For each installment of “Catching the Buzz”, I’ll pull the most notable names from Yahoo!’s Buzz Index over the past three days and discuss the circumstances surrounding their surplus transaction activity. To view the Buzz Index yourself, visit one of your league’s homepages and add “/buzzindex” to the end of the URL. An example: http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/55915/buzzindex
STOCK RISING
• Andray Blatche – 8,885 adds
Blatche has put together some pretty good lines against fantasy-friendly competition over his past five games (13 points on 54 percent shooting, 7.6 boards, 3 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks). If you look a bit deeper, however, you’ll see that the 23-year-old’s stint as a starter has been largely successful – 11.3 points on 49 percent shooting, 6.5 boards, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 19 games. Given his success and his relative lack of competition for playing time, there aren’t many good reasons for his low percent-owned number (37 percent in Yahoo! leagues).
• Matt Bonner – 6,164 adds
Bonner is one of those players who have to be looked at from an overall perspective. On a game-to-game basis, he’s frustrating, as evidenced by seven total points over the past two games; but take a look at his averages in 26 games since November 29 – which include 9.3 points on 54 percent shooting, 1.6 threes, 5.5 boards, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks – and you can see that he’s definitely a fantasy asset, albeit a specialized one. Given the fact that the Spurs are 19-6 since Bonner joined the starting lineup, you can bet that his role is set (as is Kurt Thomas‘ as a reserve) and his long-term prospects are fairly solid.
• Jason Thompson – 5,999 adds
Thompson has established that he deserves widespread fantasy consideration when he’s in the starting five. His numbers in 16 starts include 11.6 points on 52 percent shooting, 7.3 boards, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 29 minutes, very close to the numbers he’s posted in six games since rejoining the Kings’ lineup. Feel free to plan accordingly, and keep in mind that a Brad Miller trade would also work in his favor in terms of expected playing time.
• Luke Ridnour – 5,965 adds
I’ve wanted to see Ramon Sessions let loose as much as anyone, but it’s been perfectly clear for a while now that Ridnour was Scott Skiles’ guy at PG. Despite averages of 11.9 points on 47 percent shooting, 0.8 threes, 3.5 boards, 5.8 assists (versus just 1.8 turnovers), and 1.7 steals over his past 26 games – and a per-game rank of 46th over that stretch – he’s still only making slow, steady progress in terms of percent-owned numbers (he’s currently at 60 percent in Yahoo! leagues). There’s little reason to expect a drop-off in production over the remainder of the season, although h2h owners should note that the Bucks have the fewest games remaining to be played in the league.
• Tyrus Thomas – 5,502 adds
Thomas is another player in the mold of Bonner in that from a game-to-game perspective he’s maddening, but his cumulative numbers look pretty good. He’s had peaks and valleys since joining the Bulls’ starting lineup on December 26, but overall has averaged 10.1 points on 46 percent shooting, 5.2 boards, 1.2 steals, and 2.1 blocks, while making 83 percent of 54 free throws (15 games). His ceiling still remains a huge question mark, but for now those numbers do play in fantasy leagues.
• Quentin Richardson – 5,160 adds
Q-Rich is a tease. Every once in a while the threes fall for a game or two and fantasy owners think he’s worth a pickup. He’s scored more than 20 points on eight games on the season, including this past Monday. His averages in those games: 26 points on 51 percent shooting, 4.8 threes, and 6.5 boards. Those are a stark contrast to his other 31 games on the season: 8 points on 34 percent shooting, 1.3 threes, and 4.5 boards. Good luck playing the guessing game there.
• DeAndre Jordan – 2,114 adds
I would seriously consider picking up Jordan if you’ve got an expendable player, if only through the end of the week. Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, and Zach Randolph remain sidelined, and the Clippers face the Thunder on Friday and the Warriors on Sunday (click here to see what I’m talking about).
• Danilo Gallinari – 1,801 adds
Gallinari caused a bit of a ruckus in his first action since October, totaling 15 points, three treys, two steals, and two blocks in 31 minutes between two games. He’s still dealing with back discomfort, however, and Mike D’Antoni isn’t in a huge rush to pile minutes on him. “He’s got a long career and a long time this year to get back,” said D’Antoni. “We don’t need to push it.” Deep-leaguers who need threes should consider his services, but he remains a long-shot to make an impact in standard leagues.
STOCK FALLING
• Mike Miller – 3,045 drops
Miller is one of the top candidates for most disappointing player of the season. His ankle is still not all the way back and while he won’t call it the reason for his shooting slump (.333 FG%, .179 3PT% in January), it makes sense for us to put much of the blame there. Those of you looking for reasons for optimism should consider that he’s posted fairly solid supporting stats while averaging 26 minutes over the past three games (5.7 boards, 4.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks).
