 2 steals
Nicolas Batum (1.75) 20 points (3 threes), 8 rebounds, 2 steals

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: If you need some small ball stats for Sunday, J.R. Smith (1.98) seems like a good pickup after his 23 points (4 threes, 9-15 from the field), 6 assists, and 2 steals (35% owned).

Pick Up Lines: MarShon Brooks (1.83) is evidently not going to let New Jersey tank fully as his 22 points (9-15 from the field), 6 rebounds, and 4 assists (33% owned) demonstrates. Hard to say how he’ll do on the SEGABABA today against Boston, though… and NJ only has 5 games in the last week+ of the season…

ATL blew out ORL so Jannero Pargo (1.77) got a bunch of extra playing time and ended up with 17 points (5 threes, 6-10 from the field), and 3 steals (0% owned). Yeah, you read that right 0%. Let’s keep it that way.

Baron Davis (1.24) finally had a pretty decent game for the Knicks with 18 points (4 threes, 7-9 from the field), and 2 steals (18% owned). I think it’s too little, too late from him for fantasy owners at this point. Same for Gerald Green (1.22), who had 23 points (4 threes, 8-13 from the field), and 2 steals (25% owned) and is in the same position as MarShon Brooks with the back-to-back against Boston and only 5 more games after that.

A real pick-up option would be Brandan Wright (1.14) who had 13 points (60% FG), 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He’s averaging 13 and 7 with 2 blocks and 1 steal over the past 4 games, and Dallas plays on Sunday.

Sorry this is so short, but unless you want to trust Linas Kleiza or have another go with Bismack Biyombo, there’s not much out there from last night.

Biggest Loser: Tyreke Evans (-1.14) got himself into foul trouble and scored a career-low 2 points in 13 minutes, adding only 1 rebound, 1 assist, and going 1-5 from the field. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook threw down some beastly dunks. I think Isaiah Thomas (if that’s him) got a piece of Durant’s alley-oop to Westbrook and Westy still reached back to get it and throw it down. Ouch.

***

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Day 110 of 124: You’ve Got To Be (Jason) Kidding!

Nels — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:55:46 +0000

or: The Bizzaro NBA

Line of the Night: Jason Kidd (2.75) took advantage of Charles Jenkins to the tune of 9 points (3 threes), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. It was Kidd’s first Line of the Night, and really, I wasn’t sure that he was going to play again after his 4-game absence. I don’t think anyone missed him except maybe the Mavericks. He is still ranked #74 on the Player Rater for the season, though, so I guess for the team that can stomach his 35% shooting, you’ve gotten some decent assists, steals, and threes. I honestly didn’t think I’d see him up this high again, though. Ever.

Honorable Mentions: And of course, as soon as we tell people to drop Klay Thompson (2.58) because all he does is score, KT goes for 24 points (3 threes, 5-5 from the line), 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals. So, now I don’t know what to do. Logic says that he won’t do that again, and even if he does it won’t be consistent. Still hurts though (except that I had him in my weekly-set lineup for this week and thank the fantasy basketball gods for that because I’ve also got Bargnani and Rose in my lineup in that league, so I’m hoping I can eek out an efficiency win with percentages, threes, steals, and TOs; I’m actually only down by .004% in FG% despite the way Rose shot last night [see also: The Biggest Loser]).

Greg Monroe (2.24) returned to form after a bit of turbulence with 25 points (11-14 from the field), 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Brandon Knight (2.06) is hanging on to his Honorable Mention spot with 55% ownership, but it’s hard to want to increase that number because of his every-other-game style of playing, even when he does go for 21 points (3 threes, 8-12 from the field), 7 assists, and 3 steals. Not quite Bizzaro World territory, but still… out of the ordinary.

Speaking of out of the ordinary! Manu Ginobili (1.81) and Tim Duncan (1.60) both played, and both played well! Ginobili had 20 points (11-11 from the line), 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while Duncan scored 28 points (10-15 from the field) to go with 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

I’ll mention two of the Big 3 now, even though their lines are not as strong as the Waiver Wire man who defeated them (see below): Chris Bosh (1.51) had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks while LeBron James (1.39) scored 30 points (3 threes) with 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Heat still lost to the Bulls, but I know that doesn’t mean anything since it was in Chicago and it was not the playoffs.

