• Don Nelson’s latest stroke of genius? He’ll bench a veteran “here and there” and give the team’s young players extended playing time. Things get started Friday with Jamal Crawford, who will be inactive while C.J. Watson gets the start. The only vet that Nelson mentioned as potentially being immune was Stephen Jackson, with the reason being that the W’s are thin at small forward. While Crawford has dealt with the developments in a professional manner – “I’m going to do whatever Coach thinks is best for the team. I’m going to always show up for my team.” – his agent was understandably a bit less diplomatic:

“If the coach doesn’t want to play him, he should have a valid reason why he doesn’t want to play him … What is the message that Coach Nelson is sending the team? That he does not care about winning? You would think, in this day and time when fans work hard to pay for these tickets, that the coach would field the best possible team. Jamal may not score 50 points on the Bobcats again, but he would work hard to get a win and reward the fans for their loyalty to this team in this hard time.”

Owners in daily leagues will need to be on the lookout for updates – at least Nelson was merciful enough to give notice to us a few days out this time around. Those of you in weekly leagues need to downgrade your Warriors (outside of Jackson?) just a bit when making those weekly decisions.

• Other Friday status updates: Tim Duncan is a game-time decision, as is Steve Nash. … the Hawks are getting both Mike Bibby and Josh Smith back … Nene Hilario will make his return after missing just two games with a bruised knee … Mickael Pietrus will be back for the Magic … Eric Gordon (shoulder) is not expected to play, while Al Thornton (foot) will be a game-time decision … Beno Udrih is out at least the next two games with a right foot sprain.

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It happens every year. At least a few teams have their playoff situations pretty much locked up or are so far out of contention that cutting back certain players’ minutes (or benching them all together) in the final stretch of the regular season starts to make sense – whether to get rested and healthy for the playoffs or to ensure that minor injuries aren’t aggravated and suddenly become long-term concerns. Paul Pierce was a good example of the former last season – check out the numbers:

Nov-Feb: 57 G, 38 min, 20.3 pts, 1.7 3pt, 5.4 reb, 4.7 ast, 3.1 to, 1.4 stl, 0.4 blk
March: 16 G, 33 min, 19.1 pts, 1.6 3pt, 5 reb, 4.4 ast, 2 to, 1.1 stl, 0.6 blk
April: 7 G, 27 min, 15.3 pts, 2.7 3pt, 3 reb, 3.1 ast, 2.1 to, 1 stl, 0.3 blk

Obviously the spike in threes helped his cause (he made 50 percent of his attempts in April), but most of the numbers fantasy owners came to count on over the course of the season took substantial enough of a hit to matter, thanks to fewer minutes played. So who is at risk this season? Let’s take a look at things on a team-by-team basis.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (current record 44-11)
The Cavs are locked in a tight race with the Celtics for home court advantage throughout the playoffs, so they’ll keep the foot on the throttle for as long as they need to. You may remember that LeBron James was actually sitting out chucks of blowouts early in the season, the main reason that his minutes are currently at a career-low of just over 37 per game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is one player they may want to monitor, but he sat out almost all of January with an ankle injury and his minutes (~27) are as low as they’ve been since the 2001-02 season.

2. Boston Celtics (46-12)
Paul Pierce and Ray Allen got the treatment last season as Boston was comfortably ahead of Detroit for best record in the conference. Even if Kevin Garnett hadn’t dealt with an abdominal injury during the second half, he would have been in the same situation. The race is much closer this season, and you have to imagine that the Celtics would prefer to once again have home court throughout, so it makes the team a bit less likely to rest their major players significantly. Cleveland isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, so I’m not in sell mode here.

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SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

four-game teams: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, and UTH

three-game teams: GSW, MEM, MIA, MIL, NJN, OKC, TOR, and WAS

elsewhere on the web: NBA Schedule Analysis (RotoWire) and Basketball Monster ease rankings

PICKUPS/PLUG-INS

• Spencer Hawes, Francisco Garcia – the Kings dealt away both Hawes and Garcia’s main competition for playing time to the Bulls, freeing up the two to join the starting lineup. Both players deserve universal ownership, even as the Kings have little hope in the standings (2-15 over the past 17). In 14 games as a starting center this season, Hawes has averaged 11.9 points on 50 percent shooting, 0.6 threes, 7.6 boards, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks. In 29 career starts at small forward, Garcia has averaged 13.1 points, 1.2 threes, 5 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1 block.

