Give Me The Rock

Too bad he doesn’t have the same kind of bad blood with the Wizards or the Bulls might get 6 good games from him each season.

Line of the Night: Tracy McGrady (6.53) had 35/6/5 with 4 threes, 2 steals and a block. According to NBA.com, the Rockets are the only team with 4 wins over the Blazers this season. We’ll see what Greg Oden has to say about that next season.

Honorable Mentions: Larry Hughes (6.34) almost had the first triple double of his career (as a Bull at least, he might have had one for another team) with 25/8/9. He, like McGrady, had 2 steals and a block. After that we drop down to LeBron (5.53) who only scored a single point in the 4th quarter against the Bulls last night. Apparently there’s some back spasms going on. But he still had 33/5/4 with 3 threes, 2 steals, and two blocks. Brad Miller (5.46) follows James with his Marcus Camby impression, scoring only 6 points (on a Biggest Loseresque 2/7 from the field), but saving himself with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and only 1 turnover. Since there were only 3 games last night, we’ll end this list with Kevin Martin’s (4.82) 26/3/3 with 4 threes and a steal.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Dikembe Mutombo (3.97) continued his run at immortality with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Not a great line, but if you need blocks and rebounds this week (for daily lineup changers) or next week (if you’re already looking ahead), he will definitely get you those.

Another guy who might be available and has been playing about as well as anyone who’s likely to be available is Mikki Moore (3.85). Last night, he had 16 and 5 with 2 steals and a block, while shooting 7/8 from the floor (only 2/4 from the line, though).

The Biggest Loser: I’m going with Al Thornton (2.20) because his 3/14 shooting (for a line of 8/5/1 and a block) has pretty much singlehandedly dropped me two-tenths of a percent below my opponent in the DroppingDimes Experts League. I’m up 7-2 right now, but it’s a very tentative 7-2, and I need to at least have a chance in every category. I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling that pain.

Friday’s Tiny Dancer: To take away some of that pain, let’s celebrate T-Mac’s LotN with this weeks Rockets Power Dancer of the Week: Heidi. Hi Dee In Deed.

I’m not sure when JE Skeets got his gig as an NBA Expert on Yahoo! (I’ll admit, I don’t listen to the podcast), but if anyone deserves it, it’s him. And he’s announcing that Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season to undergo surgery on a stress fracture in his foot. Not sure how surgery will help with a stress fracture, but there must be something I don’t know about modern medicine.

Anyway…

Does this make Dikembe Mutombo a good pickup? Yahoo (not Skeets) says yes:

Feb 26 With Yao Ming out for the year, Mutombo will likely see increased minutes.

Recommendation: He hadn’t been used much of late, and we actually think the Rockets power forwards - Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry - will pick up a lot of the slack, but Mutombo will be out there when the team needs a true center.

Seeing as Mutombo hasn’t been on the court for a few, I’d also go with Scola, Hayes, and Landry before picking up Mutombo, but if you’re in a competitive league, those guys might be gone by the time you read this.

Scola was just added in the GMTR Readers League. Landry was actually added by the same team a few days ago… interesting…

I have just added Landry in the DroppingDimes Experts League (the other two guys were already on teams - tells you something about playing with Experts now, doesn’t it?).

What about the guards in Houston?

I’m actually going to posit the theory that this will hurt the Rocket Guards. Really, Yao does Scoring, Rebounding, and Blocking. So his absence creates an obvious opportunity for people who do that. But for the guards (with the exception of Tracy McGrady), there won’t be a lot of extra assists or open three pointers to go around all of a sudden. There will likely be more of McGrady taking on teams by himself, creating less assist opportunities, and more shots late in the clock. Yeah, I don’t really know that much about how the Rockets play, but unless they switch it up to a fast-paced game, I don’t see how Rafer Alston and Luther head are going to benefit from playing without Yao Ming.

On a more macro level, this probably means that the city of Houston can say Arrivederci to any playoff games they might have been looking forward to. At least they probably weren’t already selling them like some teams…

Oh, and I guess Gerald Wallace is injured. Who knew???

