Give Me The Rock » Utah Jazz

Day 22 of 124: Blast From The Past

Erik — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:32:35 +0000

No, it’s not 2006. But someone forgot to tell Tim Duncan (1.79) that last night. He played like he was back in his prime and back then he’d definitely get GMTR’s Line of the Night. The Big Fundamental picked apart whatever Phoenix calls its defense. He produced a sweet line with of 24 points (10-14 from the field), (which probably will give Marcin Gortat nightmares for the rest of the week) and 11 rebounds. He also dished out 4 assists and brought his ubiquitous 2 blocks. Classic. Vintage. Impressive. Sorry folks, it’s 2012 and lines like these are now the exception and not the rule.

Honorable Mentions: Danilo Gallinari (1.68) wound up with a weird night at least as far as fantasy basketball is concerned. He finished with 18 points, but that came off him shooting 2-6 from the field, 2-4 from downtown and 12-12 from the line. What? Yeah, I warned you it was weird. He shot 33% without really killing your FG% while winning you FT%. His 4 assists were a nice addition to his odd offensive performance, but hey stranger things have happened.

David Lee (1.50), meanwhile looks like he’s pretty much the only player who is acclimating well to the Warriors’ new coach, Marc Jackson. He dropped 24 points (10-12 from the field), grabbing 6 rebounds, and it must have been some kind of special occasion as he added a rare (for him) 2 blocks. Nonetheless, I’m sure his owners must be beaming with pride.

In spite of Gallinari’s impressive performance the Jazz crushed, destroyed and bullied the Nuggets into submission. Paul Millsap (1.31) led the carnage with 26 points (12-19 from the field) and 12 rebounds. At this point, it’s safe to say that Derrick Favors and his corresponding fantasy value is now shelved until further notice (or if Jefferson or Millsap get injured).

As each Detroit game goes by, I must say that Greg Monroe (1.23) and his efficient play has impressed and entertained me more and more. This time, against the Golden State Warriors, Monroe posted 25 points which included him going 13-14 from the line (a sight rarely seen from big men nowadays) and 8 boards. We’ve heard him compared to a healthy David West. But I, however, feel that would be shortchanging Monroe at this point. He’s far more dominant and able to impact your team’s percentages to a far more effective degree that I’d call him an improved version of West.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Ekpe Udoh (1.01) (2% owned) had a nice night with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocks. That’s fine and dandy. Sure. But as long as Andris Biedrins is healthy and delivering consistently mediocre lines, the undersized Udoh will have to wait for this season’s 15 minutes of fantasy fame.

Pick Up Lines: Speaking of blasts from the past, Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince (0.99) played like a revitalized champion last night finishing with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Prince has been known to flirt with nice lines every now and then but his peripheral stat contributions leave a lot to be desired leaving him painted as a “vanilla” kind of fantasy option. And so it comes as to no surprise that he’s only owned in 20% of leagues.

We’ve told you to go and grab Kawhi Leonard (0.93), we’ll likely continue to do so as seeing that more than 80% of leagues have him in their FA pools. I mean wasn’t his 12 points and 8 rebounds good enough for your discerning fantasy tastes?

Gordon Hayward (0.88) made the most of Josh Howard‘s absence due to injury to deliver a solid performance. He chipped in 19 points, while adding 2 blocks. This is a temporary issue as Howard appears poised to eat into his productive floor time once he comes back. Stay away, unless you’re in a 20-man league or deeper.

Biggest Loser: of the night was ME as I got Channing Fried (-1.38) in not one but TWO leagues by his awful, painful, and forgettable performance.
He went 0-7 from the field to give, uh, ZERO points and two rutty boards. This will be the only and last time you will ever see the words “Channing Frye” and “Consistency” in the same sentence this season (at least from me)
Remember how cool Paul Millsap’s line was? Well that came at the expense of Nene Hilario (-1.02), who in fairness to him did manage to score 18 points and get 6 rebounds for Denver. He did, however also accumulate 5 turnovers and went 2-7 from the line. Gah!

One grimy Nugget deserves another as Andre Miller (-0.98) had an awfully quiet night with just 5 points, 0 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Derrick Favors (-0.53) managed seven minutes and change to end up delivering a yawn-inspiring 2-point and 3-rebounds line. Bye-bye Derrick, we’ll talk about you and your fantasy potential next season.

With only three games last night, it was kind of quiet. Week four! w00t! w00t!

***

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Day 154 of 170: All That Jazz

Patrick — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Line of the Night: No, the LotN doesn’t go to Melo, who willed the Knicks to their first win in seven games in OT against the Magic. Rather, it goes to a guy who gets 0.01% of the attention Melo has this year. Thaddeus Young (1.72) scored 21 points for the Sixers in less than 25 minutes off the bench, adding 7 boards, 2 steals and 4 blocks as they beat the Bulls 97-85. Young’s problem is that he likes to sprinkle in complete duds (like Sunday’s 4 point affair) in between his truly solid performances, which makes him the Nicolas Cage of the NBA.

Honorable Mentions: All it took was an injury to Jameer Nelson, a game against the Knicks and overtime for Jason Richardson (1.64) to look like his old self again. J-Rich scored 24 points for the Magic, adding 4 threes, 4 assists and 4 steals. Now, without that perfect storm of events, he can return to scoring 13 points a game. As I mentioned up above, Carmelo Anthony (1.12) led the Knicks to a much needed win with 39 points and 10 rebounds – although his strategy of taking as many shots as possible doesn’t change whether the Knicks are winning or losing.

