Give Me The Rock

Day 135 of 170: I win for me! FOR ME!

Patrick — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:08:24 +0000

Line of the Night: Jason Kidd (1.31). Playing his former team in the Nets, Kidd finished with 20 points, 9 assists and 4 steals in 44 minutes on the court. He was also 5-8 from three in the game as the Mavs won 96-87. This brings up the interesting question, after being left for dead in a lot of drafts this season, where do you think Kidd gets drafted next year?

Dear Jason Kidd, try not to look so old…

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Honorable Mentions: Rasheed Wallace (1.01) is owned in an insane 76% of leagues. Really, that’s crazy based on his 9 points and 4 rebounds this year. Wallace didn’t exactly help the Celtics offensively last night as they got embarrassed against the Grizzlies – he only scored 11 points in 22 minutes on the court – but he did boost his fantasy line with 6 steals and 3 blocks. Believe it or not, that is good enough for the third best line of the night; Dwyane Wade (0.95) had 27 points and 8 assists and he was also 15-17 from the line; and Rudy Gay (0.92) scored 28 points with 8 rebounds in a win over the Celtics, but more importantly, he turned the Boston crowd against the C’s like Rocky against Ivan Drago.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Rasual Butler (1.21) has been starting for the Clippers for most of the season and is still only owned in 45% of leagues, which is an indication of just how mediocre a player he has been this season. But Butler has been known to bust out every once in a while and last night he was 12-19 from the field to finish with 31 points and 6 threes against the Heat. He’s a decent addition in deep leagues, but a little too inconsistent for the average fantasy league.

Carlos Arroyo (-0.32) still started for the Heat last night, but Mario Chalmers (0.65) got the bulk of the minutes, finishing with 12 points, 6 assists and 4 threes. Keep an eye on the playing time situation there.

The Biggest Loser: As tempted as I am to nominate Kendrick Perkins (-0.54) for the second straight day (or the Celtics in general), I’ve got to go with Dirk Nowitzki (-0.51) and his 3-16 shooting night. Dirk did power his way to 12 points, 5 boards and 4 assists, but also turned the ball over 5 times. Bad shooting + turnovers is a quick recipe for failure when you’re talking fantasy basketball.

The Weekly GMTR FreeRoll (where Roger Mason can suck it): Congrats to long-time GMTR friend doneycat for his win in this week’s GMTR fantasy game on 365 Fantasy Sports. It was a close one this week as only 7 points separated first from fourth. In a week where there was slim pickings at a lot of positions, doneycat had solid picks from start to finish, especially at the very tough flex spots, where both Kris Humphries (13 points, 8 boards) and Wes Matthews (14 points) came through for him.

All Eyez on Me:

Three games tonight and all are fairly decent fantasy ones. Portland (38-28) at Golden State (17-46) is your golden ticket game. In case you are still holding onto him, Andris Biedrins is mercifully done for the year after getting abdominal surgery earlier this week. That means Anthony Tolliver and Chris Hunter are guys who are going to get a lot of play the rest of the season. And some rookie named Reggie Williams got 34 minutes off the bench in the Warriors last game.

Chicago (31-32) at Orlando (45-20) – Means great things for the Magic’s offense, but especially Dwight Howard.

Atlanta (40-23) at Washington (21-40) – Something we like to call a leading indicator… Andray Blatche has been playing like a beast since the trade deadline, but there are some troubling signs to his game. First, he’s turning the ball over at an insane rate; he’s had games of 5, 4, 6, and 8 turnovers in the past couple weeks. Second, because of the turnovers, coach Flip Saunders can’t actually trust Blatche to be on the court when it matters. Blatche was on the bench at the end of the Wizards/Rockets game on the 9th because he had been a turnover machine in the game prior to that.

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Where NBA Commercials Happen

Nels — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:04:11 +0000

Bull Bear Sock has collected the newest NBA commercials for you. Just wanted to throw that out there cause I agree with ‘jammaster2j’ that they’re awesome.

