NBA Fantasy News 2009-2010

[HacheMan]

Kobe Does It - Again
Tuesday night provided some solid highlights as Kobe Bryant hit his seventh game-winner of the season. Before we get going, here are my favorite tweets from last night. Follow me on Twitter by clicking the link. I will give you some tidbits, and might even occasionally make you laugh.

@ericpincus - Kobe has as many game-winning shots this season as the Nets have wins (7).

@kevinding quoting Lamar Odom - That s--- that Matt Barnes pulled, that ain't ever gonna happen again.

@matt_barnes22 Morning yall up early w/ the babies watchn Dora. Seems Lamar can't keep my name out his mouth maby I need 2 put my sons (poopy) diaper n it

@drpemberton Why can't Larry Brown ever concentrate on his current job and not his next move? Great coach, bad employee

[SIZE=+1]Tuesday Night Game News[/SIZE]

Kobe Does It Again

Kobe Bryant calmly drained a baseline jumper at the buzzer to beat the Raptors by two points last night. He finished with 32 points, six boards and six assists, and hit his seventh game-winner of the season. Chris Bosh had 22 points, seven boards and two 3-pointers on the night, putting him at 8-of-18 from downtown on the season. He hit his first six attempts on the season, missed 10 straight, and then hit both attempts from downtown last night. Hedo Turkoglu struggled through his ankle injury for six points on 2-of-7 shooting, while Jarrett Jack had 18 points, seven boards and seven assists. Jose who?

Magic Crush Clips

Baron Davis was benched to start last night's game due to an illness, allowing Steve Blake to start in his place, but was not happy about it. "If my health caused me to miss a one-hour, walk-around practice, and that determines my position on the team, then I'm not going to be happy." Uh oh. Davis is always a shaky late-season fantasy play, and the fact he's ticked off is not good. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. Travis Outlaw also started for Eric Gordon (leg), but hit just 2-of-8 shots for five points. Gordon remains day-to-day with his injury. The Magic's starting five all played very well in one of their easiest wins of the season.

Blazers Trump Kings

Marcus Camby returned to action for the Blazers from his sprained ankle and had six points, eight boards and five blocks. Not his greatest line ever, but it works. The Kings are simply a fantasy mess now. Jason Thompson played just 13 minutes, Omri Casspi got 4, and Donte' Greene started, but played just 17 minutes. Outside of Tyreke Evans, most of the Kings should be treated like they play for Kurt Rambis in Minnesota. In other words, ignore them.

Jazz Crush Bulls

Deron Williams torched the Bulls for 28 points and 17 assists, while C.J. Miles exploded off the Jazz bench for 26 points and six treys in 18 minutes. Should you pick him up? Not unless you like having guys who play 19 minutes per game on your team. Taj Gibson did nothing before fouling out in 13 minutes, while Luol Deng suffered a calf strain. He'll have an MRI on the injury, meaning the rest of his week is in jeopardy. If he's out, look for Hakim Warrick and Flip Murray to become relevant. Derrick Rose double-doubled and Brad Miller somehow scored 20 points and hit three 3-pointers, but had just four boards. He's worth a look as well.

Bucks Blast Celtics

The Bucks' impressive play continued last night as they beat the Celtics, who now officially appear to be older than me. Brandon Jennings shot 50 percent from the floor for the first time in forever, but had just 13 points, Carlos Delfino added 19 points, five 3-pointers, eight boards and two steals, while Andrew Bogut chipped in with 25 points, 17 boards and four blocks. Bogut has become one of the most dangerous fantasy centers in the league, while Delfino has stayed hot despite playing for Scott Skiles.

The Celtics got an 0-for-3, three-point performance from Ray Allen, and five points from Michael Finley in his Boston debut.

Rockets Waste Wizards

The Rockets' Jordan Hill has gone 11 & 8 and 12 & 8 in his last two games, so keep an eye on him. Trevor Ariza returned from his hip injury and had 13 points, and should finally be ready to go back into fantasy lineups next week. Kyle Lowry also returned from his severely sprained ankle and had six points in 19 minutes, but I doubt he gets back to form before the fantasy season ends.

For the Wizards, JaVale McGee played just 17 minutes for four points, seven boards and no blocks last night, but it might have been because the Rockets don't play a center. Don't give up on him yet. James Singleton had 12 points, four boards and three blocks last night, so just keep an eye on him. Randy Foye was awful again, hitting 1-of-6 shots and playing just 19 minutes. He'll probably get it going again, but he's clearly not a must-own player at this point. Nick Young finally played well and scored 18 points in 23 minutes. However, I doubt he keeps it going.