Finally, Marc Gasol (1.33) rounds things out with a nice 14 points (5-8 from the field), 10 rebounds, and an interesting 4 steals.

Injury Report: It was announced yesterday that LaMarcus Aldridge will have season-ending surgery. Obviously this makes J.J. Hickson a must add (maybe not if you’re punting rebounds, FG%, and blocks; that said, Hickson will still give you a solid contribution in Points without many turnovers and won’t totally kill your FT% because his attempts are fairly low).

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: C.J. Watson (1.63) took the reigns of the Bulls after Derrick Rose looked like he’d been run ragged by a Matador. Watson filled in for 16 points (6-10 from the field), 9 assists, and 3 steals (7% owned). The Bulls don’t play again until Sunday, so Rose should have time to rest and I wouldn’t count on C.J. for much more fantasy-relevant action this season.

Pick Up Lines: It seems like Brandan Wright (1.55) has been threatening to become fantasy-relevant for a while with Mavericks now. This is actually the first time we at GMTR have ever tagged him in a post, though. Wright is at 0.45 on the Player Rater over the past 4 games, which would be close to Top 50 if he could do it for the whole season. If you need Big Ball categories with some bonus Steals thrown in, I’d say Wright is worth a play since he’s averaged 30 minutes per game over the last 4 and last night put up 16 points (6-8 from the field, 4-4 from the line), 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks (4% owned).

We know this cannot continue, but as a Bulls fan, I’m happy to see that Kyle Korver (1.26) is getting hot right in time for the playoffs. After hitting 3 threes on Monday, Korver went for 17 points with 5 threes, on 6-8 from the field) (18% owned). He’s a pure three-point shooter, and for that reason, I wouldn’t recommend him unless absolutely the only category you need is threes.

With Kevin Love out after his concussion, Anthony Randolph (1.09) put up another big line with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks (3% owned). Keep a very close eye on Love’s status, because it’s clear that if he doesn’t play, Randolph will get big numbers.

I’m going to file the next three guys under “Too Little, Too Late” and if this doesn’t make you a little sad, then you have missed out on the dreams and aspirations of a generation: Kenyon Martin (1.05) had 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals (4% owned); Mo Williams (0.61) scored 14 points with 5 assists (44% owned); Vince Carter (0.60) scored 12 points, remarkable only because he was 5-7 from the field (33% owned). Makes you think of those bygone days of yore.

Biggest Loser: I’m tempted to do some stupid pun like “D+D Music Factory” but maybe I’ll just stick in a picture of Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger and call it good. (Also, I think I spelled Schwarzenegger right on the first time because my browser spell-checker didn’t underline it with a red squiggle. It did for DeVito, though. Sorry Danny.) Anyway…

Derrick Rose (-0.78) took the prize with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 turnovers, and the ultimate killer: 1-13 from the field (7.7%). His brother from another mother (or just another player who has the same name: Derrick Williams (-0.71) showed why he cannot be trusted even with the whole Timberwolves team injured with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 4 turnovers, and 1-7 from the field.

And actually, I’m going to let that ride for the picture for this post, because I think it kind of works with the Bizzaro theme that I tried to pull through…

***

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Day 108 of 124: DeMarcus Cousins Leads The Losers

Nels — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:30:02 +0000

Last night’s game provided a very nice example of the difference between fantasy basketball and real NBA basketball. Not because someone with 8 blocks ran away with the Line of the Night, but because the 5 of the top 7 Honorable Mentions came from guys on the losing end of their games. Yet if you have them on your fantasy team, then they’re helping you to win whatever match-up you’re embroiled in.