My favorite is the Clutch one with Kobe saying “I knew I had to knock it down.” Which one do you like?

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Day 134 of 170: Jarrett Jack will show you efficiency; Kobe Bryant will show you a W

Nels — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:32:28 +0000

Don’t Forget: Wednesday means it’s time for GMTR’s Weekly Fantasy Game. 5 people have already signed up! What are you waiting for?

Line of the Night: Jarrett Jack (1.45) shot 4-8 from the field and 8-8 from the line to end with 18 points (2 threes) and 0 turnovers. He also grabbed 7 rebounds, had 7 assists, adding 3 steals and a block. Finally makes it worth my drafting him in 3 out of 4 leagues.

Honorable Mentions: You have to go down to #15 before you get to Kobe Bryant, so we won’t be honoring him beyond his game winner. Andrew Bogut (1.44) on the other hand, was #2 on the night and his team won. Bogut had 25 and 17 with 4 blocks. Deron Williams (1.33) had 28 and 17 – assists, in his case – with 3 threes. CJ Miles (1.01) tossed in 6 three pointers en route to 26 points. Normally, that would be good enough for Waiver Wire Line of the Night, but he shot 75% which is over the fluke threshold. And if you look at his game log, it was definitely a fluke.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Unfortunately, after Miles comes fellow Utah guard Wesley Matthews (0.95) who passes the FG% fluke threshold test, but only barely. Matthews main value comes from the 5 steals he had, but considering he’s averaging 0.6 steals per game for the season, I’d say there’s a fluke threshold that’s been passed there. He’s been scoring in double digits for a few games, and if you’re in a very deep league with a need for some PG skills on your team, then give Matthews a look.

Now since that was kind of a crap ass WWLotN, here’s some recent transactions from the GMTR Readers Leagues to look over:

Add: Jason Thompson (Sac – SF,PF,C)
Drop: Randy Foye (Was – PG,SG)

Add: Charlie Villanueva (Det – SF,PF)
Drop: Sergio Rodriguez (NY – PG)

Add: Jrue Holiday (Phi – PG,SG)
Drop: Eddie House (NY – PG,SG)

The Biggest Loser: He’s only owned in 63% of leagues, and based on recent performance, he’s probably started in a much lower percent than that, but [update]Kendrick Perkins’[/update] (-0.59) 3-9 from the field is going to hurt the Big Ball type teams he was probably drafted for. The 0-2 from the line probably doesn’t hurt as much, and the 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block at least pay lip service to offsetting the FG%. It’s also quite a ways up the list before we find another decent TBL candidate (which I’d say is Tyrus Thomas who appears to have already fallen out of favor with Larry Brown).

The Golden Ticket: Who to look at for the GMTR FreeRoll tonight? Hmmmm… Well, New York is in San Antonio, so someone on the Spurs is probably going to exceed their usual level of statistical output. Other than that? Honestly, it’s tough to say.

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Day 133 of 170: Where Shots are Falling and Manu is Smiling

Patrick — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:22:11 +0000

Line of the Night: Despite the season high 38 points for Manu Ginobili (1.39), the hurting Spurs lost a close game to the more hurting Cavs, 97-95. In additional to the great scoring game, Ginobili had 7 rebounds, 5 assists and was 7-11 from three. With Tony Parker expected to miss the next 6 weeks with a broken finger, the Spurs are going to lean heavy on Ginobili to make sure they can get into the playoffs. And I’m sure that Ginobili is willing to take on that burden as he is a free agent at the end of the season.

Honorable Mentions: Al Jefferson (1.14) pulled down a 36 and 13 against Dallas after returning from a two-game suspension for pulling a Vin Baker; Anthony Morrow (0.93) scored 28 points for the Warriors on a Jimmy Chitwood-like 11-13 shooting from the field; David West (0.80) wasn’t so bad himself with a 28 and 13 on 11-16 shooting; and Shawn Marion (0.70) partied like it was 2003 with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals in a win over the Wolves.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: You have to go way down the list today before you find Devean George (0.39), he of the Warriors of Golden State. George was 7-11 from the floor (including 4-7 from three) scoring 18 points in 30 minutes of run. Considering that in the two games prior to this one George racked up a DNP in one game and 9 minutes in the other, and I think you can safely stay away from him for now.

