SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

Week 23 five-game teams: UTH

Week 23 four-game teams: CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NJN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHI, and SAC

Week 23 three-game teams: ATL, HOU, IND, LAC, MIN, OKC, PHO, POR, SAS, TOR, and WAS

Week 23 two-game teams: BOS and CHI

five best schedules:
Utah (NYK, POR, @DEN, MIN, @NOR)
Sacramento (NOR, GSW, @PHO, GSW)
Memphis (@GSW, WAS, DAL, @MIL)
New Orleans (@SAC, @LAC, @GSW, UTH)
Denver (NYK, UTH, LAC, @MIN)

five worst schedules:
Boston (CHA, ATL)
Chicago (@IND, NJN)
Atlanta (@PHI, @BOS, ORL)
Washington (@MEM, CLE, MIA)
LA Clippers (NOR, @DEN, @LAL)

10 games remaining: MEM, NOR, ORL, PHI, SAC, and UTH

9 games remaining: CHA, CLE, DAL, DET, GSW, LAL, MIA, NJN, NYK, OKC, POR, SAS, and TOR

8 games remaining: ATL, DEN, HOU, IND, LAC, MIL, MIN, and PHO

7 games remaining: BOS, CHI, and WAS

elsewhere on the web: The Week Ahead (Rotoworld), NBA Injuries (Rotoworld), NBA Schedule Analysis (RotoWire) and Basketball Monster ease rankings

• Some more details are emerging regarding Gilbert Arenas‘ comeback. Add it all up and the result is that he isn’t likely to help the Wizards or fantasy teams in the eight or so games where an appearance is being planned. He’ll be a full participant in practices for three of the next four days, and could return to the court on Saturday if there are no problems. Arenas said he’ll use the season’s remaining games as a “trial and error” period:

“One game, I might work only on outside shots. Another game I’m just gonna attack the basket. Do things like that just to work on getting my body used to doing what it used to do.”

I might be slightly more inclined to consider his services if he were simply planning on playing basketball, but that’s clearly not the case – on the 16-56 Wizards, he apparently will be free to experiment. Set expectations very low and plan accordingly.

• Read this Pacers blog post and you get the idea that T.J. Ford will be coming off the bench the rest of the way:

“When he was in Toronto, he surrounded himself with perimeter guys. This is a different situation,” Jim O’Brien said. “It’s a matter of him not getting totally comfortable in his role in the offense as I envisioned it. I always thought it would take him into the next year to fully get it.”

O’Brien added that Danny Granger and Troy Murphy are the only players who are guaranteed a starting spot on a nightly basis, but for now Brandon Rush does appear to be locked in at shooting guard. One thing to keep in mind: the Pacers are tied for the second-fewest games remaining on the schedule (11).

• Things aren’t improving for Luol Deng and he’s very close to being officially ruled out for the remainder of the season.

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SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

Week 22 five-game teams: CHI and PHO

Week 22 four-game teams: ATL, BOS, DEN, DET, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIN, NYK, PHI, SAS, and WAS

Week 22 three-game teams: CHA, CLE, DAL, GSW, IND, MEM, MIL, NJN, NOR, OKC, ORL, POR, TOR, and UTH

Week 22 two-game teams: HOU and SAC

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

14 games remaining: PHI

13 games remaining: DET, LAL, MEM, MIA, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHO, SAS, and UTH

12 games remaining: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, GSW, LAC, MIN, NYN, OKC, POR, SAC, and TOR

11 games remaining: BOS, IND, MIL, and WAS

10 games remaining: HOU

PICKUPS/PLUG-INS

• Keyon Dooling – there’s nothing to suggest that Devin Harris is coming back soon, and Dooling has averaged 14.7 points on 56 percent shooting, 1.3 threes, 3.3 boards, 7.3 assists, and 1 steal in three games since replacing him as the starter. (@CLE, LAL, @MIN)