• Mike Conley – healthy skepticism regarding Conley is understood and encouraged, but we’re getting to a point where nobody can ignore what he’s been able to accomplish under Lionel Hollins. Conley has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games, averaging 14.6 points, 1.2 threes, 5.1 boards, 6.5 assists, and 1.3 steals over that span.

• Delonte West – West is expected to be back in the lineup for the Cavs on Sunday, so those of you who have been waiting to make a move on him have a very small window. West’s efficient line before his injury (12.3 points on 47 percent shooting, 1.8 threes, 3.1 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.1 turnovers, and 83 percent from the line) has his current per-game rank at 38. The Cavs are also one of four teams that are tied for the most games remaining on the schedule (28).

• Aaron Brooks – as anticipated, Brooks’ first game as the new starting point guard for the Rockets (Friday) was a success. In 34 minutes, he totaled 19 points, three treys, six boards, eight assists, and two steals. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be expecting a shooting percentage much higher than 40 percent, but the counting stats will be plentiful and the Rockets are one of two teams to play four games in each of the next four weeks. Kyle Lowry will play, but don’t overestimate his impact on Brooks’ minutes.

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Which of the following players, all in the midst of exceptionally productive runs, is the *least* likely to maintain their current output? (Yahoo! “Last Month (avg)” rank as of 2/22 listed)

Kevin Durant (#1)
13 GP, .529 fg%, .868 ft%, 1.6 3pt, 32.8 pts, 7.5 reb, 3.9 ast, 1.2 stl, 0.8 blk, 3.1 to

Brandon Roy (#8)
12 GP, .523 fg%, .828 ft%, 1.8 3pt, 24.6 pts, 4.8 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.5 stl, 0.2 blk, 2.0 to

Stephen Jackson (#11)
11 GP, .435 fg%, .847 ft%, 2.2 3pt, 23.2 pts, 5.8 reb, 7.5 ast, 1.8 stl, 0.7 blk, 3.6 to

Leandro Barbosa (#14)
14 GP, .571 fg%, .970 ft%, 1.7 3pt, 16.7 pts, 3.3 reb, 3.2 ast, 1.7 stl, 0 blk, 1.1 to

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• Reports emerged Friday morning that Amar’e Stoudemire will miss the remainder of the regular season after he underwent surgery to repair a partially detached retina in his right eye. That’s quite a hit for the Suns and for fantasy owners. Here’s how the Suns could be planning on moving forward, according to The Arizona Republic:

THE PLAN: Run, run, run. They did not make an announcement about what the new starting lineup would be but it sounds like Grant Hill could be sliding to power forward with Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa on the wings. It’s going to mean continued time for Louis Amundson and Jared Dudley and possibly Robin Lopez too. Matt Barnes will also see time at power forward. The Suns think they can continue with the same style and even the pick-and-rolls but that the finishes just won’t be the same. They are obviously going to live and die by their perimeter shooting more often. The night of ridiculous points in the paint tallies are likely gone and Alvin Gentry has already gone to the aforementioned group and told them they will need to step their games up.

Barbosa isn’t available in competitive leagues, but he’s the clear beneficiary in that scenario. Barnes and Amundson figure to see more minutes regardless of the specifics of the team’s gameplan, so act accordingly. Shaquille O’Neal now owns the paint for the Suns and is not happy that the team was shopping him at the deadline, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to both of these developments.

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There’s now a link in the left pane to a “Starting Lineup Tracker”. Click it and you’ll find a link for each team, with starting lineups listed for the team’s most recent five games, player totals for the past 30 days, and season-to-date totals for all players. We’ll call the next few days the beta testing phase, so feel free to post any comments or suggestions, as well as any errors* you may notice.

*While it’s safe to call this information largely “correct”, there can’t help but be a few cases where some subjectivity is used to determine which player started where – a good example is the Warriors on just about any given night. You may question some of these choices and may find information elsewhere that will be slightly different – that’s where the subjectivity comes in. If you notice an error to the effect of DeSagana Diop being listed as having one start at shooting guard for the Lakers, please bring it to my attention.

Also, keep in mind that there may be a delay in the data being updated, but it shouldn’t ever be more than a day or two behind.