If you really want to pick up a Warrior (and who doesn’t really), you’re better off going with CJ Watson (0.34), who only scored 12 points yesterday, but complemented that with 7 assists and 3 steals in 38 minutes on the court.

And with Zach Randolph sitting due to a stiff back, DeMarre Carroll (0.35) and his fine mane of hair got 25 minutes of run and finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Randolph is currently day-to-day, so Carroll’s run will be short lived.

Best Possible Injury Ramification of the Night: With Erick Dampier out due to Skeletor fingers and Brendan Haywood basically unable to play with old man back, Dirk Nowitzki (0.50) started at center for the Mavs. A week or two more of this and Dirk will likely have that all important C eligibility back next season.

The Biggest Loser: Well, the Sergio Rodriguez (-0.74) as a viable fantasy player project was dead on arrival. Yesterday, Rodriguez’s 4 assists were overshadowed by his 6 turnovers. He’ll continue to get run out there because the Knicks have no other options (with the exception of the glorious return of Chris Duhon) but the same does not have to happen to your fantasy team.

Kevin Love (-0.46) only got 12 minutes for the Wolves last night. I thought he might have been hurt, but no, I guess they were just too busy playing Sasha Pavlovic and Darko Milicic to worry about Love.

All Eyez on Me:

Toronto (32-29) at Los Angeles (46-18) – Toronto heads to LA to take on the Lakers, who are in full panic mode as they try to avoid four straight losses for the first time in three years.

Miami (32-31) at Charlotte (30-31) – This is what passes for a game with playoff implications in the Eastern Conference. Carlos Arroyo becomes a player to add after the team suspended Rafer Alston indefinitely after he pulled a Peter Gibbons and decided he’s not going to go to work anymore.

Office Space- not going to work

diddley | MySpace Video

Don’t Forget: Play GMTR’s Weekly Fantasy Game tomorrow. Don’t you want your chance to get destroyed by me?

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Day 132 of 170: I dropped Thaddeus Young. You are welcome.

Nels — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:34:59 +0000

Line of the Night: Maybe I think this is just something that happens to me because I pay closest attention to my own transactions, but, I mean, really? The day I drop Thaddeus Young (1.29) he outplays Kobe Bryant (not in an actual game, just fantasy) for the Line of the Night. Of course, looking at my other leagues now (as I’m wont to do on Mondays), I see that Patrick also dropped Thaddeus Young yesterday. He for Rodrigue Beaubois. At least I got Channing Frye to replace Young. (Of course, now I read that Frye may be suspended for throwing a punch, which, according to one post I read, probably didn’t actually happen)

I can’t hate on Thaddeus too much though, because his 3 three-pointers did win me that category. His 32 points didn’t do much since I had already lost that category, but I’m sure it was good for some people. Same thing for the 4 steals.

Honorable Mentions: Kobe Bryant (1.12) was the second best line with 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, but he missed a few too many shots late for the Lakers to overcome the Magic.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Jrue Holiday (0.89) was another 76er to put up some nice numbers, and even better, he’s only owned in 10% of leagues. He’s not consistent by any unit of measurement, but with Iverson finally officially out, he’s got the opportunity to get into a groove and put up lines like 21 points (3 threes), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks on a more regular basis. Don’t forget to check the GMTR Fantasy Basketball Schedule Grid when making your free agent selections.

The Biggest Loser: I’m not sure if it’s irony (who knows how to use that word correctly?), but we just posted about this guy as one of the biggest free agent busts: Ben Gordon (-0.53) got another 26 minutes to try to do something for the Pistons. Gordon managed 6 points on 1-7 from the field, adding 2 rebounds and 2 turnovers. He was 4 of 4 from the line, so there’s that.