Line of the Night: DeMarcus Cousins (2.76) couldn’t beat Dallas by himself despite 25 points, 18 rebounds, 6 steals, and 2 blocks. Marcus Thornton (-0.38) returned for the Kings, but put up a Biggest Loser-worthy line, going 7-16 from the field, which was good enough to net him 16 points, but combined with 1 rebounds, 0 assists, and 4 turnovers, it wasn’t doing the Kings a whole lot of favors.

Honorable Mentions:
Then there was LeBron James (2.35), who scored 36 points (13-14 from the line), with 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in the Heat’s second loss to the Celtics in as many tries. Mario Chalmers (1.56) added 18 points (3 threes, 6-9 from the field), and 3 steals, but when your team is starting Ronny Turiaf at Center, your GM is probably looking at your team’s salary information and hoping that Steve Nash will take a 67% pay cut to come play with your three handsomely paid All Stars. On the other end of the floor, Paul Pierce (1.47) put up 27 points (3 threes), with 7 rebounds.

Our other Honorable winner was Louis Williams (1.73), who had 20 points (5-8 from the field, 8-8 from the line), 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win for the 76ers. Granted, they were playing New Jersey, so it’s not like they weren’t the odds-on favorite in that one.

Rounding things out for the guys with high ownership rates… One game after beating Chicago and Derrick Rose in overtime, Tyson Chandler (1.48) and Carmelo Anthony (1.46) couldn’t stop the Bulls without D-Rose. Chandler had 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks while Carmelo put up 29 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals, but at home, the Bulls were able to pull away from the Knicks and push to a 3 game lead in the Eastern Conference while pushing the Knicks down to 8th, where they would face the Bulls in the first round. I don’t think they’d be looking forward to that one.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Last Night Kenneth Faried ran away with the LotN and the WWLotN. I consider Kevin Seraphin (2.35) his fantasy basketball twin because they are both young guys on teams that swapped PF/Cs at the trade deadline but ended up letting the back-up PF/Cs play through and shine. Seraphin had 24 points (11-16 from the field), 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks (30% owned) and is a must add for anyone who needs Big Ball categories (FG%, PTS, REB, BLK).

Pick Up Lines: Kyle Korver (1.75) lit it up for the Bulls last night, coming off the bench behind Richard Hamilton to score 14 points (3 threes, 5-8 from the field), with 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks (17% owned). Korver is still good for just threes, though, and the rest of those stats are pretty much a fluke. Even with Derrick Rose out, Korver’s position with the team is pretty much the same as it ever was.

Here come the Cavs!

Am I dating myself again if I say “Does anyone else remember Troy Hudson’s magical 2-year fantasy tour?” Probably.* Anyway, that’s kind of all I can think when I think of Lester Hudson (1.64) and his 25 points (5-5 from the line), 8 rebounds, and 6 assists (24% owned). That performance came off the bench, but Hudson still got 36 minutes of PT backing up Donald Sloan (0.09) and Anthony Parker (1.61), the latter of whom had 19 points (4 threes, 7-11 from the field), and 2 steals (3% owned). Finally, there was Alonzo Gee (0.96) and his 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals (34% owned). Grain of salt time: All of these performances came against the Bobcats. With Anthony Parker back and Hudson and Gee continuing to light it up (as much as one can light it up for the Cavs), it looks like Sloan is probably the odd man out.

Understandably, Spencer Hawes (1.40) now appears in the Waiver Wire section of the GMTR Daily Post… He’s been injured practically the whole season and his comeback thus far hasn’t exactly been a Spencer Hawes Blues Explosion of basketball skills. Yet, after 19 points (7-11 from the field), 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, Hawes is now averaging 9.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks over the last 4 games (45% owned). Okay, not exactly must add material, but definitely worth looking into.

Biggest Loser: There were quite a few candidates for Biggest Loser, but since the first lot of them aren’t that high up on the ownership ladder, and Ryan Anderson (-0.49) (7 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 2-10 from the field) and the aforementioned Marcus Thornton are just coming back from injuries, I decided to give them a break and go one deeper to… Chris Bosh (-0.36) whose relative run of on-fireness (for him at least) comes to a close not with a roaring howl of pain, but a whimpering 5-13 (38%) from the field, 3-5 from the line, 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Sure, you’ll take the 13 points and 9 rebounds if you’re a fantasy owner, but the 38% is going to hurt whether you’re playing fantasy, or trying to show that you’ll be able to beat the Celtics in a playoff match-up.