Pacers Stun Sixers

Roy Hibbert had 12 points, 11 boards and seven assists last night as the Pacers beat the Sixers. Dahntay Jones scored 25 and Brandon Rush had 24 as the duo helped fill in for Danny Granger, who was given a one-game suspension for his "fight" with Channing Frye. Granger will be back for his next one, meaning Jones and Rush are still pretty shaky plays. Mike Dunleavy played through his chest injury but had just nine points. If he can't get hot with Granger out, he's probably not ever going to get it going.

The Sixers got just five points on 2-of-8 shooting out of Andre Iguodala, who was benched for the fourth quarter. No report of an injury, so just keep riding him. I'm not sure who the worst coach on the floor was last night, but both clowns have completely lost their teams. And did so about three months ago. Jrue Holiday had 21 points, four assists and two 3-pointers and has heated up lately. Samuel Dalembert returned to the starting lineup after a disciplinary benching and had 16 points, 11 boards and four blocks. He'd been struggling, but is hopefully ready to turn it on again.

Bobcats Cool Heat

Raymond Felton double-doubled and Gerald Wallace grabbed 17 rebounds in a win for Charlotte. Tyrus Thomas was quiet, but played 26 minutes. Just stick with him. The Heat saw Jermaine O'Neal play through his hip injury for 19 points, five boards and three blocks, while Quentin Richardson laid an egg with seven points, two boards and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes. I should tell you guys when I pick him up and put him in my lineup. Then you'll know ahead of time that he's about ready to shut it down again. Some day I'll learn.

[SIZE=+1]Injury Tidbits[/SIZE]

It now looks like Chris Paul will miss another two weeks as he continues to recover from knee surgery. I wish I would have just gone all T-Mac on him and told you all to drop him a month ago, but he sounded pretty confident that he would be back. At this point, I really think he's a long shot to play again this year. And if he does, he'll play 10 games, max. I'll put his over/under at four games.

Rodney Stuckey remains out after his fainting episode last week and his answer to when he might return was "I don't know." Will Bynum is worth using until it happens.

Joakim Noah is out of his walking boot, but there's still no timetable on his return.

Brendan Haywood is questionable for Wednesday with his back injury. He's missed several games now, and is likely a true game-time decision.

Andris Biedrins will have his hernia surgery on Wednesday and is expected to be out for four-to-six weeks. Cut him.

Antawn Jamison's knee injury isn't bad and he's still expected to start on Friday.

Peja Stojakovic will miss a couple weeks with his groin injury, so keep riding Marcus Thornton, and keep an eye on Julian Wright and Morris Peterson.

Channing Frye is out Friday with a one-game suspension.

Jerry Stackhouse missed last night with a hamstring injury, which just means more minutes for Delfino.

Eddy Curry hopes to play tonight on his bum knee. Ever heard the saying "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound?" Well I have no idea if it's accurate to try to relate Curry's possible return to that saying, but I'm going with it. Oh, and Tracy McGrady says he's going to give it a go tonight. Can you tell I'm psyched?

 

[HacheMan]

'Reke-ing Havoc
There were no truly mind-bending statistical performances on Wednesday, but there were many that intrigued and fascinated the mind nonetheless. Here's a game-by-game breakdown of what transpired:

SAC 113, TOR 90

Kings: Tyreke Evans messed around and got his first triple-double, but it was far from his best line of the season (19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, nothing else)… Beno Udrih went for 24-4-8 and is worth owning in all leagues, even though he's not usually a particularly explosive option… This game was over after the third quarter, so I'm not going to read too much into the other Kings' performances. The bottom line is that beyond Evans, Udrih, Carl Landry (15 points, six rebounds) and, to a lesser extent, Spencer Hawes (seven points, eight rebounds) and Jason Thompson (10 points, five rebounds, two steals), it's not worth bothering with Kings unless you're in a deeper league.

Raptors: The Raptors had a five-point lead at halftime, but got outscored 43-23 in the third quarter and were clearly out of petrol one night after a deflating loss to the Lakers… Chris Bosh (6-for-20, 14 points) was dreadful, and the only true bright spot for Toronto was Andrea Bargnani, who posted 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

UTA 115, DET 104

Jazz: Paul Millsap went for 18-9-4 and remains a solid play if you can stomach his occasionally inconsistent line… Kyle Korver went 14-7-4 in 24 minutes, but doesn't consistently play enough to warrant a roster spot in standard leagues… Wesley Matthews (14 points in 24 minutes) has hit double figures in four straight games, but is still only an option in deeper leagues… One game after scoring 26 in 18 minutes, C.J. Miles scored five in 20 minutes.

Pistons: Though Rodney Stuckey has been cleared to exercise, it sounds like Will Bynum (14-3-2) should get some more starts. The Pistons reportedly think Stuckey will be back before the end of the season, but have been vague thus far about when he might return. For his part, Stuckey indicated to the Detroit News that he thinks he'll practice soon… Jason Maxiell (10 points, 11 rebounds, two steals) continues to have short-term value, but Ben Wallace (knee) is expected back by the end of the week… Charlie Villanueva had 19 points in 27 minutes off the bench and still has a shot to make a late-season run… I'm less optimistic about Ben Gordon, who had 11 points in 23 minutes and has averaged 9.0 ppg this month.