Darren Collison (1.42) showed up against the Celtics after three horrible performances in a row last week. His 17 points on 8-9 shooting with a couple steals is almost enough to forgive the paltry 3 assists. On the other side of the ball, Rajon Rondo (1.17) “only” had 8 assists himself, but scored 22 points on 9-13 from the field.

The Bucks may have melted down (is that a politically correct phrase to use now?) in the fourth quarter against the Bobcats, but both Brandon Jennings (1.41) – 26 points, adding 9 rebounds and 5 assists – and Andrew Bogut (1.28) – 26 points (13-19 from the field), 9 rebounds, 2 blocks – had strong games in the loss.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: With the Jazz hurting and Andrei Kirilenko MIA with some nerve problems in his knee (as well as Raja Bell spraining an ankle), Utah turned to the only man up to the task of stepping into AK’s haircut. And that’s Gordon Hayward (0.93), who played 37 minutes off the bench against the Wizards and finished with 12 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Haywood is not going to be the most consistent player since his minutes still vary quite a bit game-to-game, but he is currently available in 97% of Yahoo leagues and makes a decent poor man’s Kirilenko while the Russian is out (he’s day-to-day, but it sounds like one of those unofficial shut down type situations).

Pick Up Lines: Speaking of the Jazz, Earl Watson (0.50) had his second really good game (out of 4) since filling in for the injured Devin Harris. Watson finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists in 33 minutes on the court. If you need a fill-in PG for the last couple weeks of the season Watson is probably the best you’ll come across (provided Devin Harris remains out). The only really bad game he’s had as a starter was the game the Jazz got blown out against Dallas this weekend.

Was I just talking about the Jazz? Right, Derrick Favors (0.93) had his first double-double off the bench for Utah with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in 23 minutes. I’m not in love with Favors this season because he’s typically been getting less than 20 minutes a game off the bench, but with all the Jazz injuries at the moment, he’s at least worth a look in deeper leagues.

Is Jordan Crawford (0.91) really only owned in 36% of leagues right now? Crawford was a brutal 1-10 from three last night against the Jazz, but did take enough shots to score 25 points, with 5 rebounds and 4 steals. I do like some of the things that Crawford brings to the table, but the dude needs to calm down with the itchy trigger finger. Since joining the Wizards, he’s taking over 15 shots a game and is shooting 38% from the field. He’s also making 18% of his threes at over 4 attempts per game. I think it’s time his teammates staged a three-point intervention.

With Andre Blatche still injured and Trevor Booker missing last night’s game with a foot injury, rookie Kevin Seraphin (0.64) got 21 minutes of run for the Wizards and scored 6 points, with 8 rebounds and a couple of steals. The Wizards are running short on options thanks to all their injuries, but I’d want to see a repeat performance from Seraphin before picking him up.

Yes, I know there were some other games in addition to the Wiz/Jazz last night too. Spencer Hawes (0.62) scored 14 points and had a couple blocks for the Sixers. He’s actually been putting up some decent point/block numbers over his last 4 games – although I don’t know if I trust him enough to actually pick him up; and Brandon Bass (0.47) has been playing well lately for the Magic, with five double-digit scoring games in a row. His latest included 14 points (7-9 from the field) and 6 rebounds against the Knicks.

With the Spurs missing 4 of their starters last night, did anyone step up enough to be worth a short-term pickup (other than George Hill, who scored 27 points, but is owned in 50%+ of leagues)? Eh, no. Maybe Tiago Splitter (-0.19), who was the best of the fill-ins with 14 points and 9 boards in 28 minutes. James Anderson started for Ginobili and scored 5 points in 18 minutes, Matt Bonner had 6 points in the start at PF, and Gary Neal had 8 points on 3-14 shooting off the bench.

Biggest Loser: A mostly invisible game for Landry Fields (-0.74) against the Magic. Fields started, but managed only 3 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 25 minutes on the court. Melo seems to have zapped Fields mojo in the month of March.
***

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Day 150 of 170: Short on Games, Short on Impact

Nels — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:12:34 +0000

Only two games last night. Not much going on… so let’s keep it short like Keira Knightley’s hair…

Line of the Night: Paul Millsap (1.98) had the best line with 33 points (13-20 from the field), 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. I mean, we all know he’s pretty good right? I can understand if you’ve forgotten since he is down to #30 on the season after being in the Top 5 for a while there at the beginning.

Honorable Mentions: Fun facto: Anthony Randolph (1.78) is German! Randolph can put up lines like: 31 points (14-20 from the field), 11 rebounds, and 2 steals like he’s going to go on a double-double streak of 50+ games. And with Kevin Love out, possibly for the season (cause they’re not going to rush to get him back), Randolph should get to continue to put those kind of lines up. If only he could get his act together and get back in the mix, the Timberwolves would have a pretty decent front line going. Trevor Ariza (1.26) had a nice game for the Hornets, with 14 points (3 threes), 9 rebounds, and 4 steals, and even though he’s played 40 minutes per game in 4 of his last 6, his numbers (even last night) have not really reflected that.

The Mavericks played for the first time this week, and now they’re going to crank out 3 games in 4 days, so I bet Mavs owners are happy about that… Dirk Nowitzki (1.20) had 30 points (5-5 from the line), 11 rebounds, and 4 assists while Shawn Marion (0.75) continued an improbable resurgence after missing a game with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. If he had made a three-pointer in the past three months, this would be some vintage Shawn Marion action. Chris Paul (0.90) had a double-double in his two favorite categories: 24 points and 12 assists. Al Jefferson (0.88) also had a double-double in his two favorite categories: 22 points and 13 rebounds (and 11-17 from the field).