Line of the Night: It’s certainly not Tracy McGrady, who was 0/5 from the stripe last night - though his 29 points, 6 assists, and 3 threes were enough to get him to 24th on the night even with the 0fer. No, the LotN was Steve Nash (6.01), who made all 6 of his free throws, and only missed 2 shots from the field while adding 11 assists and 6 rebounds to his 29 points.

Honorable Mentions: Shawn Marion (5.62) was 2nd last night thanks to 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. Baron Davis (5.51) was not far behind.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Travis Outlaw (4.50) might still be available in some leagues. If he is, it’s probably because of his inconsistency, but he’s been edging his playing time up, and his stats have come with.

Rise With Us: Paul Millsap might still be available, but he’s less consistent and less promising than Outlaw. If James Jones is still available and you’re playing a small ball team, he’s definitely worth picking up. He’ll have some bad games, but in the past 6 games he’s made at least 1 three in 5 of them, and made 3 or more threes in 4 of them. Last night he also had 6 rebounds and made 7 of 7 free throws.

Goat of the Night: Grant Hill (1.72) had been playing like old Grant Hill for a while there, but he threw up 14 shots last night and only got 4 to drop. Combine that with his 0 rebounds, 0 assists, and 3 turnovers, and it looks like a Goat to me.

Dishonorable Mentions: Al Harrington had a pretty awful game (1/5, 2 reb, 1 ast) for someone who is at #45 on the GMTR Player Rater.

And here’s some links to them:

Fantapedia talks about Yao Ming and some risk v. reward.

HoopsFantasy (a rookie him/itself) has a post on the Top 5 Fantasy Rookies for this season. Another fantasy basketblog rookie - Points in the Paint - has a tiered breakdown by position. I always like that sort of analysis. You think I’d get around to doing it myself some day.

Fantasy Basketblog has the first 2 rounds of their mock draft up.

And while it’s not a fantasy blog, B. Shoals at the Fanhouse has an interesting piece on Dwyane Wade’s recovery. Unless you hear some news that is better and more definite, I’d say to knock him down a few places on your draft chart. Or maybe, just avoid picking him in the first round, and let someone else take that risk. Drive and Dish even talks about how Andre Iguodala is rated the 2nd best Shooting Guard on NBA.com.

Bravo, fantasy basketblogs. Bravo.

UPDATE: Well, well, well, it looks like I got a little too lathered up about Charlie Bell heading to the Miami Heat. According to a Bucks’ press release, they have decided to match the Heat’s 18.5 million offer to Charlie Bell. After the Yi Jianlian situation, it’s apparent that the Milwaukee Bucks are ready to play hardball with their players. Bell was a potential sleeper candidate in Miami, but on the Bucks he’ll return to backing up both Williams and Michael Redd. He can still average close to 30 minutes a game off the bench for the Bucks, but he’ll be a secondary offensive option on this Bucks team instead of becoming a focal point of the Miami offense.

Charlie Bell is on his way to Miami, hopefully in a speedboat driven by Will Smith. On Monday, the Heat signed restricted free-agent Charlie Bell to an $18.5 million five-year offer sheet. The Milwaukee Bucks can still choose to match that deal, but here’s what Charlie has to say about the situation:

I hope they don’t match it. The Bucks said they didn’t have this kind of money and didn’t want to give me a long-term deal, so I would hope they stick to what they said and let me go… I’m really thankful Miami stepped up.

Wow, tell us what you’re really thinking Charlie… Bell has already said he’ll go and play in Greece rather than return to the Bucks. No disrespect to Milwaukee here, but he’s a great fit on the Miami Heat. Bell will likely compete with Jason Williams and Smush Parker for the starting point guard spot. Even if J-Will wins out at the point to start the season, 1) Williams gets hurt a lot and 2) Bell can still earn some decent playing time off the bench on a Heat team that is not particularly deep, and 3) the Heat really, really… really need someone other than Wade and Shaq who can score.

Last season, Bell started 64 games for the Bucks and took advantage of the situation, averaging 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.6 threes, and 1.2 steals a game in his starts. If he does end up playing for the Heat, expect his scoring to get even better. If he ends up starting, well, expect even better things. I hate the term sleeper, but it’s the easiest way to describe how I feel about Charlie in Miami.