MIA 108, LAC 97

Heat: Starting PG Carlos Arroyo (four points, two assists) got outplayed by Mario Chalmers (12 points, six assists, two steals, four threes), but I'm staying away from both Miami PG's in fantasy leagues… Quentin Richardson had eight points, six rebounds and two threes, which is about what he's good for on nights when he's not randomly going off… Michael Beasley had 15 points, but left in the third quarter with a thigh bruise and should be considered day-to-day for now.

Clippers: The slightly erratic but generally useful Rasual Butler broke out for 31 points and a season-high six threes… Baron Davis went for 10-4-9 the day after his seemingly mild verbal altercation with interim coach Kim Hughes… Steve Blake got the start in place of Eric Gordon (leg, day-to-day) and finished with a 12-4-5 line and four threes… Craig Smith had five points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, but is still limited by the fact that he's stuck behind Drew Gooden (six points, nine rebounds)… Travis Outlaw had four points in 14 minutes and has yet to crack double figures in six games this month.

MEM 111, BOS 91

Grizzlies: Zach Randolph returned after a one-game absence due to a back injury and had 13 points, 10 rebounds and two steals… Rudy Gay led Memphis with 28 points, eight boards and three treys… Mike Conley continued his solid run with a 12-6-6 line, and Marcus Williams scored a random 16 off the bench in an easy win for the Grizzlies.

Celtics: This game was over after the second quarter, with the Celtics down by 22 at halftime, in Boston. Celtics fans: not pleased… Not surprisingly, most of the Celtics' lines were forgettable, though Ray Allen did bounce back from an awful night with 17 points, and Rasheed Wallace unleashed a random 11 points, six steals and three blocks in just 22 minutes… Meanwhile, I have just about lost my patience with Kendrick Perkins, who is averaging just 7.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.2 bpg in five games this month.

DEN 110, MIN 102

Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony shot badly (6-for-16, 19 points), but added six rebounds, five assists, five steals and a block… Chris Andersen went for 14 points, 10 boards and three blocks and is worth owning in shallow leagues at the moment… On the injury front, Kenyon Martin (knee) has reportedly begun plasma treatment and could reportedly miss several weeks. Cut him if you haven't done so already.

T'Wolves: Al Jefferson followed up his 36-point effort with a somewhat disappointing 17 and 10 with no steals or blocks, but should still finish out the week strong… Speaking of strong, the streaky Corey Brewer is heating up again, averaging 17.0 ppg in his last four games… With Ryan Hollins suspended for two games, Darko Milicic got the start and had six points, 12 rebounds and a block. Personally, I'm staying far away, but feel free to deploy him on Friday in a less-than-ideal matchup against the Spurs… The other upshot of Hollins' absence was that it helped Kevin Love get reestablished after a forgettable Monday. Love bounced back with a 15-11-4 line in 27 minutes and will hopefully be relatively free of Kurt Rambis' playing time tampering going forward.

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OKC 98, NOH 83

Thunder: Russell Westbrook tinkered with the notion of a triple-double, finishing with 17-8-9… Serge Ibaka remained solid off the bench, going for 12 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes… After averaging 16.7 ppg in his last three games, James Harden played a disappointing 14 minutes and finished with six points. Apparently Scott Brooks still isn't ready to turn him loose consistently.

Hornets: David West scored 33 points and is averaging 27.7 ppg in his last three… Darren Collison shot a forgettable 3-for-14, but still had eight points and nine assists. And speaking of Collison, the latest Chris Paul news has the all-world PG at least two weeks away from returning… Julian Wright played 37 minutes in place of Peja Stojakovic (groin injury; expected to miss two weeks), but had just 10 points and three rebounds and should remain on waivers in standard leagues… Emeka Okafor was awful again (two points, three rebounds, two blocks) and may be the most infuriating player you can't quite bring yourself to drop… Marcus Thornton was held to 11 points, but New Orleans was off altogether and the electric sixth man will bounce back.

DAL 96, NJN 87

Mavericks: Jason Kidd had a dynamic all-around line, going for 20-4-9 with four steals, a block and five threes… Brendan Haywood (11 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks) and Erick Dampier (one point, two rebounds, four minutes) returned from injuries, but for the time being Haywood is the Dallas center to own in fantasy leagues… Dirk Nowitzki shot 3-for-16 on a rare off shooting night… Shawn Marion continued his strong March with 14 points, 13 rebounds, a steal and three blocks… With Jose Juan Barea out due to an ankle injury, Rodrigue Beaubois posted 16 points in 26 minutes.

