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.
• Thabo Sefolosha – Sefolosha remained in the starting lineup at shooting guard for Kevin Durant‘s return on Saturday. He compiled 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in 34 minutes and should remain a solid fantasy option because of the defensive numbers. He’s grabbed two or more steals in nine of his past 11 games and grabbed at least seven boards in seven of his past eight games.
• Ronny Turiaf – with Andris Biedrins out at least a week, Turiaf will once again step in as the starter. In his eight starts at center thus far, he’s averaged 11.3 points on 69 percent shooting, 6.3 boards, 2.3 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 28 minutes.
• Brandan Wright / Anthony Randolph – Don Nelson’s decision to let the kids play should mostly apply to Wright and Randolph. While we may see something of a platoon scenario, it could be a relatively productive one for both players involved. As the starter Saturday, Wright posted 12 points and five boards in 15 minutes, while Randolph had 14 points, seven boards, three steals, and three blocks in 21 minutes. Wright’s per-25 minute averages include 11.9 points, 5.6 boards, and 1.3 blocks, while Randolph’s include 11.3 points, 8 boards, and 1.9 blocks. Both players could also see added benefit in the short-term from Biedrins’ absence.
• Renaldo Balkman / Chris Andersen – Kenyon Martin‘s status remains uncertain and Balkman and Andersen will continue to shoulder extra responsibilities while that’s the case. Balkman has started the past two games, totaling 36 points, 25 boards, two steals, and three blocks in 63 minutes. Over his past four games, he’s averaged 13.5 points on 58 percent shooting, 12.3 boards, 0.8 steals, and 1 block in 27 minutes. In 14 games since the All-Star break, Andersen has averaged 5.5 points, 7.5 boards, and 3.3 blocks in 22 minutes.
• Leon Powe – with KG out until at least Friday, you are going to get a few more games out of Powe at a time when every game counts. He fouled out in 24 minutes on Sunday (today) but still managed six boards and two blocks, and has averaged 13.3 points on 58 percent shooting, 7.5 boards, and 1.2 blocks in 11 games since Garnett hit the shelf.
• Will Solomon – with Beno Udrih set to return but still gimpy and Bobby Jackson out with a broken cheekbone, Solomon could see extended playing time at the point during the Kings’ four-game week (@ATL, @CHA, @NYK, PHI).
INJURY/STATUS UPDATES
• Andris Biedrins – Biedrins will miss at least a week because of the left ankle sprain that he suffered on Friday.
• Caron Butler – Butler’s sore hamstring has him listed as day-to-day at this point.
• Luol Deng – Deng has yet to even test his leg since seeing a specialist this past Monday. His return remains a 50-50 proposition, according to Vinny Del Negro:
“He’s kind of stayed off his leg a little bit to let it rest. We have to be smart, and he wants to be out there as much as anybody. The timing of it is not good. If we get Lu back, it will be a huge bonus. If we can’t, other guys have to step up and play well.”
• Chris Duhon – Duhon’s back will keep him out again on Sunday (today) and his status for Wednesday is up in the air, as well. He’ll be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
• Kevin Garnett – according to The Boston Globe, Doc Rivers set the likelihood of KG returning this coming Friday at better than 50 percent.
• Manu Ginobili – Ginobili’s return from a stress reaction in his right ankle has gone slower than expected, and he’s now expected to be back “in a week or two” for the second consecutive week.
“This coming Thursday will be four weeks since he’s off the crutches,” [Gregg] Popovich said before Saturday’s game against the Rockets. “At that point, we hope that he’s on the floor working out. If he’s not, we’ll be concerned.”
• Josh Howard – Howard was re-examined on Saturday and was ruled out for Sunday and “possibly” a few more games, according to The Dallas Morning News, adding that the team has been quiet regarding what Howard’s specific issue is. Dallas role players should also see a few more minutes with the news that Devean George‘s season is likely over.
• Allen Iverson – there’s been a lack of substantive AI updates recently. All we know is that he’s still in therapy for his back and the team has no timetable for a return.
• Kenyon Martin – K-Mart’s back remains an issue but George Karl is “hoping he will play next week sometime.”