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Devin Harris is injured, so Earl Watson (1.08) got 41 minutes of play and reminded people that he can actually play some pretty good ball when he gets the minutes: 14 points (3 threes), 8 assists (3% owned). Unfortunately for fantasy owners who are still competing, Devin Harris is “day-to-day” so unless picked up Watson after his mediocre game on the 23rd, then it’s probably too late for him to make any sort of difference.

Pick Up Lines: If you’re really still looking for pick-ups, Marco Belinelli (1.00) is probably the best candidate you’re going to get. You know that because he is actually owned in 20% of leagues, which is impressive for this point in the season. Last night he had 14 points (3 threes, 5-8 from the field), 4 assists, and 2 steals.

Okay, I might have stretched the truth a bit on that last one because Peja Stojakovic (0.63) has had two very nice games just like Belinelli including last night’s 16 points (4 threes, 6-10 from the field) and 4 rebounds (12% owned). If you’ve got daily changes, remember that the Mavs will play tomorrow and Sunday. They also play 4 games next week and 5 the week after that (and I hope that you’re not actually still playing then because you’ll want to talk to your Comissioner about that one.

Jonny Flynn (0.45) had 13 points (3 threes), 5 assists, and 2 steals (11% owned). That’s just an FYI, not a recommendation.

Jarrett Jack (0.13) scored 15 points (26% owned). He had a run earlier this month of some nice scoring and steals. Will he be able to do it again? I certainly wouldn’t take my chances.

Biggest Loser: For some reason, I consistently think that Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry (-1.38) are kind of the same person. Obviously it has something to do with them both being Power Forward’s who played for Houston, but at this point, they could not be more different. One night after Hayes had a triple double, Landry went for only 3 points and 1 rebound.

In The Bonus: Short.

***

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Not a Bad Consolation Prize: Deron Williams Heading to the Nets

Patrick — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:24:39 +0000

The Russians have a long and storied history of coming in second place, so instead of moaning and bitching about his team’s inability to get Carmelo Anthony to agree to a trade, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov immediately had his team shift gears and make an arguably more impressive move (at least in terms of cost/benefit ratio) by acquiring Deron Williams from the Jazz.

Coming on the heels of the Melo to the Knicks, the internet has again blown up with today’s surprising trade. Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Deron Williams will be heading to the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, two future first-round picks and cash.

So, what are the fantasy implications of this deal?

New Jersey Nets

Here is the new depth chart for the Nets.

PG: Deron Williams, Jordan Farmar
SG: Anthony Morrow, Sasha Vujacic
SF: Travis Outlaw, Quinton Ross
PF: Kris Humphries, Brandan Wright
C: Brook Lopez, Dan Gadzuric

***

Both the Nets and the Jazz are in the bottom half of the league in possessions per game at 91.8 and 93.6, respectively (by comparison, the Knicks average 98.6 and the Nuggets 98.2). So neither player is heading to a significantly better or worse team in terms of pace. They also play the same position, so on the surface the trade doesn’t seem to affect their fantasy value in a significant way.

Both players had a tenuous relationship with their coaches/front office this season (or former coach in the case of Williams). Despite the fact that Williams is apparently not happy with the trade, it is possible both these guys come to their new teams slightly more motivated and ready to kick some ass. If you believe in that kind of intangible bullshit. Which I do. A little.

The best news for Williams’ owners is that the Nets are currently 29th in the league in points per game at 92.4, so they could use ball dominating PG who can score in much the same way that the world could use less Justin Bieber in it. And by that I mean desperately. The team’s third leading scorer is Anthony Morrow at 12.5 points a game. Williams comes to the team averaging 21 points and nearly 10 assists per game this season, and based on the collection of talent the Nets have, I would not be surprised to see his scoring numbers take a bit of a jump with a small decline in assists.

Of course, having a guy like D-Will barreling to the hoop also good news for the team’s spot up jump shooters, like Morrow, Sasha Vujacic and… Brook Lopez. Morrow especially could benefit from D-Will’s arrival, in the way that Raja Bell would have in Utah if he wasn’t 50 years old.

Unfortunately, not everyone wins in a trade. Even Jordan Famar’s biggest fans would admit his limited fantasy relevance has all but disappeared with Williams coming to town. The often injured Harris was averaging about 32 minutes a game this season. While Williams has had his share of injuries over the past few years, he’s been averaging nearly 38 minutes a game this season. Will that decrease under Avery Johnson? Possibly a little, but Lopez is averaging 34 minutes a game and Williams immediately becomes the team’s best and most important player. So in theory he should see at least as much court time as Lopez, if not more.

Overall, it will probably end up being a neutral fantasy move for Williams.

Utah Jazz

Here is more or less what the new Jazz look like.

PG: Devin Harris, Earl Watson
SG: Raja Bell, C.J. Miles, Gordon Hayward
SF: Andrei Kirilenko, C.J. Miles
PF: Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Francisco Elson
C: Al Jefferson, Mehmet Okur

Unless the Jazz have something else up their sleeves, Harris will become the team’s starting PG and does about 75% of what Williams does on the court. Harris has averaged 15 points and 7.6 assists in 54 games with the Nets, but he wasn’t loving his reunion with Avery Johnson and the team wasn’t loving Harris’ lack of commitment this season.

Again, on the surface, things don’t seem like they are going to change all too much for Harris. Harris gains a few nice offensive weapons in Utah, like Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and CJ Miles when he’s rolling. So, Harris could see his assists jump up slightly on the Jazz, although 7.6 is already a career high for him. If his minutes increase back to 34-35 per game like he was averaging a few years ago, he could be in for a nice bump in fantasy value with stats up in the 18 point, 8 assist range. That’s all speculation at this point, so we’ll see how it plays out.