Nets: The Terrence Williams express continued to roll with 18 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. It's to the point where he needs to be on a roster in 10-team leagues… Courtney Lee's stellar run came to a halt (10 points on 4-for-12 shooting), but he still played 46 minutes and should heat back up soon… It was also an off night for Brook Lopez (10 points, six rebounds on 5-for-16 shooting), but he'll recover… Kris Humphries had 13 points and eight rebounds, but is too erratic to trust outside of deeper leagues… P.S. – Devin Harris is playing well (21.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.2 threes in five games this month). Hopefully he stays healthy and avoids the shutdown police.

SAS 97, NYK 87

Spurs: Manu Ginobili had another big game (28-6-5) and has rediscovered something resembling vintage form. He's been beneath the radar for much of the season, but is going to help many owners win titles if he stays healthy… Antonio McDyess made himself heard with 10 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and a block, but you can't expect that kind of production with any regularity. Ignore him in 14-team leagues.

Knicks: Tracy McGrady started, but had a Mike Miller-esque 6-7-4 line in 25 minutes. Four words for fantasy owners: not worth the headache… Wilson Chandler went for 17-3-2 with two blocks, and should continue to be a solid if unexciting option the rest of the way… Starting PG Sergio Rodriguez was actually solid on a per-minute basis (nine points, four assists in 14 minutes), but my sense is that his minutes continue to be held in check due to defensive issues… Toney Douglas had two points in 23 minutes and will not be going near any of my fantasy rosters… Danilo Gallinari had a quiet 14 and five after his big game Monday, but is still averaging a solid 16.8 ppg in six games this month.

CHA 102, PHI 87

Bobcats: Gerald Wallace busted out for 28 points, his highest point total since Feb. 22… Stephen Jackson shot badly (6-for-19), but was otherwise solid with 24 points, 10 boards, two threes and three steals… The mildly resurgent D.J. Augustin had 10 points and five assists in 28 minutes… Tyson Chandler had 12 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes and is worth monitoring for block-starved owners, especially in deeper leagues.

Sixers: This was not a pretty night for Philly playing the second game of a back-to-back, and Andre Iguodala (13-3-1) and Lou Williams (10-1-3) both struggled. Despite how inept the Sixers are, I expect both to bounce back soon… Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday went for 13-4-8 with two threes and three steals and needs to be owned in most leagues. The rookie is averaging 18.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.3 bpg and 2.3 threes in his last three games.

INJURY NOTES

Monta Ellis (back): The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Ellis was born with a small hole at the base of his spine, which sounds scary and uncomfortable but is apparently not a major long-term concern. Ellis also told the Chronicle that he's "leaning" toward returning to action on Thursday, so be prepared to get him active in daily leagues.

Ronny Turiaf (knee): Questionable for Thursday; remains worth watching given that Andris Biedrins (abdomen) had surgery Wednesday and is done for the year.

C.J. Watson (attending funeral): Questionable as well.

Luol Deng (calf): Expected to miss at least two games.

Taj Gibson (foot): May not play Thursday.

Antawn Jamison (knee): Looks like a game-time call for Friday, but expected to play Sunday regardless.

Leandro Barbosa (wrist): Expected to return on Friday, but Alvin Gentry will reportedly determine his role on a game-to-game basis depending on how well he's shooting / playing. (In other words, he will intrigue many of us occasionally, but on the whole those of us in normal-sized leagues would be wise to take a wide-angle view of the situation and avoid it altogether.)

 

[HacheMan]

Oh No, Down Goes Rose
Thursday Night Recaps

Magic Thump Bulls

The Magic absolutely destroyed the Bulls last night on national television. Vince Carter had 23 points and two 3-pointers on 8-of-13 shooting, but the Magic's bench got too much run to make any other players stand out. That will happen when you lead by 30 for 40 minutes or so. I was concerned that Carter stayed in the game so late with his team up 30, but it looks like he came out of it injury free.

The Bulls got terrible news, as Derrick Rose left early with a strained left wrist. It was in a sling after the game and he'll have an MRI today. If he's going to miss much time, the Bulls can probably kiss their playoff hopes goodbye. Luol Deng was out again with his calf injury, but sounds like a game-time decision for Friday. Brad Miller came back to earth last night, hitting just 1-of-5 shots for two points and is dealing with a thumb injury. He was also dealing with a case of Dwight-itis last night. If Rose is out, Kirk Hinrich (six points, six assists) should be the No. 1 target of fantasy owners, while Jannero Pargo and Flip Murray would also see a nice boost. Taj Gibson returned from his foot injury last night and had 12 points and nine boards. He's going to be day-to-day for a while, but looked good last night.