• Peja Stojakovic – Byron Scott hopes to get Peja back in the lineup at some point during their upcoming five-game homestand but won’t rush him. “We need him in April, for sure,” said Scott.
• Hedo Turkoglu – Turkoglu has missed two games because of tendinitis in his left foot and will be a game-time decision on Sunday.
• Rasheed Wallace – Sheed missed his third consecutive game on Sunday with a left calf strain and is doubtful for the Pistons’ next two games, as well. After a stinker in his first start in Sheed’s place on Wednesday (3 points, 2 boards in 26 minutes), Jason Maxiell has totaled 28 points, nine boards, two steals, and three blocks over the past two games (including Sunday).
• Delonte West – West’s back injury has him questionable for Sunday and he may be held out simply to give him another few days of rest.
• Marvin Williams – Williams’ season is all but over, as he’ll need at least a month of intensive rehab to deal with his lower back injury. Maurice Evans should continue to start in his stead and offer very little to fantasy owners, while Flip Murray‘s role off the bench becomes a bit more substantial.
elsewhere on the web: The Week Ahead (Rotoworld) and NBA Injuries (Rotoworld)
Hi Matt,
i have a quick question with respect to injuries…
I have manu, garnett, biedrens…all of whom are injured this week.. and potentially for a while. The playoffs start next week and I’m confused as to what to do
KG- out 1-2 more weeks..
Manu- also out 1-2 weeks
Biedrens – out 1…or more weeks…
…do I drop them if they aren’t back by Saturday? Or do I keep them and hope that the rest of my players can get me by to the next round…?
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks!
I own both Garnett and Gino as well. Garnett is 50/50 to play this Friday, so he should definately be back for the playoffs. Popovich says that Manu will be out “a week or two”, which is exactly what he said last week. In his own words: “I keep saying a week or two; It’s like the stimulus package – pretty soon, it’s going to start having an effect.”
Of course, if it starts having an effect after either you or I are eliminated in the first round because of Gino’s inactivity, it won’t make much difference what he does the following week. What I will likely do is wait until the last minute, next Sunday, and then decide what to do. Now, if you have a bye, then you can wait another week, but in my case, this would be an unlikely event, although not impossible. As for Biedrins, what I read is that he will miss at least a week, which usually means he will miss two weeks. Wait for Matt to help decide what to do in this case.
you pretty much summed it up. the only thing that matters is that you win your matchup – if you would lose because of manu or someone else being inactive, then your only option is to cut them for an active player. and yep you obviously wait as long as possible and hope for the best, but names go out the window come playoff time – all that matters is that you get numbers
Hey Buse,
I am currently 4th in my league with 2nd waivers…
Delonte is currently on the FA market since some ppl thought he was gonna be out for a while, do u think i should use it on him?
Most ppl in my league are saving their max moves and waivers so that they can stream during the playoffs…
what’s ur take on this
I am the same guy who posted in ur previous post, where I have a team that is 3s, pts, reb, ft% oriented…. I can really use delonte’s steals since i need some help in the stl and blk cat, and of course his 3s will help solidify as well..
u think its worth?
using my 2nd waiver on delonte?
i missed out on garcia and barnes already as i said before =)
also Joel Przybilla is on the waiver as well
yeah if your roster is the same, then dropping pietrus for west does make sense. if everyone will be churning through their waiver priority in the playoffs anyway, then saving yours is kind of a waste
but then do you think West is beneficial to my team?
all i can see if steady FT rate, good 3s and steals
the assist is subpar and reb only helps me on lil front since i have jamison/dirk/murphy/durant/millsap/shaq already
Pietrus is pretty much just a points guy right? If you pick up a little on the steals and the FT%. West’s thieving ability alone makes up for pietrus’ points in my book. I would think you come out ahead. If I had the opportunity I would do it. Looking at your bigs, he would help more than Prizzy I’m thinkin.
Thanks for the help leadcox
ohhh
this just in
AI is on the FA
should i pick him up with my waiver instead of picking up delonte west?