• Brandan Wright – he’s getting the starts right now and the Warriors have a number of injured bigs, so it’s at least slightly more likely that Don Nelson won’t flip-flop with his minutes. Over the past two games, Wright has totaled 36 points, 16 boards, two steals, and one block with 61 minutes of playing time. (@SAS, @DAL, @DEN)

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• It’s looking more and more unlikely that Allen Iverson will return to the floor this season. He’s still dealing with pain in his back and is set for more tests Thursday and Friday, after which his status will be re-assessed. Even if he has a miraculous turnaround sometime in the not-too-distant future, he’ll need a practice or two to get back into game shape (he hasn’t played since February 25), and then he’ll deal with acclimating to a bench role, where his numbers will necessarily take a hit even if he were to be back to 100 percent. He’s looking droppable for fantasy owners at this point, although waiting for the test results sometime this weekend isn’t a terrible idea if you can spare the roster spot.

• It’s also appearing less and less likely that Josh Howard will be helping anyone again during the regular season:

Arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle will be required sooner or later. That’s the team saying that, not amateur physicians in the media. The Mavericks hope any procedure is later, not sooner. Even if it is, he will require a cortisone shot later this week and it will be at least next week before he is cleared to practice. Coach Rick Carlisle said it was “unlikely” Howard would play next week. It has become clear that the only priority is trying to get him healthy by the time the playoffs start. Surgery would be the worst setback. If that can be delayed until the off-season, Howard should be able to play at some point.

With Howard sidelined indefinitely and Devean George’s season over, James Singleton looks like a solid pickup. He’s recorded double-doubles in two of the past three games and has averaged 11.9 points on 57 percent shooting, 0.5 threes, 10 boards, 0.8 steals, and 1 block in the 11 games where he’s seen at least 24 minutes of playing time.

• Dwyane Wade was a late scratch on Wednesday thanks to a right hip strain that he has been battling for the past few weeks. Wade is also dealing with a left ankle sprain and a thigh bruise, but all parties involved are hopeful that he’ll be able to back in the lineup on Friday (and beyond).

• Gregg Popovich held Tim Duncan out of Tuesday’s matchup with the T-Wolves, the second game of a back-to-back for the Spurs, in an effort to keep him “fresh and healthy” down the stretch and for the playoffs. What fantasy owners need to note is that the Spurs play two more back-to-backs, March 24-25 and April 7-8, and Pop could choose to give Duncan a forced game off during one or both of those sets, as well.

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Which of these regular reserves from the current season would you most like to see as a regular starter next season for fantasy purposes?

(Note: players are listed with their current per-48 minute averages)

• Chris Andersen – 15 pts, 0.1 3pt, 14.4 reb, 1.1 ast, 2.4 to, 1.3 stl, 5.7 blk

• Trevor Ariza – 17.7 pts, 1.3 3pt, 8.6 reb, 3.8 ast, 2.1 to, 3.4 stl, 0.6 blk

• Leandro Barbosa – 27.5 pts, 2.6 3pt, 5.2 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.5 to, 2.3 stl, 0.2 blk

• Rudy Fernandez – 19.1 pts, 3.6 3pt, 5.3 reb, 4 ast, 2.3 to, 1.5 stl, 0.3 blk

• Andrei Kirilenko – 20.8 pts, 0.4 3pt, 8.9 reb, 4.9 ast, 3.2 to, 2.3 stl, 2.2 blk

• Nate Robinson – 28.7 pts, 2.8 3pt, 6.5 reb, 6.5 ast, 2.9 to, 2.3 stl, 0.1 blk

• J.R. Smith – 24.1 pts, 3.2 3pt, 6.7 reb, 5 ast, 3.3 to, 1.6 stl, 0.3 blk

• Marreese Speights – 24.4 pts, 0.1 3pt, 11.6 reb, 1.3 ast, 1.9 to, 1.3 stl, 2.4 blk