• Larry Hughes – 3,203 drops
Hughes has been getting dropped because he’s clearly out of the Bulls’ plans (five straight DNP-CD’s), but talks of a trade with the Nets (for Bobby Simmons) has at least kept him on the fantasy radar. The latest update is that the trade probably isn’t going to happen – in part because if it were, it probably would have already happened, and in part because the Nets have concerns about trading a strong locker room guy in Simmons for what isn’t likely to be much of an offensive upgrade and is a questionable fit. Hughes is a slasher, and the Nets already have high-usage players of the same mold in Devin Harris and Vince Carter.
• Anderson Varejao – 4,387 drops
A poor three-game stint (15 points, 10 boards combined) is likely what cost him his roster spot in many leagues, but he followed it up with 10 points, 12 boards, one steal, and three blocks on Monday and overall has been solid as a starter (11.8 points on 52 percent shooting, 7.4 boards, 1.2 steals, and 1 block in 11 games). Zydrunas Ilgauskas is still around 10 days away and will be brought along slowly when he does return, so I’m not parting ways with Varejao just yet.
• Nick Young – 4,689 drops
If there was a team you wouldn’t think would break Young’s streak of double-digit scoring efforts, it’s the Warriors, but that’s what happened on Monday. He had averaged 23.2 points on 66 percent shooting in five games prior, but went for seven points on 2-of-9 shooting at Golden State. His supporting stats continue to be next-to-nil (2 boards, 1.2 assists, 1.7 turnovers, 0.2 steals over the past six games), so he’ll barely contribute when he’s not at his absolute best.
• Nenad Krstic – 4,801 drops
The folks you see already bailing on Krstic are probably the ones that used a waiver claim on him in a standard league. If your expectations were a best-case scenario from the outset (say, his 2006-07 per-game numbers), then you just were setting yourself up for a let-down. In deeper leagues, it still makes sense to hold on to Krstic as he becomes more and more familiar with his new playbook and teammates – Nick Collison is on the block and Krstic is clearly their future at the five.
• Delonte West – 13,912 drops
The Cavs and West’s fantasy owners suffered a big loss when he fractured his wrist, an injury that could keep him out up to six weeks. The fact that it was his non-shooting (right) wrist puts a bit more of a positive spin on his eventual return, and you should pay particular attention to updates out of Cleveland if West hit waivers in your league. In two starts in West’s stead, Sasha Pavlovic has averaged 15.5 points on 57 percent shooting, 3 treys, and 1.5 steals in 39 minutes.
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I’ve learned to love Tyrus. As long as he’s putting up defensive numbers, I don’t care if he has a 6 point game. 7 blocks for me in 2 games this week.
Sessions had a strong game tonight, and more minutes than Ridnour. Skiles was OK with this??
blowout win + showcasing, perhaps?
Yeah I thought about that after I posted.
Ariza was awful last night… Was it just an off-night or is it because of Walton?
And Bargnani’s shooting has been a little off the past few games… Making me a little nervous. Should I sell high?
i don’t think 0-for-6 can be chalked up to much other than a bad night. i’d certainly be shopping bargnani in general to see what you can get – but if his numbers (pts, 3ptm, ft%) are what your team needs, then you shouldn’t jettison him just to do it
Yeah Ariza bounced back last night, I guess. Radmon is clearly the guy who moves to the end of the bench when everyone is healthy. All I want out of Ariza is 10 pts, 1 3ptm, 6 reb/ast total, and 1-2 steals a night.
However, I’m thinking about dropping Ariza for Chalmers after this week. I have Paul, Westbrook, Lebron, and Fisher. But I traded away Calderon and Blake got injured, so my assist totals have taken a hit the last couple weeks and I figure Chalmers could give me a little boost. Chalmers has slightly more steals and 3′s than Ariza over the last month, despite slumping. I had Chalmers earlier in the year and he was great for me, so I’m tempted to bring him back. Do you think he’ll snap out of the slump soon? I like that the coach has stuck with him, and hasn’t started Quinn over him.
Everyone in my league is just as skeptical of Bargnani as I am, so I think more needs to be seen from him before I can get much value. I’ve decided to ride him until he crashes and burns. But as long as he can get 30+ minutes a game, I think he can easily put up 15 ppg, 1+ 3ptm, 7 rebs. So hopefully he continues to get minutes.
And what do you think about All-Star Voting??? I think it’s so ridiculous, in every sport. Allen Iverson is starting?! Give me a break. Danny Granger didn’t even make the team? Yi almost had more votes than KG? I think a “BCS-type” system needs to be created to calculate All-Stars. Let the fans vote, but give the fan vote only 50% of the total vote. Then have all the coaches rank the top 30 players 1-30, have that equal 25% of the total vote, and have players also rank who they think the top 30 players are and have that be the final 25%.
It’s just so annoying when guys like Ken Griffey Jr and Allen Iverson make All-Star teams despite mediocre seasons.
Any chance there’s a change in the voting system?
I’m loving Blatche’s numbers. Etan is pretty much out for the year now, too, which can only help Andray’s numbers.