Any value that Favors had this season (which wasn’t much) is gone now that he’s clearly behind both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson on the depth chart. But now that I think about it, this is usually around the time of Jefferson’s yearly knee blowout, so at least there’s that opportunity for Favors.

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Day 46 of 170: Do You Think I’m Sexy

Patrick — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:14:38 +0000

Line of the Night: Andrei Kirilenko (2.61) was questionable to play in last night’s Jazz/Magic game with a right quad injury. His decision to play worked out well, as AK finished with 17 points, 13 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in an old fashioned Utah beat down of Orlando. We’ll forgive Kirilenko for rocking the worst haircut since Rod Stewart wanted you to think he was sexy, because he’s on pace to have his best statistical year since 2006. One warning sign, however, is that AK’s minutes are up to nearly 34 a game from 29 last year, so hopefully his hair can hold up under the additional workload.

Honorable Mentions: Kirilenko wasn’t the only Utah player to have a great fantasy game yesterday. Deron Williams (2.06) was aggressive all night long on his way to a season-high 32 points. He also dished out 9 assists and hit 4 threes. Al Jefferson (1.85) scored 16 points, adding 8 boards and 3 blocks. C.J. Miles (0.97) scored a season-high 26, while assistant coach Scott Layden had a season-high 36 high fives.

Say what you will about Andrew Bogut’s (2.13) propensity to get hurt (and we’ve said plenty) but as long as he’s on the court he’s a dominating Aussie force of nature. Against the Rockets, Bogut put up a 24 point, 22 rebound double-double, adding 5 blocks in nearly 40 minutes on the court. It was Bogut’s fourth straight double-double since returning from back and elbow injuries earlier this month.

It was the NBA’s official double-double night: David West (2.00) had 24 points (on 11-18 shooting) and 13 rebounds in a Hornets loss to OKC; the good Doctor Love (1.82) had a 27 point, 18 rebound double-double. His prescription for you is more rebounding; Marcus Camby (1.74) put up season-highs in points and rebounds with 16 and 18 against Phoenix; how much of a surprise has Roy Hibbert (1.61) been this season? He had 13 points and 14 rebounds (not to mention 6 assists and 3 blocks); DeJuan Blair (1.26) had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs; and Russell Westbrook mixed up the formula with 29 points and 10 assists. He almost made it a triple-double with 7 turnovers. Whoops.

LeBron James (1.67) didn’t have a double-double, but almost posted a trip-dub with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists as the Heat held the Warriors to 86 points. Also no double-d for Serge Ibaka (1.60) but he got the start with Nenad Krstic sitting with a back injury, and his 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks was good for the 11th best line of the night. Finally, Derrick Rose (0.77) scored 29 points for Chicago and did everything but literally drive a stake through Kobe’s heart in a win over LA.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Luke Ridnour (1.93) posted a season-high 20 points and 10 assists in a win over the Pistons. Ridnour can be a passable fantasy PG when he’s starting, but with Jonny Flynn currently rehabbing in the D-league, that might not be too much longer. At the very least, they’ll be splitting time at the position and that should wipe out any fantasy value Ridnour currently has.

Linas Kleiza (1.50). Erik’s favorite Lithuanian posted a double-double of his own with 26 points (4 threes) and 12 rebounds while going 11-16 from the field. That’s two straight games of 30 minutes for Kleiza after a long run of sub-20 minute games. Will it keep up? Probably not, which is why I’d be hesitant to add him.

Sonny Weems (1.37) took advantage of a fast paced Nuggets/Raptors game to score 21 points, adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He’s an incredibly streaky shooter, but if you can catch him during a hot streak he can be a very good scorer.

With Carmelo Anthony out with a knee issue, Gary Forbes (1.29) got his second start in his place and had a much better game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Forbes is available in about 99% of leagues, but unless you are a Melo owner, his value will be too short lived to be worth a pickup.

Jose Calderon sat with some mysterious foot injury, giving Jerryd Bayless (-0.93) the spot start. Bayless was horrible – with 3 points on 1-9 shooting – but it is a situation to keep an eye on to see how serious Calderon’s injury is.

Biggest Loser: Damn Nicolas Batum (-1.13). 71 percent of leagues are being patient with you and this is how you repay them: 0 points, 1 rebound and 0 assists while shooting 0-7 from the field. That has to be in the running for worst line of the year. Still, Batum was looking good leading up to this game and I think you’ve got to hold onto him and hope he bounces back.

On Tap: Utah (17-7) at Dallas (18-4) – The Mavs come to this one looking for their 12th straight win. Gordon Hayward will probably get another start for Utah in place of the injured Raja Bell, but it’s CJ Miles who is likely to take advantage of the extra playing time.

Miami (16-8) at Sacramento (5-15) – Tyreke Evans is shooting under 40% from the floor so far this season and an MRI shows that he has an inflamed arch in his foot. He’ll take a dose of tough pills and play through it, but be on the lookout for Pooh Jeter if Evans were to miss any time.

Cleveland (7-15) at Houston (8-14) – It was a hard lesson for Byron Scott to learn – 6th and 7th men are only valuable to your team when you actually have 7 quality players. When you have 4, it doesn’t work out so well. Anyway, the new Cavs starting lineup features Antawn Jamison at PF and Daniel Gibson at SG. That’s a plus for fantasy purposes (sorry JJ Hickson owners) although we’ll see if it translates into actual wins.