• The major trade from Wednesday was a three-teamer:

The Bulls acquired center Brad Miller and John Salmons from the Kings on Wednesday for four players, including forwards Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni. Sacramento also got Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons in the deal, but immediately traded Ruffin to the Trail Blazers for forward Ike Diogu and cash. The Kings then waived guard Quincy Douby and veteran Sam Cassell, acquired on Tuesday from Boston, to make room for their new players.

Obviously, only the first four players mentioned in the blurb have an impact in fantasy, so we’re just dealing with them. Let’s take a look at how the substantially affected rosters shake out now:

Chicago Bulls (also adjusted for the Hughes, Sefolosha trades)
PG: Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Anthony Roberson, Lindsey Hunter
SG: Ben Gordon
SF: Luol Deng, John Salmons
PF: Tyrus Thomas, Tim Thomas
C: Brad Miller, Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray, Jerome James

There aren’t a lot of clear “winners” from a fantasy perspective in the deal for the Bulls. Miller will start when he’s healthy, taking a bit of the shine off of Noah’s recent productive stretch. Over the past 13 games – all starts – he’s averaged 8.3 points on 58 percent shooting, 9.2 boards, and 2.1 blocks; falling back closer to his season averages (5.4 points, 6.7 boards, and 1.4 blocks in 21 minutes) seems realistic with Miller in the fold, although he should also start seeing a few more minutes at power forward. Salmons, in the midst of a career season, takes a hit as the Bulls’ sixth man – there’s simply no way his minutes (37-plus) will remain the same. Don’t panic just yet – there remains the possibility that the Bulls will flip Salmons to another of his previous suitors (Oklahoma City?) before the deadline. If he remains with the Bulls, he could end up poaching a few minutes from Gordon (36 per game) and Deng (35).

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• The Thunder have acquired Tyson Chandler from the Hornets in exchange for Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith. It’s a cost-cutting move for New Orleans, as Chandler will make $11.9 million next season and has a player option for $12.8 million in 2010-11, while both Wilcox and Smith have expiring deals.

Wilcox would immediately regain fantasy relevance as the starting center for the Hornets, where he could approach his career-best numbers catching lobs from Chris Paul (like Chandler was supposed to be doing). He’s worth an immediate speculative add in plenty of formats. If Chandler couldn’t get things going alongside Paul, then there isn’t a lot of hope for him elsewhere and he remains at best a middling fantasy option – once he’s healthy enough to return to the lineup, he will serve to squash Nick Collison‘s numbers and cloud Nenad Krstic‘s role.

• Jason Richardson has been suspended by the Suns for one game (Tuesday) after he was charged with driving 90 mph in a 35 mph zone on Sunday night. He spent a few hours in jail and was charged with reckless driving and excessive speed, and also endangerment and failure to use a child seat as his three-year-old son was found unrestrained in the back seat. J-Rich, of course, has already apologized profusely for the incident. Leandro Barbosa and Matt Barnes will see extra minutes versus the Clippers.

• In more substantive Suns news, the team has abruptly ended the Terry Porter era, naming Alvin Gentry as interim coach. (more…)

So the much-speculated deal finally went down today. Apparently the Heat felt good enough about what O’Neal (15.6 points, 7.4 boards, 3.3 blocks, and 36 minutes over the past eight games) and Michael Beasley (14 points, 5.9 boards over the past 21 games) have been showing to finally pull the trigger. And the swapping out of Banks for Moon is a clear win for the Heat. Let’s take a look at the new depth charts:

Miami Heat
PG: Mario Chalmers, Chris Quinn
SG: Dwyane Wade, Daequan Cook, James Jones
SF: Michael Beasley, Jamario Moon, Yakhouba Diawara, Dorell Wright
PF: Udonis Haslem
C: Jermaine O’Neal, Joel Anthony, Jamaal Magloire, Mark Blount

It’s no guarantee that Beasley starts at small forward, but it makes sense to me that he would. Moon should see similar playing time either way, with Beasley seeing playing time at both forward positions either way. Considering what O’Neal is replacing at center – Anthony and Magloire have combined for 4.1 FGA in 30 minutes per game – we could see Wade’s scoring decline ever-so-slightly (an uptick in efficiency could make that a wash). And in O’Neal’s case, of course, everything hinges on his health.