Warriors Rolled By Blazers

It's not a fun task to try to write up or analyze a Warriors game, as it seems like there's a different star every night and enough coaching and injury oddities to sink a boat. Monta Ellis was back in action last night and had 17 points in 28 minutes. Corey Maggette looked good with 24 points, five boards and six assists, and Anthony Tolliver added 14 points, 11 boards, two 3-pointers and a block in the loss to Portland. C.J. Watson has cooled off and had 12 points, five boards and six assists, but still logged 35 minutes. Anthony Morrow was in the same boat, playing 34 minutes and scoring just nine points. I may have written Maggette off too early, but I still don't trust him. As for Morrow and Watson, they're going to have some big games, but their opportunities will be limited when the Warriors are somewhat healthy, meaning they can be dropped in some leagues. Ronny Turiaf was out with his knee injury, and will put a damper on Tolliver when he returns to action. However, Tolliver still looks like he has the potential to be a useful fantasy player going forward.

Brandon Roy went off for 41 points last night, along with eight rebounds on 14-of-22 shooting. I guess his hamstring injury is officially behind him, and it sure would be nice if he could blow up like this more often. Marcus Camby played through his ankle injury and had 17 rebounds, but just four points and zero blocks in the win.

Hawks Waste Wizards

The Hawks got a season-high 29 points and four 3-pointers out of Jamal Crawford last night to hang on to beat the Wizards. Mike Bibby played well with 16 points and five assists, but is way too inconsistent to use in fantasy, while Josh Smith struggled for the Hawks with nine points, but still filled the stat sheet.

The Wizards got 30 points, 10 boards and seven turnovers from Andray Blatche, and JaVale McGee chipped in with a career-high 20 on 10-of-13 shooting, along with nine rebounds. I have no idea how either guy didn't come up with a block last night, but it happened. The other big man, James Singleton, was 0-for-5 and without a point or block, but did have seven boards. Nick Young had 17 off the bench, and after failing to score more than seven points in eight straight games, has scored 17 & 18 in his last two.

Injury News and Notes

Shaquille O'Neal (thumb) is likely out until the playoffs, while we're still about 10 days away from the Zydrunas Ilgauskas signing. I see no reason to hang onto Shaq in fantasy leagues.

Jason Richardson is dealing with a back injury and has some dental issues, but is expected to play on Friday. Leandro Barbosa will not make his return from a wrist injury tonight, but it does sound like Steve Nash and Goran Dragic will play for the Suns.

Rodney Stuckey is questionable tonight. It does sound like he'll play again this season, meaning Will Bynum's value may be short lived.

Michael Beasley is iffy for Friday with his thigh injury and should probably be considered a game-time decision.

LeBron James will play tonight after taking a couple days off, while Antawn Jamison sounds doubtful with his knee injury.

James Harden missed practice with a hamstring injury and is iffy for Friday. At least this helps explain his bad line on Wednesday night.

Mickael Pietrus missed last night's game with a neck injury, not that you noticed.

Gilbert Arenas will change his number from zero to six next season in an effort to turn his image around and start over. Or in an effort to sell a bunch of jerseys and make money.

Kevin Love is ticked off about his inconsistent playing time and role on Kurt Rambis' team. "My shooting percentage is down the past 10 games because I don't know when I'm going to get the ball," Love said. Rambis "is into precision, but I don't feel like we know 100 percent what we need to do out there." Props to Love for calling out his coach, as someone had to do it. Rambis has done absolutely nothing to win the trust of fantasy owners or Minnesota fans, but then again, he hasn't had a lot to work with, either. I am a huge Love fan, but the way he's being used by Rambis is borderline inexcusable. Now we'll have to see if Love's comments earn him more PT or land him in the doghouse.

Eddy Curry's calf injury is still bothering him and he's blaming it on overdoing it in practice. I really don't know what to say here, but I do get a little misty thinking back to how excited I was about Curry on Halloween of 2002. Man, I've been doing this job a long time.

Dorell Wright was hit with a DUI yesterday, and while he is always on the cusp of having a little fantasy value, this isn't going to help much.

Friday's Games

Clippers @ Bobcats: Sleeper: Rasual Butler. Tagline: It's not often the Cats are heavy favorites.

Cavs @ Sixers: Sleeper: Jrue Holiday. Tagline: Welcome back, LeBron.

Pacers @ Celtics: Sleeper: Roy Hibbert. Tagline: Celtics officially stuck with fork if they can't win this one at home.

Bulls @ Heat: Sleeper: Jannero Pargo. Tagline: Bulls with a back-to-back, probably no Rose, maybe no Deng, on road against rested Heat. Maybe they'll lose by 40 instead of 30 tonight.

Spurs @ T-Wolves: Sleeper: Darko Milicic. Tagline: Wolves will probably start Darko again in order to help him prepare for Europe next season. Spurs will sleep walk through this one, but hopefully Pop lets Tim Duncan play the whole game.

Wizards @ Pistons: Sleeper: Charlie Villanueva (heating up). Tagline: Who cares?