* Nels Dating Himself – A Play In 7 Lines
Hi Nels.
Hi.
So, where do you want to go to dinner tonight?
Some place nice.
Nice? We just went some place nice last night! What do you think I am, made of money?
And what do you think I am? Some slut who’s going to put out after one dinner at a fancy restaurant? This is over.
Good riddance.

And, scene.

***

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Day 104 of 124: Night of the Living Point Guard

Nels — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:05:22 +0000

Just when you thought it was safe…

Five of the top 10 Lines from last night come from Point Guards, several of whom fantasy owners wish they could have written weeks ago… I’m not going to say it’s some sort of Zombie Point Guard Apocalypse… but if there was such a thing, this would be it.

Line of the Night: Raymond Felton (2.86) has not had his head lopped off yet as his overtime-aided 30 points (5 threes, 12-18 from the field), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals proves. After some pretty dramatic ups and downs, Felton is at a WARP of close to one for the past 7 games. Definitely a good time for his fantasy owners for him to get hot.

Honorable Mentions: After losing to Miami, I’m sure Kevin Durant (2.85) is none to thrilled about losing to the East’s other powerhouse: Indiana. Despite 44 points (3 threes, 15-24 from the field), 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks from Durant, the Thunder could not pull it out against the Pacers.

Devin Harris (2.61) has had even more marshmallows and walnuts (or almonds) in his rocky road than Felton, but last night he put up 28 points (5 threes, 8-13 from the field), 5 assists, and 2 steals in what was easily his best game of the season.

Al Jefferson (2.60) is up to #6 on our fantasy basketball player rater after last night’s 30 points (13-18 from the field), 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Will he be a first-rounder next season?

Arron Afflalo (2.42) took a season-hight 9 three point attempts, but he made 5 of them en route to 30 points along with 5 rebounds.

Sort of like Devin Harris, Jeff Teague (2.17) has been a Hawk trying to fight through some strong headwinds. Sometimes he has to flap his wings just to make a few shots, but sometimes he soars to lines like 24 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 steals. (Metaphor practice!) I suppose we could also call him another one of the Zombie Point Guards who just seems to keep coming back and every once in a while he just kills it.

Brandon Jennings (2.13) actually scored less than Monta Ellis last night (18 points vs. Monta’s 25), but Jennings had 2 threes, 9 assists, and 5 steals along with 47% shooting and 0 turnovers. Milwaukee was able to beat Charlotte, but I don’t think that’s saying much.

If Kyle Lowry had come back and somehow put up this line, then it truly would be the Zombie Apocalypse, but instead Goran Dragic (2.09) just continued to make everyone wonder which of them Houston is going to trade with another 26 points (3 threes), 11 assists, and 3 steals.

Finally, a couple SFs: Gerald Wallace (2.07) did his thing with 19 points (3 threes, 6-9 from the field, 4-4 from the line), 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks as New Jersey beat up on Washington while Danny Granger (1.94) led the Pacers over Durant with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: I think we need to take Byron Mullens‘s 1.95 with a grain of salt considering it came against Ekpe Udoh and Ersan Ilyasova (with a couple guys who are even worse backing them up – remind me again why the Bucks traded Bogut?) Mullens had 31 points (14-23 from the field), 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks (34% owned) and if you need some points and rebounds and blocks and don’t care what happens in any other categories, then Mullens is worth picking up.

Pick Up Lines: Our must-add recommendation: Kevin Seraphin (0.73) continues to produce for the Wizards with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks (24% owned). With Blatche pretty much shut down and Trevor Booker and Nene continuing to miss time, everyone should be riding Seraphin like he’s the last gar with gasoline in the middle of a Zombie Point Guard Apocalypse.