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Let’s talk some general strategy now that we’re looking at a few days off for the All-Star break. Whatever you see in the standings as of tomorrow morning’s update will remain static until next Wednesday’s update. Although the break is often treated as the “middle” of the season – in player splits, for instance – we passed that mark on the actual calendar a few weeks back and most teams have closer to one-third of their games remaining. Not counting the current week, there are just five weeks remaining before the start of h2h playoffs. No NBA team has more than 32 games remaining, while two (TOR, MIL) have just 27 left to play. We’re three weeks away from the trade deadline in most leagues, but the days preceding that event shouldn’t be when you are cramming to see what you need and who fits. Let’s get started on that right now…

ROTO

Looking at the straight standings in a roto league at this point of the season doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Take a look at the “Full Standings” info and you’ll see what I’m talking about – in the “Overall Stats” area, you are likely to find widely-varying totals in all categories, including games played. In my 18-team roto league, for instance, the difference between the highest and lowest totals is 92 games (563 to 471), absolutely massive when you actually stop to consider how many stats can be accumulated in that number of games. Based on the per-game totals for the team with 471 games to date, it’d be 124 threes, 1,315 points, 435 rebounds, 213 assists, 72 steals, 56 blocks, and 146 turnovers. Think those numbers would make a difference in the standings? You betcha!

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• Another big-name big man is done for the season – Al Jefferson’s right knee injury, suffered Sunday night, has been diagnosed as a torn ACL. While he’s officially being called out “indefinitely” at this point, he’ll have surgery in six to 10 days and has months of rehab ahead of him. How heavily discounted he’ll be in next season’s drafts can’t be determined until we see a more detailed timeframe and his reactions to surgery and rehab. Jefferson has totaled 23 percent of the team’s points (1,159/4,933) and 26 percent of its rebounds (548/2,115) to-date, so there are plenty of numbers available. The onus will fall to the playmakers, meaning that Randy Foye, Sebastian Telfair and Mike Miller clearly will be needed to step up. Expect Miller to return to the starting five, with Kevin Love moving to center and Ryan Gomes at power forward.

Foye now becomes scoring option #1A, but he’s going to need help. His current shooting slump (.321 FG%, .283 3PT% over the past 10 games) followed a very impressive 15-game stretch (.495 FG%, .472 3PT%), and somewhere in the middle is a better place to set expectations (~.415, .370). More volume offense moving forward could mean a substantial FG% detriment for fantasy teams, but he should be strong in terms of counting stats. Love’s fine play as a reserve – he’s first in the league in o-reb rate – had recently earned him a promotion to the starting five, and now gets a chance to shine. What could really help the team is if he starts to show why he’s also got the reputation as a good passing big man. Miller will be asked to start shooting again – he’s attempted as many as 10 shot attempts just once in his past 22 games, scoring in double-figures on just four occasions. The team will count on Gomes to step up across the board, but can only hope that Telfair can do the same. Rodney Carney and Craig Smith become a bit more interesting for deep-league purposes, as well.

• Week 16 is a short one thanks to the All-Star break (Feb 13-16). No team plays more than twice and four teams only play once (MIN, NJN, ORL, and UTA). One h2h strategy to consider this week is a Wednesday add/drop involving a player with a Thursday game to pick up that extra game in your matchup – at least check to see if something makes sense, as it could make a difference in a few categories.

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Which top-35 player (in Yahoo! season Rank as of 2/9) has been the biggest surprise thus far?

• Danny Granger (3) – plenty of people thought he’d be really good, but he’s been better
25.6 pts, .441 FG%, .886 FT%, 2.7 3ptm, 5 reb, 3.3 ast, 2.5 to, 1 stl, 1.5 blk

• Kevin Durant (8) – it’s like a switch was flipped when he was moved to SF
25.5 pts, .481 FG%, .858 FT%, 1.4 3ptm, 6.6 reb, 2.8 ast, 3.1 to, 1.1 stl, 0.8 blk

• Ray Allen (9) – near-flawless roto line includes career highs in both percentages
18.2 pts, .494 FG%, .943 FT%, 2.4 3ptm, 3.3 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.7 to, 1 stl, 0.1 blk

• Jason Terry (14) – roto juggernaut was posting career-best numbers prior to injury
19.9 pts, .467 FG%, .877 FT%, 2.1 3ptm, 2.5 reb, 3.7 ast, 1.9 to, 1.4 stl, 0.3 blk

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I’m going to try for all the news that fits in this edition, as I will be traveling and offline through the weekend. That also means that you won’t see the typical “Weekly Rundown” post this Sunday. With that said, if major news breaks – that seems an appropriate term, given the recent rash of injuries – I will try to find a way to get to a computer and post something about it. Either way, I hope you all have a great weekend.