Nuggets @ Hornets: Sleeper: Julian Wright. Tagline: Hornets' last stand before officially calling it a season.

Knicks @ Grizzlies: Sleeper: Mike Conley. Tagline: Grizzlies should roll in this one, Knicks wish they had Conley instead of Spanish Duhon.

Nets @ OKC: Sleeper: Serge Ibaka. Tagline: Thunder should crush Nets tonight.

Jazz @ Bucks: Sleeper: Carlos Delfino. Tagline: Don't be fooled. This is the game of the night.

Lakers @ Suns: Sleeper: Grant Hill. Tagline: Should be a fun game, but Lakers will win because they're the better team.

Blazers @ Kings: Sleeper: Donte' Greene. Tagline: Blazers playing a back-to-back, but really shouldn't matter against terrible Kings. Roy vs. Tyreke Evans is going to be highly entertaining.

 

[HacheMan]

Week 21 - NBA Playoffs
We'll go with a similar format to last week's column. Here's a re-run of the playoff schedule for each team, as well as a team-by-team look at waiver-wire possibilities.

[SIZE=+1]Head-To-Head Playoff Schedules[/SIZE]

The games-played column many of you have asked about was available in the Season Pass and Draft Guide before the season even began. But since the playoffs are here, I've decided to throw that information out there for the rest of the world today. We'll get to the "Waiver Wire" portion of this column shortly.

Playoff dates vary in all leagues, so make sure you check out your own league's schedule before taking this as gospel. I used weeks 21-24 for the playoffs, and we're heading into Week 21 right now.

And if you have the Season Pass or Draft Guide, you can see the full Week-by-Week schedule grid by clicking on either link.

Playoff Schedules (Weeks 21-24 - * = Two-Game Week)

16 Games – Houston, San Antonio and Washington

These teams go 4-4-4-4 through the playoffs, which is as good as it gets. I still get questions about whether or not I trust Andray Blatche going forward, and the answer is a resounding 'yes.' But as for Tim Duncan and the Spurs? They have a whopping five sets of back-to-backs down the stretch (in the fantasy playoffs), meaning Duncan is going to possibly get a couple nights off. Just something to keep in mind. And while we're on that subject, the Spurs are playing on Sunday as I type this, and have a game on Monday against the Hornets. Will Duncan play in that one? Who knows?

15 Games – Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Golden State, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City and Toronto

These teams have a great playoff schedule – three four-game weeks and a three-gamer.

14 Games – Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Indiana, LA Lakers, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York* (4-2-4-4), Philadelphia and Utah

You're still OK with most of the 14-game teams, although the Knicks do have a two-gamer for Week 22. The rest play some combination of 4-4-3-3, but don't be too scared of the Knicks, as their two-game week is surrounded by three four-game weeks.

13 Games – Dallas* (2-4-4-3), LA Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, Phoenix and Sacramento

Things start getting a little dicey here. Dallas has a two-game week to kick off the playoffs in Week 21, while the rest of these teams have some combination of 4-3-3-3.

12 Games – Orlando*

Orlando's playoff schedule leaves plenty to be desired, as it goes 2-4-3-3. Maybe your playoffs don't start until Week 22, which would make Dwight Howard's postseason prospects look much better.

11 Games – Portland*

The Blazers not only had the worst second-half schedule, but their playoff run of 2-3-3-3 is hard to even look at. As if Brandon Roy's hamstring wasn't enough of a reason to trade him, this should seal the deal.

[SIZE=+1]Waiver Wire[/SIZE]

Team-by-team, although not all teams are included.

Bobcats - Tyson Chandler is showing some signs of life and Nazr Mohammed has yet to make his return from a back injury. Chandler is worth a look if you're desperate at center, but I still don't trust him. Gerald Wallace is very iffy for the entire week with a badly sprained ankle, which is a total buzzkill for the playoffs. I still think Tyrus Thomas will start getting more minutes with Wallace out, but Stephen Graham or Gerald Henderson should move into the starting lineup, making one of them worth a look. Boris Diaw and D.J. Augustin should also see a boost, but I doubt anyone outside of Diaw is a must-own from that group.

Bulls - Brad Miller and Taj Gibson are still worth a look with Joakim Noah's season in the balance, but neither is a must-own player. James Johnson started on Friday and had 20 points and six rebounds, and it's very likely that Luol Deng will miss another week with his calf injury. If so, Johnson might be the guy to own. Derrick Rose has a wrist injury, but could play this week, while Kirk Hinrich has been suspended for Tuesday. Jannero Pargo definitely deserves a look right now, and should be fine on Tuesday with Hinrich out. But if Rose comes back in the next game or two, Pargo's run is going to be short-lived.