With Kyrie Irving out with a sprained shoulder, Lester Hudson (1.34) backed up both Guard positions and ended up with 23 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals (1% owned). I’m not sure if that 1% ownership is rounded up from something like 0.6%, although considering Hudson has now played 28 and 32 minutes in his last 2 games, and Irving might just sit the rest of the season, Hudson could be another Point Guard rising from the dead to walk the basketball court.

Patrick Mills (1.10) got some extra run as the Spurs blew out the Hornets. Mill had 14 points (6-9 from the field), 4 assists, and 2 steals (0% owned), but unless you can anticipate when the Spurs are going to blow someone out, I’d say you want to let Mills go…

After a string of limited minute games and bad shooting, the Nets must have figured MarShon Brooks (0.90) couldn’t help but do well against the Wizards and he proved them right by going for 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists (30% owned). File under: Waiting for Next Year.

Biggest Loser: Greg Monroe (-1.11) had 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, but those came on only 3-7 from the field, 2-6 from the line (where he usually excels) and he also turned the ball over 4 times. I can sympathize – it’s got to be pretty tiring to carry the whole Pistons team through a rebuilding process as just a sophomore.

***

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Day 103 of 124: A Luol (Deng) In The Battle

Nels — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:41:35 +0000

Line of the Night: After the Beast Mode game between Miami and OKC on Wednesday, not to mention the 11 other games played that night, last night seemed like a bit of let down… allowing Luol Deng (2.04) to take the Line of the Night with a mere 26 points (8-8 from the line), 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Of course, I’ll take that as I battle to get to my fantasy playoff finals, but even combined with my opponent having the night’s Biggest Loser (see below), I am struggling to make up for injuries to both Ryan Anderson and Drew Gooden. Kind of tough to play the number one team when you’re down 4 games on the week.

Jerry Gay’s Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, Lull in the Battle

Honorable Mentions: Derrick Rose still didn’t play and if you’re in leagues like me where the commissioner intelligently (or mercifully) decided to end the season 15th instead of the 26th, then the Bulls’ 3 games next week are just kind of adding insult to recovering from injury. Meanwhile, if you took Joakim Noah (1.79) as your Chicago Homer Pick, then you’ve got to be happy not just with his most recent 17 points (7-7 from the line), 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but with his performance throughout the season. John Wall (1.26) hasn’t been quite as consistent nor prolific as Noah, but you can’t very well argue with 28 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals. Those stats are exactly what you drafted Wall for. Paul Pierce (1.23) just kept rolling with Ray Allen resting his old man parts some more. Pierce had 22 points (3 threes), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Teammate Brandon Bass (1.00) had another strong game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Everyone is saying that the Celtics are kind of sneaky good right now, and I have to agree. With Derrick Rose out, the Bulls have little hope in the playoffs (though we know that Rose will play through anything once the playoffs start, or at least when they get to the second round), and besides Miami it seems like every other team in the East is struggling for wins right now. Except Boston. Watch out.

Bringing up the end of the HMs is Isaiah Thomas (0.95) who continued to bomb away in a Kings loss with 17 points (3 threes), 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Marcus Thornton is day-to-day, but that doesn’t really seem to affect Thomas (and I’ll continue to tell myself that at least until the end of this week).

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: This is the J.R. Smith (1.49) you were looking for: 15 points (3 threes), 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal (29% owned). Those 29%ers are probably people with 14+ teams where at least a couple teams are still paying attention (like my fantasy experts league over at ESPN where the Rotoworld guys just happen to pick up every good free agent hours before I do). After 3 straight games of positive WARP values, and the extra couple minutes per game he’s been getting, Smith is definitely worth picking up.

Pick Up Lines: Jason Thompson (1.28) put up 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 2 blocks so if you’re not in the 47% of leagues where he’s owned, then you should probably get on that. If he’s already taken, then just keep in mind that some people will probably way overhype him going in to next season based on this year-end performance. I like him, and I believe he can be a good fantasy-relevant player, but those kinds of numbers seem a bit unreasonable for an 82 game season.