Charlie Bell, making friends in Milwaukee

In other news about people who like to speak their mind, it looks like Dikembe Mutombo will be back with the Rockets for one final year. Mutombo told KRIV-TV in Houston, “It’s a great organization. I have a great relationship with the owner. I have a great relationship with the mayor and I love the city. I have been blessed.”

Even at 40 years old, Mutombo was a decent backup center last season when Yao Ming was injured, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots with little regard for something we like to call “offense”. If Ming gets hurt again - and that’s not the craziest idea in the world - there’s no reason to think Mutombo can’t duplicate what he did last year. In 32 starts, he averaged 5 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks a game. Plus, it gives me the chance to break out this picture again.

I want to make that into a poster.

Mr. Anonymous at CBSSportsline has a cleverly named column “Assists and Turnovers” in which he (or she) does a bit of off-season movement and injury analysis.

There’s the obvious ones: Al Jefferson will be good, Ray Allen not so much.

But there is mention of Chuck Hayes, who I’d forgotten about, as well as Brandon Roy, who will still dominate with or without Greg Oden.

For most fans, the NBA experience consists of watching games on TV and in person, with the occasional special event or autograph signing thrown in. But this guide will help you maximize your enjoyment of the NBA. To use this guide, simply locate your skill or skills and then do what’s listed there. It’s really that simple.

IF YOU ENJOY WRITING FAN MAIL:
Email your favorite Dallas Maverick player.

IF YOU ENJOY WRITING FAN MAIL AND STALKING:
Write to your favorite Nuggets Dancer, c/o Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver, CO 80204

IF YOU LIKE JUMPING OFF TRAMPOLINES
Join the Detroit Pistons’ Flight Crew.

IF YOU’RE A CANADIAN STREET BALLER
Play in NBA 3ON3 (sponsored by the Raptors)

IF YOUR CHILD IS A FATTY AND SHAQ IS NOT AVAILABLE
Sign-up for Get Fit with the Golden State Warriors.

IF YOU CAN GOLF:
Play with Tyrus Thomas.

IF YOU CAN’T GOLF:
Play softball with Tracy McGrady.

IF YOU CAN SING:
Audition to sing the national anthem at a Cavaliers game.

IF YOU’RE BETWEEN THE AGE 7 AND 16 AND HAVE ACCESS TO $100.
Go to a summer camp hosted by Sean May, Dell Curry, Brevin Knight, or the Carroll Brothers.

IF YOU’RE BETWEEN THE AGE 7 AND 16 AND HAVE ACCESS TO $250.
Go to the Sonics Basketball Summer Camp.

IF YOU’RE OVER THE AGE OF 35 AND HAVE ACCESS TO $17,500.
Go to the Michael Jordan Flight School.

IF YOU’RE A PUPPETEER, VENTRILOQUIST, OR HAVE ANOTHER SKILL THAT PEOPLE PRETEND TO FIND ENTERTAINING:
Become an in-game entertainer for the Hawks or Bobcats.

IF YOU OWN A CAMCORDER AND ENJOY WATCHING THE CLIPPERS:
Make a fan video.

IF YOU OWN A CAMERA, A COPY OF PHOTOSHOP, AND A GRILL OR OTHER HIBACHI-LIKE DEVICE
Enter the “Are you Hibachi enough?” contest.

IF YOU’RE AN ATTRACTIVE FEMALE WITH DANCE SKILLS
Audition to become an NBA dancer, preferably for the Lakers, Mavs, Heat, Spurs, or Rockets

IF YOU’RE AN UNATTRACTIVE FEMALE WITH DANCE SKILLS
Get a lesson from the Knicks Dance Team.

IF YOU’RE A FORMER CHEERLEADER OR GYMNAST AND ARE ATTRACTIVE (FEMALE) OR ENJOY TOUCHING WOMEN IN INAPPROPRIATE PLACES WITHOUT THE THREAT OF GOING TO JAIL (MALE):
Try out for the Detroit Work Force or Utah Jazz Stunt Team.

IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE EVALUATING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS
Become the Director of Player Personnel for the Houston Rockets.

IF YOU HAVE BALL HANDLING SKILLS AND COURT VISION:
Try out for the Celtics. (Credit to Basketbawful)