Cavaliers - With Shaquille O'Neal's season possibly over, Anderson Varejao, who just torched the Celtics in the first half on Sunday, should now be owned in all leagues. J.J. Hickson and Leon Powe have started recently, but Varejao is the way to go. Antawn Jamison is back on Sunday, so Powe is definitely out of the mix. Zydrunas Ilgauskas will also have value if he's re-signed by the Cavs on March 22, while Delonte West is suddenly hot and probably worth owning in most leagues.

Nuggets - J.R. Smith had 30 points and seven treys on Saturday and I've been predicting a big finish from him all along. He had a three-point dud on Friday, but has scored between 15 and 30 points in six of his last seven games. Chris Andersen is also fighting through a knee injury and looks like a solid pickup if you need boards and blocks right now.

Keep reading for the rest of the Waiver Wire pickups.
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Pistons - Ben Wallace's ill-timed knee injury has opened the door for Jason Maxiell to become relevant, and he has played well, along with Jonas Jerebko. Wallace should be back soon, but the other two guys are also worth a look – especially after Maxiell's 19 & 12 against the Hawks Saturday. Rodney Stuckey will miss at least a couple more games with his latest health scare, meaning Will Bynum, who recently had a 20-assist game, is worth owning for at least two or three more games, if not longer. Tayshaun Prince can be owned in all leagues at this point, while Charlie Villanueva appears to be getting healthy.

Warriors - With Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf both hurt, Anthony Tolliver is still worth owning despite a tough game on Saturday. C.J. Watson has finally taken a minutes hit and can probably be dropped, while Anthony Morrow has taken a hit with Corey Maggette back in action. Morrow started Saturday and is still probably worth owning, while Maggette should now be owned again in most leagues. Reggie Williams is still getting run and is worth a look in deeper leagues, along with a struggling Watson.

Rockets - Jordan Hill and Shane Battier are getting run off the bench for the Rockets, but are not must-own players at this point. Just give them a look in deep leagues.

Pacers - T.J. Ford's groin injury will keep him out for another 7-10 days so Earl Watson, who had 15 points, five boards, three assists and three 3-pointers on Sunday, is worth owning again in most leagues. Roy Hibbert has been playing well lately and is probably a better option than Ty Chandler, while Brandon Rush and Dahntay Jones are getting solid run with Mike Dunleavy on his last legs.

Clippers - Travis Outlaw has been playing well (16 & 17 points in last two) with Eric Gordon still out with a leg injury, while Rasual Butler has also been posting some nice numbers. But Butler's run might be over, as he had just two points in 20 minutes on Saturday. DeAndre Jordan played 30 minutes in Saturday's blowout loss, and is still worth keeping an eye on. But as his game log will attest, he's been a tough guy to own for the last few weeks.

Grizzlies - Mike Conley cooled off on Saturday, but has been playing well and looks like a solid point -guard option in most leagues going forward.

Heat - Carlos Arroyo continues to start and stink it up for the Heat, while Mario Chalmers has been playing well off the bench. But I still don't trust either of them. Quentin Richardson is still somehow hot and had 23 points, seven boards and seven 3-pointers on Friday. I still own him, reluctantly. With Michael Beasley still sidelined, Udonis Haslem has been playing well for the Heat.

Timberwolves - Corey Brewer is inconsistent, but worth a pickup if you need threes and steals.

Bucks - John Salmons is obviously worth owning in all leagues and I maintain that Carlos Delfino is in the same boat. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova are intriguing, but very inconsistent, and Jerry Stackhouse is even worth a look in very deep leagues. And if Brandon Jennings was dropped in your league, you have to give him a hard look. Just beware of that field goal percentage.

Nets - Courtney Lee has been up and down again lately, going for 24, 6, 10, 30 and 25 points in each of his last five games. He'll hit some threes, but doesn't do much of anything else. Give him a look if you need a scorer. Terrence Williams is still producing and has hit double figures in seven of his last eight games with two double-doubles. Yi Jianlian could return at some point, but I still think they're going to roll with Williams down the stretch. In other words, I still think Williams is worth a flier in most leagues.

Hornets - Perhaps no player is as inconsistent as Emeka Okafor. He had 22 points and 11 boards one night, and two points and three boards the next night in a set of games last week. He should come in somewhere in between the two going forward, making him worth a look if he was dropped in your league.

Knicks - Sergio Rodriguez has been benched for now, with Toney Douglas stepping up as the new starting point guard in New York. TD had 21 points, eight assists and four 3-pointers on Saturday, but was shooting lights out in that one. I doubt he can play at that level consistently, but is still worth a flier in most leagues. Tracy McGrady is still walking, but is a very risky fantasy play in the playoffs. Bill Walker is hot again, scoring 21 or more in four of his last eight games, but it's very tough to tell when Mike D'Antoni is going to use him. He's played well in two straight, so give him a look. Just don't be surprised if he scored 25 or 2 in his next one.