***

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Carmelo Anthony Trade Implications

Patrick — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 18:34:15 +0000

The big news heading into the weekend is the huge Carmelo Anthony trade which is on the verge of going down. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the four-team trade would send Anthony to the New Jersey Nets, provided he is willing to sign an extension with the team. The trade would also send Nets rookie Derrick Favors, Andrei Kirilenko and multiple future first-round picks to Denver. Nets’ point guard Devin Harris and forward Jarvis Hayes would go to Charlotte. Nets swingman Quinton Ross would go to the Jazz, while the Bobcats would send Boris Diaw to the Jazz and D.J. Augustin to the Nets.

Whew.

New Jersey Nets

The trade clears out some of the Nets depth chart, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given all the players they had under contract. Here is the Nets new projected depth chart:

PG: D.J. Augustin, Jordan Farmar, Ben Uzoh
SG: Terrence Williams , Anthony Morrow
SF: Carmelo Anthony, Travis Outlaw, Stephen Graham, Damion James
PF: Troy Murphy, Kris Humphries
C: Brook Lopez, Joe Smith, Johan Petro, Brian Zoubek

Avery Johnson was a solid regular season coach for Dallas a couple years back, but his Mavs teams were at the bottom of the league in pace factor (an estimate of the number of possessions per 48 minutes for a team). By contrast, the Nuggets were 5th in the league last season in pace. That probably means a few less touches and scoring opportunities per game for Carmelo. However, the offense will clearly run through him, so his numbers shouldn’t be affected all that much fantasy-wise.

Travis Outlaw – who I had pegged as a sleeper going into the year – will now be buried behind Anthony. I like D.J. Augustin less on the Nets than I did on the Bobcats because Jordan Farmar is more likely to steal minutes away from him than Shaun Livingston. The rest of the team shouldn’t be affected all that much, although Troy Murphy becomes a much safer draft pick now that Favors is gone.

***

Charlotte Bobcats

PG: Devin Harris, Shaun Livingston, Sherron Collins
SG: Stephen Jackson, Gerald Henderson, Matt Carroll
SF: Gerald Wallace, Eduardo Najera, Dominic McGuire
PF: Tyrus Thomas, Derrick Brown
C: Nazr Mohammed, DeSagana Diop, Kwame Brown

Tyrus Thomas is the big winner here. Thomas could only average 22 minutes a game after being traded to the Bobcats last season, but with Boris Diaw out of the picture, he’ll start and see a big jump in minutes. Harris’ fantasy value shouldn’t change all that much on the Bobcats. Maybe he is asked to do a little less scoring, but a far bigger determinate of his value this season is whether or not he can stay healthy.

Denver Nuggets

PG Chauncey Billups, Ty Lawson, Anthony Carter
SG Arron Afflalo, J.R. Smith
SF Andrei Kirilenko, Renaldo Balkman
PF Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin, Derrick Favors, Shelden Williams
C Nene Hilario, Chris Andersen

Facing the loss of Anthony, the Nuggets are gearing up for a rebuilding process by grabbing draft picks and Derrick Favors. In addition, Kirilenko’s contract expires at the end of this season. For now he’ll fill in the hole left by Anthony. Any potential fantasy impact that Favors had on the Nets this season is down the drain. That’s a lot of depth chart for him to climb through and by all accounts he needs the time to develop anyway. Who is going to pick up the scoring hole left by Anthony? Probably some combination of Billups, Harrington, J.R. Smith and Nene.

Utah Jazz

PG: Deron Williams, Ronnie Price, Sundiata Gaines
SG: C.J. Miles, Raja Bell, Othyus Jeffers
SF: Boris Diaw, Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Evans
PF: Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap
C: Mehmet Okur, Francisco Elson

The trade saves the Utah some money this year, although Jazz fans aren’t exactly excited about swapping AK for Diaw. Fantasy wise, things should not change all that much for Diaw, provided he can stay out of Jerry Sloan’s doghouse.

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Fantasy Basketball Preview: Utah Jazz

Erik — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:05:57 +0000

I can’t even remember the last time the Utah Jazz did not make the Playoffs.

Well actually, I do. (now)

I looked it up.

They’ve managed to qualify over the last three years (2007-2009) but they have had a teeny-tiny, gap in 2004 through 2006. Prior to that three-year break, the Jazz have CONSISTENTLY made the playoffs from 1984 to 2003. Since 1984!

Consistent. That’s simply the best word that can describe the Jazz. But what happened during that three-year gap? It’s simple. Recent Hall of Fame inductee, John Stockton played his last season for the Jazz during the 2002-2003 season, while the 2005-2006 season was Deron Williams‘ rookie year. By the way, 1984, was Stockton’s rookie year.

Call me a mad, conspiracy theorist all you want, but I really think this franchise owes a bulk of its success to the talent and abilities of two of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

Don’t worry. Deron’s still young. He’s going to get there. You’ll see. I’ll throw it down now. D-Will is a future Hall-of-famer.

But calling Deron Williams (of today) “the new John Stockton” of the 80′s,

… is kind of like calling Lady Gaga (today) the “new” Madonna (80′s).

I’m not exactly sure how I came up with the comparison, it seemed like a good idea when it first popped into my head.

Besides, I think you get what I mean. Or maybe not.

What do these modern day icons have in common with their 80′s counterparts?

Well now, where do I begin? They have similar all-star-caliber talent in their respective fields, iconic status, awesomeness, and no NBA championship rings. I’m not too sure if Madonna has one though. Dennis Rodman might have left one of his at her place.

Where the “Deron Winds” blow, so goes the direction of the Utah Jazz, similar to another Western conference team that’s led by a PG who’s name rhymes with “cash”. Now if there’s any truth in that, then the Jazz are in for a blast of a season. I was one of the few, the proud, who personally ranked D-Will in their fantasy top 10 last season. Finally, the rest of the world has now followed suit and is projecting ma’ boi at the appropriate draft bracket.