Toney Douglas (0.88) played more than Baron Davis last night for Knicks, ending with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists (26% owned). We all know that Douglas can blow up the spot like a grenade in the hands of Bruno Mars, but the Knicks had a pretty comfortable lead on the Magic in this one, so much so that Carmelo Anthony only played 28 minutes. Still, we know that Davis is kind of banged up still, so if Douglas can show Mike Woodson that he’s a capable Point Guard, then he might be a solid guy to sneak into your lineup in the next week or two.

One night after Caron Butler took home some fantasy honors (or at least an Honorable Mention), he let Randy Foye (0.83) go for his, and Foye said thank you very much sir to the tune of 20 points (5-5 from the line), and 6 rebounds (35% owned). Foye started for the Clips and has a higher WARP over each time period that we show on individual player breakdowns and yet he’s still only owned in half as many leagues as Butler. If you’re a small ball team who already has a terrible FG%, then look at Foye to add a bunch of Points and Threes, a few Rebounds and Assists without hurting you much (if at all) in Turnovers. No steals or blocks, but who knows, maybe the profile fits for someone reading this.

Glen Davis (0.66) is soaking in Ryan Anderson’s limelight now with 15 points (6-10 from the field), and 7 rebounds (26% owned). Left alone with Dwight Howard, Davis would probably eventually develop a three-pointer to rival Anderson’s, but I hope that doesn’t happen (at least not this season) because I NEEEEEEEEEED Ryan Anderson back!

Kevin Seraphin (0.65) is a must-add in all leagues, even if you have a small ball team, just because you’ll keep him out of the hands of someone who can use his 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals to beat you (22% owned). Or, his FG% and Rebounds might be enough to sneak in wins in those categories against another small ball team.

Biggest Loser: Jordan Crawford followed up his strong 1.27 WARP game with 9 points on 2-13 from the field (15%) with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 turnovers resulting in a -1.02.

Meanwhile, the more highly owned (93%) DeMarcus Cousins (-0.76) managed 6 fouls in 18 minutes to end up 4-8 from the field with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, and 5 turnovers. I know Blake Griffin is an unstoppable force of nature, but really? Fouling out in 18 minutes?

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Day 101 of 124: Fantasy Basketball 101

Nels — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:14:16 +0000

Line of the Night/Waiver Wire Line of the Night: It’s a fairly simple equation: Orlando Magic – Dwight Howard – Ryan Anderson – Jameer Nelson = Loss to Detroit + Glen Davis (2.09) with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals. Davis took 22 of the Magic’s 72 shots. Here’s a corollary (a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof): Don’t count on Davis to do it again. Additional proof: Dwight Howard is day-to-day in a much more positive sense than usual, so if he returns against the Knicks, Davis will go back closer to his normal stats.

Honorable Mentions: Another simple equation: Miami Heat + Dwyane Wade “knee injury” = LeBron James (2.09) scoring 41 points (15-25 from the field) with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Harder to get those assists without Wade to pass to… I’m sure Carmelo Anthony (1.98) would agree. I mean, that’s why he had to take 31 shots right? Sure, he made 17 of them and ended with 39 points, plus 10 rebounds, and 2 steals, but that’s 31 of 83 shots (37%). Although, snarkiness aside, if I had Baron Davis (2-8) and JR Smith (3-11) on my team, I’m not sure I’d pass much either. If Tyson Chandler could have done better than 6-11 from the line, he’s probably be up here with Melo with his 12 points and 14 rebounds.

DeMarcus Cousins (1.82) must have seen LeBron’s total at half time of the Kings game and decided he wanted to do that too. He scored 41 points (16-25 from the field), and doubled LeBron’s rebound total with 12. He made up for it by only getting half as many assists, but he did have 2 steals.

Kris Humphries (1.74) had a better WARP score than any of the Lakers, but in spite of his 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 steals, the Nets still lost. Kobe Bryant (1.37) led the fantasy lines for the Lakers with 24 points (3 threes, 10-16 from the field), 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Hmmmm… if only someone had passed the pass last night they could have had a monster fantasy line… Oh wait!