• Elton Brand‘s season has come to an end. The man with the average draft position of 7.5 in Yahoo! leagues managed 13.8 points on 45 percent shooting, 8.8 boards, and 1.6 blocks in 29 games for the Sixers and struggled to fit in from the outset. Philly was 13-16 when he played and 11-8 when he hasn’t, including Thursday’s win over the Pacers. I’ll save the 2009-10 speculation for later, but what is a near-certainty is that he’ll be available at a heavy discount.

What does it mean for the Sixers’ fantasy fortunes? First, expect Andre Iguodala to have a fantastic second half. Thaddeus Young and Samuel Dalembert (18 points, 20 boards on Thursday) should be a bit more viable, although Sammy D’s issues to this point haven’t been due to a lack of responsibilities. Deeper-league owners will also now want to take a closer look at Louis Williams and Marreese Speights. What remains to be seen is if this affects Andre Miller‘s status at the trading deadline, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season – if he does stay, his numbers should be solid and consistent.

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POWER FORWARD

1. Dirk Nowitzki (1) – would love to see more stl/blk, but he’s been massive nonetheless
2. Kevin Garnett (3) – just 1.1 turnovers in 31 minutes over the past month
3. Al Jefferson (5) – already a consistent force at the tender age of 24
4. Amar’e Stoudemire (2) – simply put, his numbers are down
5. Rashard Lewis (4)
6. Shawn Marion (13)
7. Pau Gasol (7) – was great as the team’s center late last season and no reason to expect otherwise now
8. Marcus Camby (6) – morale and chemistry will be at all-time lows in the second half
9. Chris Bosh (8) – very good numbers despite team’s poor record and… trade rumors?
10. Tim Duncan (11) – blocks are down (1.8), but his assist-to-turnover is up (1.7:1)
11. Antawn Jamison (15)
12. David West (10) – his numbers are down almost across the board
13. Josh Smith (12)
14. Rudy Gay (14)
15. David Lee (18)
16. Troy Murphy (24) – he’s besting Dunleavy’s level of production from 07-08
17. Paul Millsap (17)
18. Rasheed Wallace (16) – still a special line, but FG% at a disturbing low (.419 on the season)
19. Mehmet Okur (19) – you’ve got to nitpick to find fault with what he’s contributing
20. Lamar Odom (42)
21. Brook Lopez (33) – I should have been more optimistic when I posted this and this
22. LaMarcus Aldridge (21) – great offensive numbers, but you can’t help but want more just about everywhere else
23. Nene Hilario (22) – can’t be overzealous for obvious reasons, but he looks real good
24. Al Horford (23) – took a bit long to come back, but knee injury isn’t expected to linger (more…)

It’s time for another look, by position, at the rest-of-season ranks. A reminder that this is strictly a breakdown of expected impact for the remainder of the season – I’ve tried for some balance of h2h and roto, but that can get tricky. In general, assume nine category scoring and we’re using Yahoo!’s eligibility as the benchmark.

Notes: The number in parentheses denotes the player’s rank in the previous installment. I’m hoping to have PF and C posted later today.