This brings me (sort of) to something I wanted to talk about it bit, so I’ll slide it in here. That’s what she said.

Now, this has more to do with being a basketball fan than it does with fantasy basketball, really, but let’s just get into it: Anyone can play for 30 games. It’s a similar axiom to People will play harder in contract years. This new one though, I’ve created because, well, trades. Look at John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas. Traded from the Bulls (thus why they are close to my heart and this example), they have really stepped it up with their new teams. I believe this especially applies to a player like Tyrus with the fiery emotions. When a player gets traded right before the deadline, they get a built in chip on their shoulder. But how long can a player play with a chip on their shoulder? The best players can do it their entire careers. Those kinds of players don’t usually get traded right before the trade deadline, though. So, how long is that chip going to stay there for an average or even above average player? Will it stand the test of a lazy off-season, the same old boring training camp, and the lethargy that is the 82 of the NBA season? I doubt it. Which is to say, as a fan, don’t despair if your team traded someone who’s blowing up.

I’m pretty sure this can apply to Houston Rockets fans as well as Bulls fans. Trust me, there Rocketeers, you’ve been burned by Tracy McGrady too many times. Don’t think that just because he’s playing well for the Knicks means you should have maybe kept him around. Not only is he playing off a trade, but he’s also playing for a new contract. How’s that for double dipping?

Just remember, the best players in the league are the best because they play well for more than 30 games a season.

All Eyez On Me: San Antonio will test their potential as a Championship contender against Cleveland.

The Golden Ticket: Atlanta is at New York. Atlanta is a pretty slow team (which always surprises me considering the young, athletic players they have), but I’m sure NY can bring some spring to their step.

Golden State is still just basically running up and down the court with no regard for the actual game of basketball. Tonight, they see how many times they can cross half court against New Orleans.

Don’t Forget: Play GMTR’s Weekly Fantasy Game. No, really. It’s fun!

And now, since I’ve been fairly limited in my range of Tiny Dancer presentations, I’m going to give you some Philadelphia 76ers Dancers action right now:

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Day 131 of 170: Allen Iverson has 99 Problems and a Bitch is One

Patrick — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:13:34 +0000

Line of the Night: Not often does the best line of the day involve a guy who played only 26 minutes. But Roy Hibbert (1.03) is not your average 7 foot, 2 inch man. The Indiana center finished with 22 points on 12-12 shooting from the line (nice touch) to go with 6 rebounds and 5 blocked shots against the Suns. Hibbert has been a solid big man this season ultimately undone by his inconsistency on a night-to-night basis. He currently sits at #124 on our per game player rater despite the occasional game like this one.

Honorable Mentions: The Hawks had no answer for Dwyane Wade (1.02) who scored 38 points with 10 assists and 4 threes (but rarely does any team have an answer); Kevin Martin (0.93) was 4-10 from three and scored 30 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. It is the third time he’s hit 30+ points in a game since joining the Rockets; and Antawn Jamison (0.93) led the LeBron-less Cavs all the way to a 92-85 loss to the Bucks. But Jamison was one of the few bright spots for Cleveland in the game with 30 points, 11 boards and 5 steals.

***

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Quentin Richardson (0.85) exploded for 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 threes in 39 minutes against the Hawks. This comes after a 25 point game on the 4th and a 15 point game on the 2nd. Would pick up Richardson? Nah, I’ve already been burned too many times by him. But if you’ve never had the joy of Richardson on your team, give it a try and report back to us how it made you feel.

With Jason Terry out for the next couple of weeks with a broken face, Rodrigue Beaubois (0.82) got the start for the Mavs (which is strange when you think about it since Terry wasn’t starting). But Beaubois proved he deserved the start by scoring 24 points on 10-17 shooting, adding 5 boards and 5 rebounds. He makes a great short-term add while Terry is out.