He’s improved on his threes, steals, and rebounding. I believe that (last season’s improvement) is only the beginning. We’re in for a statistical thrill ride in 2010. He’s got it in him to surpass Wade and Curry in the PG-eligible ranking race, by season’s end.

Since I have a position bias when it comes to fantasy basketball – I love the PG’s, at times a bit too much – I will inhibit myself from further pimping D-Will, lest I be accused of “overselling” the guy. As part of my therapy to become “a better fantasy basketball manager,” I believe I should own up and admit that calling it a bias is actually an understatement. Allow me to illustrate this obsession in video form. In a fantasy basketball draft, the little girl is ME and the stuffed unicorn represents POINT GUARDS.

That says it all. Don’t worry. I’m working on it. As a challenge, I should try to see if I can live with punting assists in one of my head to head leagues this year. We’ll see if I can muster up the conviction, but let’s save that for another post.

*****

Moving on…

As they say, “It’s a team sport,” and this team did quite well during the off-season considering Carlos Boozer, Williams’ primary partner in the Jazz offense, left for more Bullish pastures. Here’s the rest of the crew.

Depth Chart

PG Deron Williams, Earl Watson, Ronnie Price, Sundiata Gaines

SG C.J. Miles, Raja Bell, Othyus Jeffers

SF Andrei Kirilenko, Gordon Hayward

PF Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko

C Al Jefferson, Mehmet Okur

Boozer is gone, but I really feel that Al Jefferson is a legitimate consolation, and actually even a potential upgrade down the road. One of the biggest questions looming over the Jazz at the moment is “How well will Williams and Jefferson jell together as teammates?”

Al Jefferson can potentially provide you with Top-20 caliber value, but he’s clearly going to be available in the third-ish round, so no need to overpay. He’s more than a year removed from his ACL injury and is only now, going to get a chance to be teamed up with an all-star caliber point guard.

In the Boozer vs. Jefferson debates, we can probably put them at par as far as being able to deliver 20-10 scoring and rebounding averages. Boozer will be the more consistent and superior free-throw shooter, while Al will be able to improve on blocks – a dimension sorely lacking in Carlos’ game.

Why is Jefferson starting C and not Mehmet Okur? Okur is currently still undergoing rehab after the repair of his ruptured Achilles. The timetable for his return is still uncertain. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated on his status. For now drop him in your rankings, until better news surfaces.

Everybody’s excited about Paul Millsap this season. People may just be hung up on the “…when Boozer’s gone, Millsap will be a beast!” bandwagon. While that may have been true, Al Jefferson will now be the likely scoring low-post presence and primary lane clogger on defense. Millsap will produce better numbers than he did last season, but it won’t be as mind blowing as many people expect. We’re looking at something like 12-14 PPG, 7-8 RPG, 50+ FG%, FT% in the high 60′s, and roughly one steal and block per night. That projection comes from the ballpark of what he was able to deliver in 2008-2009. He should serve as a solid, second string power forward on most fantasy teams, but that’s as good as I see his fantasy value reaching.

This fantasy preview will not be anywhere near complete without the glaring irony that’s seared into my brain as I was prepping for this post. Two words. Andrei Kirilenko. I have him both high on him possibly making a comeback this season, but at the same time wary that something will conk out in this counting stats generating machine. Quandary? Yes, but not for everyone. Some people have been so burned by AK’s injury history, that they’re simply done with him. Period. On the other hand, there are guys who believe in him, almost religiously. The key with AK and his valuation is to accurately mitigate his potential with his ever-looming injury risk, to come up with a sane ranking.

I know what you’re thinking. You’ve heard this song and dance routine before. So what makes 2010 any different?

AK’s on a contract year this season.
He’s found his way back as a starter.
There isn’t much depth in the Jazz’s front court, so AK will be playing minutes both at the three and four.
Kirilenko will be tasked to be the team’s defensive catalyst from tip-off.

These are some significant differences from last season. Upside? If it looks like upside, feels like upside, and smells like upside; odds are it’s upside.

Make an assumption of X games played. Multiply that with Y, his per game averages, and you should get a rough ball park estimate of his roto value. I would pass on him altogether in the middle rounds if I were in a daily changes league, for fear of X games/weeks of a “dead roster slot.” For weekly set leagues, I’d say his upside is worth gambling on a bit, because you can always sit him on your bench and still feel relatively at ease. We at GMTR are generally averse to drafting “Injury Prone guys,” and yet we’ve got AK-47 pegged at 61st overall, ironically sharing the spot with Yao Ming.

Raja Bell might be a bounce back candidate this season. My Jazz depth chart research has C.J. Miles as the starter at SG. Things might change. If Bell can receive close to 30 minutes a night, which is actually realistic, he might be a good source of threes and the occasional steal. – shades of Phoenix days, but that was several years ago.

September 21, 2010 Update: Earl Watson has just committed to sign a deal with the Jazz. He should be only considered as a draft prospect in the deepest of leagues, but should quickly rise in value if Deron Williams should miss any time due to injury.

So let’s get down to it and bring to you, for your fantasy drafting guidance (12-man), GMTR’s round-by-round advice.

Deron Williams – Round 1 – and that’s not just because Erik thinks he’s so “fluffy!”

Al Jefferson - Late second to early third

Andrei Kirilenko - Round 5; Round 6 – if you’re pessimistic

Paul Millsap – Late 6th

Mehmet Okur – Round 7

Raja Bell – Last Round

If you want a second opinion, you may want to check out fBasketballblog’s analysis of the Jazz.

BONUS: Here are the draft results of a 12-man mock draft I did. I ranked Deron Williams as a seventh pick, and decided to see if I could draft a solid team, around D-Will at 7th overall. I think it went pretty well. What do you think?