• Jason Terry – 28.7 pts, 3.2 3pt, 3.5 reb, 5.1 ast, 2.5 to, 2 stl, 0.4 blk

• Ronny Turiaf – 13.4 pts, 0 3pt, 10.1 reb, 4.4 ast, 2 to, 1 stl, 5.2 blk

• “It could have been worse” seems to sum up Devin Harris‘ shoulder injury at this point. From nj.com:

It’s going to be a tough two or three days for Devin Harris — he’ll pop a few Advil and wear a bag of ice like it’s standard equipment — but the team is making it sound like he’s going to be back sooner rather than later. Wednesday against the Knicks? Probably not. But the MRI — which might wait until he gets home Tuesday — will determine whether there’s any other further damage to his rotator cuff. Nothing’s broken, however, and “for the most part,” he said, “it’s good news.”

That’s the optimistic outlook at this point, but obviously fantasy owners can’t do anything but assume he’s going to miss at least a few games and wait for the results of the MRI to be made known. While Harris is sidelined, Keyon Dooling is the add – his per-35 minute averages this season include 12.3 points, 1.7 threes, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals.

• Caron Butler had an MRI on his hamstring today that produced no new information and he remains unsure of when he’ll be able to play again (he’s officially listed as day-to-day). In most situations, you can’t go and drop him based off of this information – if he’s the difference between a playoff seed or not, however, than your choices may be limited.

• Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade are waging quite the statistical battle. To date, Paul has scored or assisted on 1,139 of the Hornets’ 2,291 field goals, good for 49.716%. Wade has scored or assisted on 1,215 of the Heat’s 2,444 field goals, just a shade behind Paul at 49.714%. John Stockton‘s high of 53.1%, set during the 1990-91 season, is the all-time mark. A few other notables from the current season: LeBron James (46.4%), Joe Johnson (37.7%), Kobe Bryant (37.2%), Deron Williams (35.6%), Devin Harris (35.4%), Derrick Rose (34.8%), Brandon Roy (34.5%), Rajon Rondo (33.9%), and Steve Nash (33.1%).

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SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

Week 21 four-game teams: BOS, CHA, CLE, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIN, NJN, NOR, OKC, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, and WAS

Week 21 three-game teams: ATL, CHI, DAL, DEN, IND, LAL, MIA, NYK, ORL, and TOR

Week 21 two-game teams: MIL, PHO, and UTH

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

18 games remaining: PHI

17 games remaining: DET, MEM, NOR, and SAS

16 games remaining: CHA, CLE, GSW, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIN, NJN, NYK, OKC, ORL, POR, and SAC

15 games remaining: ATL, BOS, CHI, DAL, DEN, PHO, TOR, UTH, and WAS

14 games remaining: HOU and IND

13 games remaining: MIL

PICKUPS/PLUG-INS

• Would six player games from one roster spot help you this week? If Joel Przybilla or Steve Blake and Anderson Varejao are available in your league, then you may be able to pull it off. Portland is the only team with three games early in the week (Mon, Wed, Thu) and Cleveland is the only team with a back-to-back on Saturday/Sunday. Add Przybilla or Blake for games through Thursday, pick up the best option for Friday, and then snag Varejao for the weekend and you’ll end up with six games from three players.

• Andres Nocioni – Nocioni has supplanted Francisco Garcia as the Kings’ starting small forward, and his energy and intensity will keep him there. Over the past three games, he’s averaged 17 points on 51 percent shooting, 1.7 threes, and 7 boards in 41 minutes. Garcia does get downgraded as a reserve but has averaged 13.3 points, 2.3 threes, 3.3 boards, and 1.3 blocks in 28 minutes over the past three games.

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• There is a “possibility” that Josh Howard‘s ankle will keep him out through the end of the month. From The Dallas Morning News:

Howard is not with the Mavericks on a crucial four-game road trip that begins Tuesday night in Phoenix. He remained in Dallas on Monday along with trainer Casey Smith to review the results of his latest tests. The specialist advised that Howard needed more tests to determine the severity of the injury and the best course of action.