Injury of the Night: Tony Parker (-0.35) broke a bone in his right hand during the first half of a game in Memphis diving to the floor for a loose ball. May this be a lesson to all the kids about what happens to people who try hard… life burns you. Parker will be out for the next six weeks (read: the rest of the regular season), so immediately grab George Hill if he’s available, who will take over for Parker at the point. Those of you in deeper leagues may also want to take a look at Roger Mason, who will likely start at shooting guard alongside Hill.

The Biggest Loser: You could make a strong case to permanently give this award to Allen Iverson and his crumbling personal life – including his wife filing for divorce – after reading this article on Philly.com (via Ball Don’t Lie). But, mostly you just feel sad.

As far as on the court performances go, Luol Deng (-0.48) scored only 6 points on 2-8 shooting, with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a Bulls’ loss to Dallas.

All Eyez on Me: I’m not sure where you are going to find the time to watch basketball while you are consuming all things Academy Awards, including 12 hours of red carpet pre-show, but maybe during the commercials you can check out a little of…

Los Angeles (46-17) at Orlando (43-20) – Clearly the best game of the day and a rematch of last year’s finals. And a look at the age old question: Why is Derek Fisher still starting for the Lakers?

Michael Finley is expected to make his debut for the Celtics, which would have more meaning if Finley had been fantasy relevant anytime in the past 5 years. But the player to watch in this one is JaVale McGee. Time to see what, if anything, he can do against the Celtics after pulling down a double-double in the Wizards last game.

Portland (37-27) at Denver (41-21) – Carmelo Anthony is getting IV’s before games to combat dehydration (I usually go with water myself, but whatever), Ty Lawson is expected to miss this game with a left shoulder injury and Kenyon Martin is day-to-day with a knee injury. What does that all mean? Hello Chris Andersen.

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Fantasy Basketball Roundtable: Biggest Free-Agent Busts

Patrick — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:58:38 +0000

This week’s fantasy basketball roundtable was hosted by Brian Spencer of Empty the Bench. He wanted to know:

Who’s the biggest bust of last summer’s free-agent class, and what will it take for him to turn it around next season?

Joining the discussion this week are:
Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench
Tommy Beer: Hoopsworld
Ryan Lester: Lester’s Legends
Patrick Madden: Give Me the Rock

You can read the entire post over on Empty the Bench. Here is my response to that question:

The Pistons have two of the most disappointing free agent signings from the summer of 09 in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Choosing which one has been more disappointing this year is like choosing which one of your children is a bigger failure at life. That being said, Gordon did have slightly higher expectations going into this season (he was drafted at 60.3 in the average ESPN fantasy league compared to 79.6 for Villanueva) and is getting paid $20 million more than Charlie V. So Ben Gordon it is.

Other than the first few weeks of the season when Rip Hamilton was hurt, not much has gone right for Gordon this season. He’s missed 19 games with ankle and groin injuries and has struggled to find both his shot and his role with the team since returning from injury. In last night’s game against the Celtics, for example, Gordon finished 2 of 8 from the floor with 8 points in 26 minutes and was taken out of the game after Nate Robinson torched him for 14 points in 15 minutes on the court.

There are a number of factors affecting Gordon’s game this season: the injuries of course, but also Coach John Kuester’s inconsistent rotations and Gordon’s own subpar defense. However, I think Gordon’s problems can basically be boiled down to this fact: the Pistons don’t need Ben Gordon as long as they have Rip Hamilton, who fills the same role as Gordon and is still a better player than him even at 32. As I read the other day, it is tough for Gordon to get involved in the Pistons’ offense when it consists of them running screens for Hamilton. Add in the fact that he plays alongside two scoring point guards and you have a situation where Gordon has the ball in his hands a lot less than he did in Chicago. And that’s when his defensive deficiencies begin to catch up with him.

What can Gordon do to turn things around? Well, maiming Rip Hamilton would be a start. Nothing serious, a pipe to the knee should be enough. But seriously, Ben Gordon’s future is directly influenced by Hamilton. The Pistons have made some rumblings about trading Rip this offseason and – if they were smart – that is exactly what they’d do. If Hamilton goes, then Ben Gordon is in for a bounce back season and should be on everyone’s sleeper lists come October. If not, then Gordon might be on track to become one of the great free agent busts of recent history.