1. Deron Williams (Uta – PG)
2. Josh Smith (Atl – PF)
3. Andrea Bargnani (Tor – PF,C)
4. Paul Pierce (Bos – SG,SF)
5. Antawn Jamison (Cle – SF,PF)
6. Kevin Garnett (Bos – PF)
7. Samuel Dalembert (Sac – C)
8. Andre Miller (Por – PG)
9. Anthony Morrow (NJ – SG,SF)
10. Drew Gooden (Mil – PF,C)
11. Wilson Chandler (NY – SF,PF)
12. Mario Chalmers (Mia – PG)
13. Raja Bell (Uta – SG)

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NBA Free Agency: Still waiting for the BIG ONE

Erik — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:13:17 +0000

It seems like the anticipation has been gnawing at everyone for a year. Well actually, it kind of has. We all want to know where LeBron James is going to play in 2010. Many teams and their respective fans are sitting on pins and needles as they eagerly await the results of their sales pitches, campaigns, songs, rallies, billboards, meetings, offerings of cute furry animals to unspeakable deities – just to land LBJ. Thankfully, we’re almost there. ESPN will cover his one-hour special as he will announce to the anxiously waiting millions for his decision. In the meantime, while we all wait, the world (at least the part involved in NBA free agency) is not standing still…

Two down, ONE to go

Dwyane Wade AND Chris Bosh have both agreed to play for the Miami Heat in 2010. The details of their contracts remain pending on James’ decision, as they are both willing to take “less” money in order for the Heat to accommodate LBJ and fill up the rest of its roster. As of now, it’s really to early to project how these two will do in fantasy next season. We, like the rest of the known Universe, will have to see if LeBron will join them; and consequently form a twisted pretzel of stat line reduction between the three of them. Just click “instant replay” on what happened to Kevin Garnett’s stats when he joined Boston to form its Big Three. To be fair, they (he) did manage to win an NBA title. Unfortunately, the Heat’s situation is not as close to Boston model as we’d like to imagine – at least not yet. The role-playing slots still need to be filled, but in a market where there are more willing wallets than there is a supply of unsigned high-grade talent, the Heat might not be able to financially make it all fit.

Assuming they are “it,” I can see them working well as a duo and causing problems versus some opponents. Miami will likely fill up its roster with some players Wade is familiar with. Sadly, a Wade-Bosh tandem alone might not be enough to take on an older and more seasoned Bryant-Gasol juggernaut.

Since indications point to James still be undecided at this hour, this announcement is more a form of a quiet “Red Carpet” being laid out for kingly feet to tread. A carpet, not much unlike a yellow brick road, leading home or an NBA Championship – whichever his highness’ heart so desires most. The question left answered is “If you build it, will HE come?”

On a fantasy level I’m now psyched, more than ever, to own Andrea Bargnani (who I just love in fantasy) in the GMTR Keeper League! It’s all systems go for him to make a big splash in fantasy this season! The TOs will sting a bit, but I have him now penciled in as a third-round fantasy pick. I do expect the Raptors to make further moves, so this ranking is probably going to be a temporary one. For now, I’m going to enjoy it for what it’s worth and while it lasts.

Bulls get Boozer

They’ve wanted a low-post scorer for a long time now. Very long, actually. And so with a five-year, $80 million deal; the Bulls get their wish. This makes a stronger case for Chicago to attract LeBron, as they now arguably have the most balanced core of talented players to support him.

Immediately following its announcement, Wade and Bosh were quick to send out their congratulatory tweets for Boozer.

Wade

Congts 2 1 of the greatest human beings I know “C Booz”. Chicago just won w/ U..

Bosh

Congrats to my fellow gold medalist Carlos Boozer! Very happy for you and your family.

Boozer’s signing extinguishes Taj Gibson’s hopes for fantasy improvement this year. His high conversion rate from close to medium range gives us some hope to see Derrick Rose see some improvement in the assist category. I don’t see any real threat to Joakim Noah’s production. It’s actually a good thing. It allows Noah greater freedom to do what he does best, the “dirty work.” Since Boozer has not ever been known for his defense, expect him to be more of just another chunky body in the lane while, again, Noah will get things done.

When this broke I quickly messaged Nels (our resident Bulls fan) to get a comment about Boozer’s signing with his team. I got an enigmatic reply:

It’s time to get Boozed up.

Now I don’t know whether that was a positive or a negative reaction. People drink for different reasons. Unless of course you’re an alcoholic drunkard and at which case you don’t need a reason. Not that I’m saying Nels has a problem or anything… oh never mind! We’ll have to wait for his (lengthier) response later on.

On the other side of this coin, we turn our attention to the Utah Jazz, the team Boozer left behind. The Paul Millsap stock has risen considerably on our fantasy index. I need to have a pow-wow with the guys and discuss where we should project him to be drafted. Regardless, it would be somewhat oxymoronic – or just plain moronic, really – to peg Paul as a sleeper. He’ll be on everyone’s draft radar. The true challenge will be to not grab him too soon.

Ray Allen signs two-year deal with Celtics

From a fan’s perspective, Patrick will best be able to share how warm and fuzzy this makes him feel that his team will likely have another shot at the title (or two – but I doubt it).

From a fantasy perspective – Yawn! The Celtics, with the exception of Rajon Rondo of course, have become boring, mid-round, fantasy mainstays for some time now and Allen’s return does nothing to improve that status quo.

Kevin Durant signs extension with Thunder

That officially makes Durant the poster boy for fantasy stability at the moment. Expect more of last season, except that his numbers will just get better, juicier, and fantasy-yummier. Nels will be cranking out a team preview for the Thunder some time soon, so I will leave it to him to give you the full low down and breakdown of what to expect from KD and company in 2010.