It makes sense to wait on definitive word on Howard’s status before executing a roster move. Jose Juan Barea joined the Mavs’ starting five on Tuesday and put together a line fairly typical of when he starts (16 points, 3 boards, 4 assists in 34 minutes). He worth a deep-league add but the real beneficiaries here are Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki, who have totaled 126 of the team’s 241 points over the past two games.

• Rasheed Wallace is out for at least the next two games because of a left calf strain. Jason Maxiell will get the start in his stead on Wednesday.

• When it comes to the Warriors, I want to just look away but I can’t. The latest: Monta Ellis says that his ankle wasn’t the issue when he was shut down two weeks ago, even though the team said it was; now that Ellis is back and Don Nelson doesn’t like Jamal Crawford anymore, Ellis is the team’s starting PG; and Nellie has more lineup adjustments on the way, which may include small forwards playing at small forward and power forwards playing at power forward.

• While Randy Foye‘s ankle injury does not appear to be serious, he’s not expected to be in the lineup on Wednesday.

• From The Washington Post:

With each passing day, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Wizards fans are going to see Gilbert Arenas and/or Brendan Haywood in uniform before the regular season ends April 15 at Boston … at least one Wizard, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he doesn’t expect to see Arenas again until training camp opens in October. “I don’t think he’s coming back,” the player said. “I just don’t see it.”

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

four-game teams: ATL, CHI, CLE, DAL, DET, HOU, LAL, MIA, MIN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHO, POR, UTA, and WAS

three-game teams: BOS, CHA, DEN, GSW, IND, LAC, MEM, MIL, NJN, OKC, PHI, SAC, SAS, and TOR

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

PICKUPS/PLUG-INS

• Matt Barnes – Barnes’ role is secure for the Amar’e-less Suns and there’s plenty to like here the rest of the way. He’s averaged 14 points, 2.3 threes, 5 boards, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 31 minutes over the past 10 games (including Sunday).

• Aaron Brooks – Brooks has been up-and-down as the Rockets’ starter, but overall the numbers have been good since he took over nine games ago (13.9 points, 1.8 threes, 5.3 assists, and 1.1 steals), which includes single-game highs of 30 points (3.6) and 10 assists (3/1)

• Dominic McGuire – McGuire’s contributions are a bit like a box of chocolates, but it’s hard to complain about what you end up getting overall. In 10 games since the All-Star break, McGuire has averaged 7 points on 54 percent shooting, 7.6 boards, 4.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 35 minutes.

• Thabo Sefolosha – in his most recent five games played, Sefolosha averaged 12.8 points, 0.8 threes, 7.4 boards, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block in 36 minutes per game. He missed Saturday’s game with a sprained knee but was back in the lineup on Sunday (today) and his prospects are good for at least as long as Kevin Durant remains sidelined.

• Rasual Butler – Butler has slowly been transitioning from a fringe contributor to a very solid fantasy option. In 11 games since the All-Star break, he’s averaged 17.4 points on 50 percent shooting, 2.4 threes, 4.6 boards, 0.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 36 minutes. The Hornets are looking at favorable matchups in Week 20 (@ATL, @WAS, @MIL, @CHI).

• Sebastian Telfair – Telfair has struggled with consistency this season, but he’s been solid lately (14 points, 1.6 threes, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals in nine games post-break) and the T-Wolves have a phenomenal Week 20 schedule (WAS, MEM, NYK, CHA).

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• Remember that possible stress fracture of Luol Deng‘s that was ruled by team doctors to not be a stress fracture? Turns out that it might be a stress fracture, after all. He’ll undergo a CT scan on Wednesday afternoon after a second opinion did not rule out the possibility, as team doctors originally did after tests on Sunday. Obviously we just need to wait for the results to come to light, as a confirmation of a stress fracture would likely end Deng’s season (as previously speculated).