AI still out? or still in?
i should be in playoffs for sure, ranging from 4-6, most likely 4th
but 4th and 5th dun matter that much right since its the same person ur face most likely
but yes
should i use my 2nd priority on AI
man I dunno. I’m not sure he’ll be back, ’cause of his back… no pun intended… Only thing I’ve been able to dig up is that he is going to have his back re-evaluated this week… So I’m thinkin he’s not playing, this week anyways. And I thought I heard that when he does come back they will play him off the bench.
can you take the hit in FG% to get the extra points? reb, ast, stl will likely be in the same area, but west is much more efficient
hmmm true….
seems like west would be the more ideal addd
thanks guys
i love this site
if u’r gonna shorten his name, it should be bus don’t call him booz
since it’s pronounced ‘boozer’ i wouldn’t fault them. it all works, really. just don’t call me .. wait for it .. late for dinner
hey. im dropping ak47 for balkman. any thoughts?
yeah AK is definitely doing very little these days, but be prepared for k-mart to come back eventually and balkman to take a hit as a result
What’s the deal with Kenyon Martin? I don’t own him, I’m just curious if it is worth picking up Balkman? I would probably drop Marquis Daniels for him if I were to make the add. Is that an advantageous move?
Wow, I just saw Devin Harris take a very hard foul and walked off the court holding his shoulder with what ESPN called a “sprained shoulder”. If this turns out to be serious, is Keyon Dooling worth adding?
he’s got short-term value for sure, but he’s not a must-add by any means. daniels has had a few bad games lately but i might actually stick unless k-mart takes a turn for the worse
I hear that Harris will be out for two weeks! ARGH!
what do you think about this trade. I give up Camby and A.Jamison for Gay and J.O’Neal.
yeah can’t blame your for doing it, with gay and o’neal are playing well lately
dammit, of course harris goes down in the LATE GAME on a sunday night (i’m in a league with weekly roster changes). PLUS nj has a 4 game slate next week, leaving me torn – is harris a decent play even if he only appears in 2 games (my alternate PG’s are tj ford and sessions, with 3 and 2 games this week respectively)?
argghhh, in the last week of the season, when i’m exactly 1 game out of the 6th and final playoff spot, i don’t know what to do…
yikes that looked bad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxeNLsy4hqc
i’m not going to start him in my weekly league and yes keyon dooling is the add here
Not Harris
. Now i’ve got Harris, Manu and Butler out getting ready for playoffs. Luckily i’ve got first week bye, because of first place.
Ouch!
Hey Matt,
This doesn’t directly apply to this week, but I’m in a keeper league that lets me keep 1 rookie. I have both OJ Mayo and Brook Lopez on my team, who do you think is the better pick for next season and possibly beyond?
i think it depends on your other keepers.
in roto, you keep lopez – he’s really good AND really efficient. oh thats right, nobody plays roto…
assuming it’s h2h, PG is right. we’d have to know who else you are keeping before we can really have any certainty
Oh right, my other planned Keppers right now are Pau Gasol, Gilbert Arenas, and as of right now, Troy Murphy.
I had Gasol, Brand and Iverson last year but that didn’t work out so well…
i just can’t pick against lopez. i think overall they could be similar in fantasy ‘rank’, but lopez will have more of an impact as a center
OK, thanks for the advice!
Hi Matt,
keeper question: do I keep Beasley over Stuckey or not? I can keep 6 and the other 5 are Billups, Harris, Iguodala, Brand, P.Gasol. (Standard stats, 14 team league.)
I’m not overly impressed with Beasley now AND Moon is still a possibility to stay in MIA next year…
THanks!
Tough one… but I would keep Stuckey. I just see him starting to really get it, his lines this month are pretty consistantly amazing. Good points, rebs and assists. I just don’t think Beasley is as aggressive. And, Beasley is fighting with Moon for time, Stuckey isn’t fighting with anyone.
i think stuckey will be good, but i think you have to give beasley the benefit of the doubt that he will be very, very good
barring some bizarre unforeseen circumstances, beasley is the starting PF for the heat next season. his per-35 minute averages for this season are 19.2 points, 0.5 threes, 7.4 boards, 1.3 assists, 2.4 turnovers, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks
stuckey will be at the helm for a pistons team next season that won’t have AI and may not have sheed either. stuckey’s per-35′s this season: 14.5 points, 0.3 threes, 3.8 boards, 5.3 assists, 2.5 turnovers, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks
Great info, thanks!