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Fantasy Stockwatch: The Playoff Effect Part 1

Patrick — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:04:47 +0000

Is it too early to start thinking about next season? After the monstrosity that was the Finals Game 6, I say it is actually the perfect time.

Whether it is fantasy or reality, it’s impossible not to take playoff performance into account when evaluating a player for the upcoming season. Sometimes a guy’s performance is simply a mirage, a player having a hot or cold hand for a couple weeks (remember Tim Thomas’ awesome playoff run in 2006? I bet the small group Clippers fans do). But occasionally it is a real indication of a player taking a step forward or back in their development.

So, here are six guys who looked really good in this year’s playoffs. Will their strong play translate into fantasy value down the road? It absolutely probably will (although I make no guarantees).

After being smoking hot for most of the Cleveland and Orlando series, Rajon Rondo has been all over the place in the Finals. He can be careless with the ball and often makes decisions that would kill John Wooden all over again, but when those behind the back bounce passes are working, he’s one of the better distributors in the league. He’s also one of the best rebounding PGs in the league (5.5 a game in the postseason) and has an improving (although still tentative) jump shot from the top of the key. There isn’t much Rondo can’t do well, except for the deer in headlights look he gets when he gets to the free throw line. Next season, he’s in the discussion among the second tier of PGs after Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

Game 5 of the Finals notwithstanding, Pau Gasol has been a beast for the Lakers throughout the post season. There is nothing pretty about the way Gasol operates, but he’s effective – 19.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks through 22 playoff games. He was also only one assist shy of a triple-double in their Game 6 blowout of the C’s. The only complaint you can make against Gasol is that he’s been criminally underused in the Lakers’ offense, especially considering he’s their most efficient scorer against the Celtics (other than 3rd quarter Kobe). 10 shots in Game 2? 11 in Game 3? As Barkley would say, that’s TERRBULL.

Ultimately, the Jazz couldn’t get it going against the Lakers in the second round of this year’s playoffs, but that had nothing to do with Deron Williams. Without Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, the Jazz had nowhere near the depth to match up against LA. On the other hand, Williams led the team to a first round win over Denver, became only the second player in team history to score 30 points with 10 assists in a playoff game, and became the first player in NBA history to score at least 20 points with 10 assists in five straight playoff games. In fact, he averaged 24 points and 10 assists over the Jazz entire playoff run this year. Best PG in the league right now? I think the argument starts with Williams.

Paul Millsap’s future ultimately depends on how much love has been lost between Carlos Boozer and the Jazz. But if Boozer walks, at least the team knows they have a more than capable replacement in Millsap, who averaged 18 points and 8.8 rebounds in 32 minutes a game these playoffs (thanks to the injuries to Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur). Without the Booz, Millsap instantly becomes a guy capable of 18 and 10 next season. If the Jazz do resign Boozer for some reason, then Millsap should sue the team for assaulting his basketball career.

Although the Bulls only lasted five games against LeBron and the Cleveland Cavs, both Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah demonstrated that they are the foundation of a championship caliber team. Rose averaged 26.8 points and 7.2 assists in the playoffs, while Noah averaged a double-double (14.8 points and 13 boards). There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding the Bulls this offseason and they could certainly use an upgrade at every position not played by Rose or Noah (I know a small forward who is currently looking for work), but I can count on one finger the number of other teams that have two young players as good as these guys.

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Day 106 of 170: Booze Cruise

Nels — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:12:41 +0000

Don’t Forget: Play GMTR’s Weekly Fantasy Game. This week it’s contest #96819. Invite code is: GMTR.

Line of the Night: Carlos Boozer (1.54) was injured? I hadn’t noticed. Boozer overfilled his red plastic cup with 34 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. The 76% from the field and 89% from the line is probably enough to get you love drunk off his humps.

Honorable Mentions: Mike Miller (1.32) had his first big game in a while with 19 points (3 threes), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He beat out Boozer in one category by shooting 80% from the field. (Okay, yes, he also beat him in blocks)

Wilson Chandler (1.08) topped Boozer in Points with 35 points. His other numbers weren’t quite as impressive, but you can’t really argue with 2 steals and 2 blocks no matter what else is there.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Donte Green (0.78) is probably someone you should pick up. His big minutes recently haven’t translated into good games on a consistent basis, but if you look at the 24 points (4 threes), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and the steal from last night, well, he’s probably got more potential than at least one of the guys littering your bench.

The Biggest Loser: It’s kind of hard to pick on Chris Kaman (-0.69) when he had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and a block, but when BasketballMonster says he’s 3rd from the bottom (of 228 players!) it’s hard to ignore. How did he get so far down there? Well, he shot 36% from the field (certainly not fantasy friendly for the Big Ball teams for which he usually starts) and 64% from the line (with 14 attempts), and turned the ball over like a drunken booze cruiser 6 times.

All Eyez On Me: Another solid night of games tonight before the All Star Break (which means another good Weekly Fantasy Game).

In particular: The Lakers @ Utah (More Boozing it up!), Boston @ New Orleans (How’s Peja looking these days?), and Portland @ Phoenix (potential playoff matchup!).

The Golden Ticket: Besides the Phoenix/Portland game, the Clippers hold the Golden Ticket, playing tonight in Golden State. Also, Orlando is in Chicago, and with Joakim Noah resting and Tyrus Thomas “inactive”, expect Dwight Howard to put up some big numbers against a front line of Brad Miller and Chris Richard (can we really count Taj Gibson where Dwight Howard is concerned?).

—–

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