POINT GUARD

1. Chris Paul (1) – thankfully, groin injury wasn’t serious enough to take him off the mantel
2. Dwyane Wade (2)
3. Chauncey Billups (3)
4. Deron Williams (7) – he’s nicked up again, but I’m still expecting a huge second half
5. Jose Calderon (5) – roto gem has replaced Billups as the most bang for efficient buck
6. Brandon Roy (8)
7. Joe Johnson (4) – .372 FG% in 16 January games (.427 on the season)
8. Devin Harris (6) – .389 FG%, .741 FT%, 3.5 turnovers in 13 January games
9. Jason Kidd (9)
10. Jason Terry (11) – massive roto asset and showing no signs of slowing down
11. Mo Williams (14) – getting more comfortable (and productive) as the season progresses
12. Randy Foye (17) – so it turns out that he’s a pretty good ballplayer, too
13. Steve Nash (13) – he’s been good, but can’t be Steve Nash good in this offense
14. Mike Bibby (10) – .398 FG% in 16 January games (.442 on the season)
15. Rajon Rondo (12)
16. Andre Miller (22)
17. Chris Duhon (21) – already just 339 minutes away from career high
18. Rodney Stuckey (16) – love this guy, but the team could be headed for an implosion
19. Tony Parker (20)
20. O.J. Mayo (24)
21. Russell Westbrook (28)
22. Ramon Sessions (49) – whether he stays or goes, he’s going to be starting
23. Luke Ridnour (31) – this ranking makes more sense if you’ve got a roto team or two
24. Delonte West (18)
25. Nate Robinson (26)
26. T.J. Ford (25) (more…)

Watching the Steelers win a fantastic Super Bowl made the news on Andrew Bynum a bit easier to take today (I’ve got him in two leagues). His grim prognosis and other injury updates follow:

INJURY UPDATES

• D.J. Augustin – Augustin’s abdominal strain is feeling better and he’s targeting this coming weekend for a return to the lineup.

• Steve Blake – Blake is a game-time decision for Monday’s game.

• Carlos Boozer – Boozer has been cleared to ramp up his exercise program and could begin running by the end of next week. Don’t expect him to be back in the lineup before the All-Star break, however.

• Andrew Bynum – Bynum suffered a torn MCL in his right knee and will miss the next two to three months as he recovers. Pau Gasol will slide to center, with Lamar Odom returning to the starting lineup. The unlikely and absolute best-case scenario is that he’ll be back for a handful of regular season games, so it’s a fairly safe move to drop him in almost all non-keeper leagues.

• Vince Carter – VC has already declared himself able to play on Tuesday, despite a right ankle injury that took him out of Saturday’s game early.

• Tyson Chandler – Chandler won’t play Monday but is hoping to be back in the lineup on Wednesday.

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Note: The Rundown will come in two installments this week, as I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan (born and raised near the ‘Burgh) and have a busy day ahead. Today I’ll deal with the schedule and possible roster additions, and then cover pertinent injury information tomorrow (we should know a bit more about this one by then).

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

four-game teams: BOS, DAL, DEN, GSW, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIN, NJN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHO, POR, TOR, UTA, and WAS

three-game teams: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DET, HOU, OKC, PHI, SAC and SAS

two-game teams: MIL

elsewhere on the web: NBA Schedule Analysis (RotoWire) and Basketball Monster ease rankings

PICKUPS/PLUG-INS

• Mike Conley – Mention Conley’s name and “He stinks” or “He’s overrated” is the usual refrain. To this point, he’s clearly earned those accolades and I’m not here to tell you that he’s turned the corner. With that said, Lionel Hollins is fully invested in him for the remainder of the season and, more often than not, starting point guards deserve consideration in fantasy. In the five games since Mike Iavaroni was dismissed, Conley has averaged 12 points on 47 percent shooting, 2 threes, 4 boards, 5.2 assists, and 1.4 steals in 33 minutes, and the Grizz have a friendly Week 15 slate (@WAS, HOU, LAC, TOR).

• Mickael Pietrus – Split the difference between Pietrus’ two games since returning from injury and you’re looking at pretty good numbers across the board: 15.5 points on 59 percent shooting, 1.5 threes, 6.5 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 0.5 blocks in 29 minutes. And his helpful numbers on the season (12.1 points, 1.6 threes, 3.5 boards, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks) have come in under 26 minutes per game. The Magic are happy to have him back and have one of the best Week 15 schedules (DAL, LAC, @IND, NJN), so it makes sense to consider an add here.

• Antonio McDyess – The Kwame Brown experiment has run its course in Detroit, and McDyess is now set to have a bigger role moving forward. “This is a fine time to increase his minutes and still allow him to be fresh down the stretch,” said Michael Curry. Dyess has averaged 25 minutes in 24 games since rejoining the team in early December, posting averages of 7 points on 50 percent shooting, 8.5 boards, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Extrapolate those numbers over 30 minutes and you are looking at solid and consistent production from a center-eligible player.

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