Hey Matt great job with your site! Do you think I should drop Mike Miller for Raja Bell / Travi Outlaw / Trevor Ariza purely based on overall production?
i wouldn’t drop him for any of those players. i still am convinced he’s going to come around
apparently the nets would rather have miller than hughes:
http://www.nj.com/nets/index.ssf/2009/01/mike_miller_larry_hughes_among.html
I’m a big Mike Miller fan, but this year he just doesn’t seem right. He is a great shooter and he can’t buy a three pointer this year. Earlier this week in a game he looked suprised after he drained a three and then proceeded to almost airball two free throws. He is still very active and trys to help in other ways so he will get rebounds and assists. As a minnesota fan I hope he gets back to the numbers he had last year, but I just don’t see it happening anytime soon.
Hughes could be an asset if he gets traded; I consider him if the Nets got him.
And I’m not one of those guys who used a waiver claim on Krstic, but I got him soon after and I’m keeping him for a while. I don’t expect numbers like he had a couple of years ago, but if Collison gets traded (or Krstic takes over the starting spot), I could see him averaging 13/7 with good percentages and a few blocks here and there. Not bad considering the awful options on the waiver wire.
Do you think that Dalembert is finally getting it together or is he just gonna go back to putting up lackluster numbers when Brand gets healthy.
great question. this guy is a bit of a mystery and you always have to wonder how much of his head is actually in a given game. his numbers are up lately, so at least that is a good sign
He killed me last year everytime I faced him. Now hes killing me this year on my bench. All I want is 9-10 rebounds and 2-3 blocks a night, he doesn’t have to score a point. Not to much to ask I don’t think.
Dalembert is a tough one. Really tough. It is 100% about minutes if you ask me. Per minute, Sammy has been Sammy over the course of the season.(better rebounder, worse scorer) The problem is that his PT has been off and on. The Sixers have Brand, Speights, and Thaddeus Young. Any fantays fanatic is familiar with all 3 by now. If Iguodala moves back to the 2, Dalembert owners are in the clear since he will be competing with Theo Ratliff(can’t rebound) and Reggie Evans(can only rebound) and Sammy will win that battle in the long run due to his contract and just being the best player of the bunch. If Iguodala stays starting at the 3, then you have a pretty big logjam at PF and C. One where Sammy wouldn’t be getting 25 minutes a night.
The good news is that Sam makes >10 million a year. I think it is hard to sit a guy making that much money. I would expect to see him get 25 minutes a night from here on.(I think Iguodala will go to the 2 and be 100% fine) And at 25 a night, he is a top 80 player probably.
I see you’re down on Varejao. That reassures me, as I passed him over in an add/drop just teh other day.
I’m in a 30-team, 6 player per team league. H2H (Points = 1 point, Rebs and Asst = 1/2 pt each). No positional rules.
I lost Steve Blake, needed a desperate pickup. With the league as big as it is, the free agent pool is pretty slim (I added Courtney Lee when Al Horford went down last week).
I considered Ramon Sessions, Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic.
Took Pavs, thinking the West injury opens the door for him to have a big jump in numbers. Kicking myself a bit based on last night’s Sasha vs Varejao numbers.
Should I reverse course and drop Pavs for Varejao?
As for Sessions… he was picked up right after I made my decision. You HATE to see that happen.
Thanks!
I think that Varejao will be more consistent than pavlovic, Andy plays with intensity every minute, Sasha will lay down sometimes. I’d say roll with Varejao, at least until Z comes back. Jason Thompson isn’t availiable is he??
More on the above post… these are the top ten free agents available in the league at present:
C.J. Miles, Anderson Varejao, Rasho Nesterovic, Matt Bonner, Willie Green, Jamario Moon, George Hill,
Jeff Foster, Maurice Evans, Jose Juan Barea.
Told you it’s a deep league.
Find a spot on your team for Moon.
go here
http://basketballmonster.com/playerrankings.aspx
and plug in those settings. see which FA’s are the best for that specific set-up
didn’t read this until after i replied above, that said, looking at your list there, I would still go with varejao in your point system, definetly not Moon, I like Moon as a fantasy contributer, but not in your league…..
Yeah I didn’t see your original post. Just use that site Buser gave you.
Verejao is only good until big Z comes back.
Hi Matt, great job!
Hey, this sounds stupid, but what about Kevin Martin + Beno Udrih for Dirk?
If you are getting Dirk, jump on it!!! I would not give up DN for that..
it’s rare that 2-for-1′s are in favor of the team getting the 2, and this is yet another example of that
Matt, content of the article aside, this little “buzz” trick is awesome! and i dont think Yahoo has a link up to look up our league buzz pages. The content on here is great…sitre is bookmarked. Keep it up! As far as i know, this feature was usually reserved for the yahoo plus leagues. I am excited to try this trick for baseball coming up.
for those that skimmed the header and missed this:
“To view the Buzz Index yourself, visit one of your league’s homepages and add “/buzzindex” to the end of the URL”
Would you give up Boozer for Blatche?