I wonder if Beasley will be a SF/PF or just a PF next year. It’d help a lot if I could play him at SF and he’d attack the boards at something like 7-8 per game. On the other hand, he’d have to improve his 3s, something Stuckey has to work on as well.
Do you agree with my 5 other keepers?
Thx again!
his skills certainly will make him a non-traditional PF, but as far as starting assignments go that’s where he’ll be slotted. he was slow out of the gate this season, but i think he’s headed for good things and bringing him along like they did could actually work in his favor in the long run
and yeah that’s a nice core for a keeper league
I just don’t see it yet in Beasley, but then, you do this for a living…
I would keep Beasley. You’ll be keeping 2 PGs, 2 C, and Beasley would give you 2 Forwards. So good balance.
I personally think Chalmers will be more valuable than Stuckey next year in fantasy basketball.. Mostly because of all the 3′s and steals that Chalmers gives you and Stuckey doesn’t. You’ll be able to find decent PG’s throughout the draft.
Don’t be too quick to judge Beasley. As Matt said, his 35 min averages are 19 pts, 7.5 reb..
Last year Durant played almost 35 minutes a game as a rookie. He averaged 0.7 3ptm (29%), 20.3 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 3 turnovers, 43% FG.
Durant’s rookie numbers overall are pretty similar to Beasley’s 35-min averages.
Year 2 – Durant is a superstar. Not saying Beasley will be, but it’s too early to say he won’t be anything special.
i don’t see it yet with beasley either, but i’m anticipating we’ll see it in the not-too-distant future. a 20-point scorer that rebounds and could challenge for 1+ 3pt/stl/blk in very short order is nice. he just turned 20 (!)
stuckey i like too, and it’s just about a lock that he’s a guy i’ll be targeting in drafts next season. but in a keeper league, you can’t not defer to beasley
it wouldn’t be without precedent that a young guy like beasley with all the tools but lacking focus or drive takes a couple of years to round into form. the downside to being only 20: he turns 21 next year in south beach.
if you project him out at his per 35, he’s basically a slightly better version of jeff green. he’d need a much better fg% (considering his position) or a couple points in ft% to really make a jump on my list next year.
stuckey has the minutes guaranteed going forward, has put up some serious numbers at times (30, 40, 38 pts). he’s doubled the number of minutes he’s played this season but still dramatically improved his fg and 3pt percentages. i don’t see why we shouldn’t expect a big third year from stuck.
not a bad comparison. looking at his splits, you’ll see that beasley’s efficiency has improved as the season has gone on – that shows me that he’s at least been focused this season. what will determine whether he’s good or great will be the numbers he puts up in stl/blk
wow, those percentages are glaring, didn’t notice earlier. i don’t know if there’s a stat that correlates directly to focus. adjusting to the pro game would account for the same gain in efficiency. it would just be a heat colored flag for me.
They got to fine and suspend Camby for that scary injured on Harris! What a crap guy ever I seen! My best guess that he will be out longer than Manu Ginobili or Chris Kaman!
if he gets fine for that, then i’ll be amazed since NBA didnt do any of that when Bynum did that to GWallace and nothing was done for Ariza’s doul on Rudy Fernandez
in fact, only Odom was suspended for getting outta his seat
NBA is pretty BS and if Camby get it, everyone else i mentioned should as well
That was not flagrant at all. Unfortunate, but not intentional.
no way he’s fined. that was a block attempt and nothing more
hey buser! singleton looked great again yesterday, i give up on predicting what’s going on in dallas.
i did pass on ak47 (cleared waivers, surprise…) but i need some help. i own josh smith and shawn marion and routinely lose stl/blk. basketball monster consistently has them as my two worst players. 10 teams, 10 players per, with turnovers, oreb and tech’s. i’m punting assists as the monster also shows the cats favor bigs.
with granger, terry, mo, okur and jamison, i’m thinking about letting harrington go. i get his scoring and threes elsewhere. i’m tempted to drop marion as well, as i need boards from his position. i lost amare, but still have d lee and and mcdyess for the bulk of my rebounds.
on the wire: thabo, hughes, m miller, monta, thompson, v. gorilla, balkman, lil gasol, varejao, haslem.