Steve Nash (1.66) had 12 assists to go with his 18 points and 6 rebounds. Unfortunately, no steals for Nash on a night when it seemed like everyone had at least 2. Actually, Danny Granger (1.65) didn’t have any steals either, but he led the night with 5 threes en route to 27 points and 7 rebounds. Let’s remember, though, Ryan Anderson didn’t play or certainly he would have had at least 5 threes.

Marcin Gortat (1.47) combined with Nash for a Phoenix win, putting up 20 points (7-11 from the field), 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. That’s some nice defense, but all he really needed was 2 more steals and another block and he could have had only 8 points like Elton Brand (1.31) did. That’s right, in one of the stranger high-rated lines I’ve seen, Brand ended with 8 points (granted, he was also 6-6 from the line), 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks to round out the Top 10 from last night.

***

Pick Up Lines: Ben Gordon (1.19) returned from a 3 game absence to put up 18 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals (43% owned). Rodney Stuckey didn’t play in the one and with 2 sets of back-to-backs, Gordon looks like he might be a good short-term add. If you can get him in daily leagues, you’ll get 3 more games this week and if Stuckey is still out, Gordon plays 4 next week.

With Jeremy Lin out and Iman Shumpert (and Baron Davis and JR Smith) struggling, it might be time to add Landry Fields (1.13) again. The Knicks only have 2 more games this week, and this was Fields’s first positive WARP game in a while, so I wouldn’t rush out go grab him, but if he can repeat last night’s 15 points (2 threes, 5-8 from the field), 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, then he’s probably worth picking up for the Knicks 4-game week starting on the 9th (36% owned).

Ye Gods, if it isn’t Danny Green (1.13) again. Green actually led the Spurs in minutes played last night (since they beat the Cavs by 35) and was very efficient in getting to 19 points (4 threes, 7-11 from the field) with 2 steals (13% owned). Like, Fields before him, this was Green’s first positive WARP game in a while, and his stats are kind of all over the place (see his player page), so I wouldn’t add him unless someone on the Spurs gets injured again (Manu only played 18 minutes).

Klay Thompson, Chrales Jenkins, and Dorell Wright didn’t fare well against the Grizzlies last night, giving Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, and Nate Robinson (0.90) more minutes off the bench. Robinson was the only of of the three who really capitalized with his 18 points (8-17 from the field, 2 threes), 5 assists, and 0 turnovers (27% owned). Unfortunately, Jenkins is still the starter for the Warriors and they have a lot more reason to continue playing and developing him than they do to let Robinson run around firing shots.

With Jameer Nelson out, Glen Davis wasn’t the only one who stepped up: Chris Duhon (0.80) had 13 points (3 threes), and 5 assists (1% owned). It sounds like Nelson’s injury isn’t too bad, though, so in order to take advantage of Duhon, you’d have to be in a daily league and add him on Thursday if Nelson is scratched from that game as well. Even then, if Dwight Howard comes back, Duhon’s opportunities will be more limited.

Biggest Loser: I’ve kind of mentioned it already in this post, but Iman Shumpert (-1.19) wasn’t doing a lot of favors for New York Knicks fans nor for himself… He had 5 points on 2-6 from the field and 1-3 from the line with 0 rebounds, 0 assists, and 3 turnovers. Of course he’s only 45% owned, which just barely puts him over our arbitrary 40% mark.

The guy that probably hurt a lot more teams was Jrue Holiday (-0.92) with his 8 points on 4-11 shooting. He did have 2 rebounds and 6 assists, but canceled that out with 6 turnovers. Maybe you’re already giving up FG% and TOs (and with Holiday on your team, that’s probably a good idea), but still… only 8 points and 6 assists? Jrue’s been real up and down the past week or so… Owning him certainly hasn’t been a holiday. {Rimshot FTW!} I humbly accept this award for Worst Pun of the Year on behalf of people everywhere with lame senses of humor.

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