• Deep leaguers will want to keep tabs on Luther Head, who has signed with the Heat. With the one-dimensional Daequan Cook slumping (.349 FG% since January 17) and Chris Quinn all but removed from the rotation (three DNP’s in the past four games), Head will be looking at an opportunity for immediate playing time. He’s not going to replace Mario Chalmers as the team’s point guard, but he’s got the skill-set to carve out a role in the team’s rotation in very short order.

• Drew Gooden has signed with the Spurs. It’s a great signing in real life, but has limited fantasy repercussions. He gives the Spurs some more needed depth in the post and some boards to complement Matt Bonner‘s shooting range – Bonner has been playing his best basketball recently (11.8 points on 50 percent shooting, 2.3 threes, 5.6 boards in 29 minutes over the past 11 games) but will lose at least a bit of his playing to Gooden, who you should figure on playing around 20 minutes per game.

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Which 2008-09 first round pick(s) won’t be drafted in the first round next season? (you can choose more than one option, Yahoo! ADP listed)

1. Chris Paul (1.4) – cumulative rank 2, per-game rank 1
2. Kobe Bryant (2.4) – cumulative rank 4, per-game rank 5
3. LeBron James (3.1) – cumulative rank 1, per-game rank 2
4. Amar’e Stoudemire (3.9) – cumulative rank 19, per-game rank 15
5. Dirk Nowitzki (5.9) - cumulative rank 5, per-game rank 8
6. Elton Brand (7.5) – cumulative rank 233, per-game rank 150
7. Kevin Garnett (8.0) – cumulative rank 15, per-game rank 10
8. Dwyane Wade (8.1) – cumulative rank 3, per-game rank 3
9. Shawn Marion (9.2) – cumulative rank 55, per-game rank 40
10. Caron Butler (12.6) – cumulative rank 37, per-game rank 26
11. Chris Bosh (12.6) – cumulative rank 17, per-game rank 25
12. Danny Granger (13.8) – cumulative rank 8, per-game rank 4

And feel free to speculate on who will join the first round next season, as well. Kevin Durant is seventh in both cumulative and per-game ranks and is something of a no-brainer first rounder for 2009-10. Maybe Al Jefferson? If Yao Ming plays out the rest of the season, he’d seem to be a lock.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

four-game teams: ATL, CLE, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, MEM, MIA, MIL, NJN, OKC, PHO, SAS, and WAS

three-game teams: BOS, CHA, CHI, DET, IND, LAC, MIN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHI, POR, TOR, and UTH

two-game teams: LAL and SAC

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

PICKUPS/PLUG-INS

• Antonio McDyess – it’s doubtful that more reliable numbers from a center-eligible player will emerge on waivers over the remainder of the season than what you’ll get from McDyess. Since rejoining the starting five six games ago, he’s averaged 13.5 points on 62 percent shooting, 10 boards, and 0.8 blocks in 35 minutes per game. With the Pistons in “must win now” mode, the 34-year-old will continue to log heavy playing time and average something near a double-double.

• Jarrett Jack – Jack has been a reliable fantasy option for some time now. In 30 games (27 starts) since January 1, he’s averaged 13.6 points on 47 percent shooting, 1.1 threes, 3.6 boards, 3.9 assists, and 1 steal, while making 85 percent of 88 free throws. Mike Dunleavy is done and Danny Granger is gimpy and a serious shut-down candidate, so Jack makes sense now and the rest of the way. A Pacers h2h schedule note: what the team lacks in volume of games (20 remaining, tied for the fewest) they make up in consistency, as they play three games in each week leading up to the championship round (5).

• Aaron Brooks – as expected, the counting stats have been solid (11.4 points, 1.6 threes, 4 boards, 5.4 assists, 1 steal) while the shooting percentage has not (.350, 21/60) since Brooks took over as the Rockets’ starting point guard (5 games). He’s great from the line (.883 on the season) and should only get more comfortable in his role moving forward, so he’s worth the add, particularly if his poor field goal percentage doesn’t affect your team’s plans. The Rockets have a very favorable Week 19 schedule (TOR, @UTH, PHO, MEM).

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