thanks, matt!
p.s. any word on why ‘cisco got the start Sunday? gotta love the 3pm/stl/blk game he’s got.
i’d pick up thabo, he will get boards and stls/blks that you need. lil gasol is also a decent option.
personally though i wouldn’t drop harrington for either. he has the potential for 40 points and 7 treys on any night.
lil gasol is highly rated on the monster for our league settings. must be his offensive rebounding. i have a fantacrush on thabo right now but missed him in two leagues so may do something irrational to get him.
harrington is too feast and famine for me, especially with d’antoni trying to work trade pieces into the offense. with granger, terry and mo williams, i feel like treys are my cat already. not to mention jamison and okur who always give me at least one.
maybe singleton inherits george’s minutes and then some? if howard doesn’t come back, the playing time is there at SF, and i think they’d rather give it to singleton than green or carroll because of defense
the fact that harrington is also at 48% FG and 1.4 steals since the break gives me pause. marion…has just been frustrating. obviously, thabo, hughes, tvg, and varejao are playing well these days. harrington and marion are definitely your most expendable players? with only 100 rostered players, it seems like you shouldn’t have to overthink things
depends on “expendable”. since oreb and to’s both favor bigs, i punted ast and told myself i have to win both rebounding cats, to’s, threes, one of the %’s and either stl or blk. my guards need to be in the vein of granger, which is why i like garcia so much. most people would view him as more expendable.
the conundrum is that smith and marion have been so unpredictable, i’m not sure if i need the steals or swats more. i can’t project for them easily. none of my bigs are particularly great shot blockers, but picking up guards tends to mess with my strategy.
current roster:
mo williams
jason terry
francisco garcia
david lee
mehmet okur
antawn jamison
shawn marion
josh smith
antonio mcdyess
al harrington
i’ll have to pick up granger soon (our league runs an IL), so it’s sayonara to either garcia of mcdyess already.
to me it looks like marion is your biggest liability. i can’t help but feel crazy even suggesting it, but he’s shooting zero threes for the raptors (literally) and the defensive stats have been very sporadic. his per-game rank of 116 over the past month does not lie
right, it wasn’t like he was shining in miami. i was hoping the trade or a possible extension would get him going again. it’s so odd to see a regular top five player drop out of the fantasy universe, but it’s just happened.
why does it feel like i’m just the mcdyess collapse, an injury and someone shutting it down for the season away from losing in the second round after working my ass off for a top two seed?
Someone dropped Jeff Green in my league….is Bibby worth giving up at this point? The only areas he’sreally helping me in are 3pt made and steals, and I can afford to give up the 3′s…..what’s everybody think?
bibby cleared waivers in our league about a week ago. most of his value early in the season was tied to his threes, but check his march splits: 25% 3pt and under 40% for fg’s. in nov-dec both of those numbers were in the high 40%’s. consider that he’s not producing many dimes, either, and it’s clear he’s simply fallen back to earth. drop and don’t look back.
do it
Beasley isn’t being kept in my keeper league. I might rather draft him than Rondo. Guess it’ll depend on what his role is going into next season.
fortunately his value is tied to o’neal’s health. if the heat went small and used haslem at center (where his stats are nearly identical to starting at pf) the bease could be quite effective. rondo seems like much less of a gamble, however, and i’m not sure the reward side of the beasley risk is that great.
keep him in mind certainly, but it may be a case of neither decision being wrong. just depends on what direction you want to go
drop biedrins for turiaf? or andersen for turiaf?
well i’d say turiaf over andersen definitely. i would hold off on dropping biedrins if at all possible – as of now, you have to anticipate getting him back for what would be the championship matchup
im currently in seventh place and im going up against the number six team right now. im 4 games behind him. i need a 7-2 or better to get in the championship round. (as of now, the standing is 7-2 in favor of my team) AB is out until april 1? thats tough.. what about peja? time to let go of him? udrih, grant hill, ariza, singleton, pietrus are available. who is a better replacement? thanks boos.
drop peja for ariza.
If playoffs are at stake just drop every injured player you have if you must, you have nothing to lose.
So drop Biedrins for Turiaf if you have to.
yep .. keeping them and losing does you zero good