Previous Roudtable Discussions:
- Change is a Good Thing in Fantasy Hoops
- Where will LeBron, Wade, and Bosh Play Next Season?
- Which NBA Team is the Least Fantasy Friendly?
- Iverson or McGrady in Fantasy Hoops?

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No Related Post

NBA All Star “Oscar Robertson” Awards

Nels — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:20:46 +0000

http://oscar.go.com/media/2010/html/print10.html

Now there are clearly a couple different ways we could go with this… e.g., making fun of players by calling them actors (Manu Ginobili, I’m looking at you), but that seems a bit cheap, so I’m going to try to limit the number of easy jokes I make at the expensive of large egos. Instead, I am going to combine cheap’n'easy jokes, cute comparisons of current NBA All Stars with current Oscar nominations, and a couple other things that will take the Oscar analogy to a whole different level. Of course, whether that level is above or below the other level remains to be seen.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role: Rajon Rondo, America’s Next Top Model

Performance by an actor in a leading role: Dwyane Wade, A Single Man

Achievement in sound editing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95WKVUnXNe4

Best visual effects: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYX2nfFa6TU

Best foreign language film of the year: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Best documentary short subject: Chris Paul, The Hurt Locker

Best documentary feature: LeBron James, More Than A Game

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song): Forever from More Than A Game

Achievement in directing: Steve Nash, Steve Nash’s Avatar

Lifetime Achievement Award (aka Thanks For Everything, Old Man Award): Allen Iverson for his work with the Philadelphia 76ers

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Derrick Rose, Up

Finally, while Dwight Howard and Deron Williams gave fairly decent performances in their respective TNT commercials as Super Dwight and Dizzy Deron, they were basically playing themselves, so, even though they were with someone who was actually acting, they were ineligible for any awards.

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Day 130 of 170: The Rodney Stuckey Scare

Patrick — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:13:00 +0000

Line of the Night: Lebron James (1.66). Who did you think it was going to be? LeBron dropped 40 in a Cavs win over the Pistons, adding 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 threes and 2 blocks. And in last night’s game, LeBron already became the Cavs franchise leader in minutes played, passing Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Honorable Mentions: Mike Bibby (1.2) is still owned in a surprising 72% of leagues out there considering he’s averaging a Luke Ridnour-esque 9 points and 4 assists on the season. But last night his shot was falling as he was 8-10 from the floor and 7-9 from three to finish with 23 points. Do yourself a favor and don’t expect him to do that again (this game came against Golden State and Joe Johnson was a non-factor in the game due to everyone’s favorite condition – flu-like symptoms)

The Pacers might be a punching bag of a team, but Danny Granger (1.19) is the lone Pacer with some fight left in him as he dropped 32 points, hitting 4 threes and blocking a couple shots against the Nuggets. Of course, the Pacers still got wailed on by Denver, but that’s a story for a different blog.

***

David West (1.19) finished with a 22, 9, and 7 with 4 steals and 2 blocks in a loss to the Spurs; Dirk Nowitzki (1.03) scored 31 points with 12 boards against the Kings; and unlike most rookies who have hit the wall by now, Stephen Curry (1.1) seems to be getting better as the season moves on. He scored 31 points with 11 assists and 5 threes against the Hawks. The only thing that kept him down were 7 turnovers. But 7 Golden State turnovers are more like 4 regular turnovers when you factor in the exchange rate.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: James Harden (0.84). It’s been a while since the best player for OKC in a game hasn’t been Kevin Durant (0.95). And that’s still not going to happen as Durant finished with a team-high 32 and 9 against the Clippers. But Harden was a strong second banana in this one, coming off the bench to score 17 points, with 3 threes and a couple blocks in 28 minutes. Harden has been getting a solid 25+ minutes off the bench for the Thunder and is playing much better recently than paper starter Thabo Sefolosha (-0.19), who had no points in 20 minutes yesterday.

To show you exactly how much the average person cares about fantasy basketball this time of year, Anthony Tolliver (0.81), a C eligible player who is currently starting for the Golden State Warriors, is only owned in 13% of Yahoo leagues. Tolliver finished with a 20 and 7, adding a season high 4 threes in 44 minutes of run. Grab him if he’s available.

Unfortunately Injury of the Night: Rodney Stuckey collapsed in the third quarter of the Pistons/Cavs game last night and had to be brought to the hospital. I’ve heard conflicting reports abut whether it was a seizure or not, but a similar thing happened to Stuckey last season as well. Regardless, likely be out for a while as they attempt to diagnose and treat whatever happened.

The Biggest Loser: Despite the BM player rater hating Tracy McGrady’s (-0.63) performance, I’m willing to give his 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists a pass, even if it did come with 6 turnovers. Rather, Baron Davis (-0.58) chucked his way to a 2-11 shooting performance, scoring 6 points. He did have 6 assists, but that was the only other redeeming part of his game. In fact, the Clippers as a team shot 37% against the Thunder, “led” by Davis, Eric Gordon (-0.48) who was 3-11, and Steve Blake (-0.28), who was 1-6.

All Eyez on Me:

Atlanta (40-21) at Miami (31-31) – Joe Johnson takes his flu-like symptoms to a place that has produced flu-like symptoms for many an NBA player. And speaking of that, Michael Beasley might as well be playing with the flu. Since the all-star break, he’s shot 38% from the floor, averaging only 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds a game during that span. The sophomore wall?

New Jersey (6-55) at New York (21-40) – The battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of New Yorkers everywhere. Ok, maybe not so much. Chris Douglas-Roberts will likely get the start as Courtney Lee is expected to miss his 4th straight game with an injury.

The Golden Ticket: Golden State (17-44) at Charlotte (29-31) – Golden State heads to Charlotte to face off against their former leader in Stephen Jackson. Corey Maggette returned for the Warriors last night after missing 6 straight games with a strained hamstring, so get him back in your lineups asap.

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Day 129 of 170: Many Will Enter, Few Will Win

Nels — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:20:27 +0000

Zach Randolph (0.88) with his 31 and 18? Kobe Bryant (0.54) with his 39 points? Deron Williams (0.77) with his 27 points as part of a 41 point Jazz 4th quarter hammer?

Line of the Night: Nope. Quentin Richardson (1.26) dropped 7 three pointers on 61% shooting, adding 3 steals and a block. Richardson also qualified as the Waiver Wire Line of the Night, so give him that award, but don’t pick him up. His minutes for the Heat look like a roller coaster (no, seriously, I graphed them in Excel). This was his best performance in the past month by almost 2 Basketball Monster points (and that’s kind of a big deal).

The Biggest Loser: Pau Gasol (-0.45) didn’t do much to help Kobe out against the Heat. Gasol had 10 points and 9 rebounds, but shot only 36% from the field and 2-4 from the line. Good thing Miami will be out of the playoffs before the Lakers ever have to even imagine playing against them.

All Eyez On Me: The NBA is clearly setting up for two nationally televised games on Sunday with a bunch of crappy match-ups tonight. Record-for-record, the best we’ve got is New Orleans @ San Antonio. Yawn. Lucky for fantasy owners, there’s some good Golden Ticket action on the slate.

The Golden Ticket: New York @ Toronto – Chris Bosh is expected to be back, so there goes my hopes and dreams of a monster game from David Lee. Of course, he might just have one anyway.

Indiana brings their punching bag game to Denver. Let’s see if they can keep it close enough for Carmelo and JR Smith to keep bombing for 4 quarters.

Golden State is at Atlanta, so big opportunities for the slow-slow-slow Hawks if they can pick things up. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Jamal Crawford, right?

And finally, Friday’s Tiny Dancer: Quentin Richard is probably going to go back to hanging out with these ladies instead of practicing now.

Don’t Forget: Play GMTR’s Weekly Fantasy Game. No, really. It’s fun!

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