Sixers - Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday are both still worth a look, but no one has been able to figure out how Eddie Jordan is going to use them from night to night. Thaddeus Young is also an intriguing player off the Sixers' bench, but inconsistency should be expected.

Suns - Grant Hill has hit double digits in five straight and deserves consideration, while Leandro Barbosa is due back for the upcoming week. Only give LB a look in deeper leagues, as he'll be worked back in slowly. Robin Lopez is still too up and down, and is not for the weak at heart. He had zero rebounds in 18 minutes in his last one. Channing Frye has also become relevant again, but is also still inconsistent.

Kings - Beno Udrih is starting again for the Kings and playing pretty well. Dare I say Beno's a must-own player right now? Jason Thompson is back from his injury, but remains inconsistent, while Francisco Garcia is starting to make some noise for the Kings. If Garcia plays well again on Sunday, I'd think about picking him up. Donte' Greene and Spencer Hawes have been starting, but I really don't trust them. And keep in mind that Sacramento's stats may be inflated after Sunday's matchup with the Timberwolves.

Spurs - George Hill has proven his worth and should now be owned in all leagues for the stretch run. That was the case even before Tony Parker went down with a broken hand, and Hill is now a must-own player. Richard Jefferson is suddenly starting again and is averaging 18.5 points and nine boards in his last two. If you are feeling brave, it could be time for him to finally start playing well.

Raptors - Jose Calderon went off for 24 points and 12 assists off the bench on Saturday, but I have no idea if he can do it again in the next one.

Jazz - Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Mehmet Okur (back) are out on Sunday, so Paul Millsap, C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver are all worth a look right now.

Wizards - Al Thornton is still starting and worth owning, Andray Blatche remains a must-start, and JaVale McGee is still probably worth owning despite a recent slump. Randy Foye was terrible on Saturday, allowing Shaun Livingston to come off the bench for 18 points and eight dimes on Saturday. I still can't believe I'm writing this, but if you have a guy like Sergio Rodriguez to cut, Livingston might be worth a flier. But I'd prefer to wait and see what happens in his next game before fully signing off on him.

 

[HacheMan]

Way, Jose?
As usual, there's a ton of injury news out there, as well as shocking performances from players who don't normally do much for their teams. Let's just dive in.

And while I've got your attention, take a look at our It's Madness NCAA Tournament Game. It's free, has a $2,000 cash grand prize, as well as a 32" LCD TV for second place. Check it out (and go with Kentucky to win it all)!

[SIZE=+1]News and Notes[/SIZE]

Raptors To Shake It Up?

Jose Calderon could be heading back into the starting lineup for the struggling Raptors, although it doesn't sound like Jay Triano has made that official. It's clear the Raptors have played a little better lately when JC is running the point, and lost in the story was that Andrea Bargnani got the hook early on Sunday for failing to block out. Calderon may or may not be moving back into the starting five, but even if he continues to come off the bench, his 24 points and 12 assists on Saturday should be enough evidence to pick him up in your league. And don't worry about Bargnani. The Raptors need him on the floor if they're going to win. His coach would just like to see him at least pretend to make an effort to rebound.

Small Names, Big Numbers

Donte' Greene, Julian Wright, C.J. Miles, Wesley Matthews, Paul Millsap, Stephen Graham, Mickael Pietrus, Quentin Richardson, Jason Kapono, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum, Reggie Williams, Anthony Tolliver, Carlos Arroyo, Wayne Ellington, Terrence Williams, Nicolas Batum, Jared Dudley, Francisco Garcia, JaVale McGee, Earl Watson, DeAndre Jordan, Jannero Pargo, James Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Travis Outlaw, Toney Douglas, Bill Walker, Shaun Livingston and Brandon Bass (to name a few) have been making headlines lately in the NBA. Let's take a quick-hits style look at each one.

Many of the players I'm about to mention were also featured in this week's Waiver Wired column. Check it out if you haven't done so yet.

My apologies for the random order of teams today. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

Kings

Donte' Greene is starting for the Kings and hit 8-of-11 shots for 19 points and eight boards on Sunday. Is he for real? Maybe. He's been starting, but last night was his best line in some time. I don't trust him, and Francisco Garcia, who struggled on Sunday, had been playing better. Just give both players a quick look if you're desperate for Week 21, although the Kings play just three games this week. Jason Thompson is starting to play better and is worth a look again, while Beno Udrih lost the faith of his owners with Sunday's 1-of-8, two points, one-assist performance on Sunday. I still think he's startable if your options are limited.

Hornets

Julian Wright is starting for Peja Stojakovic and may continue to do so for another 10 days or so. He played 40 minutes on Sunday, but had just seven points. Some folks are rolling with him for four games this week, and while the minutes were nice yesterday, he's still not really trustworthy.

Jazz

With Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur both hurting for the Jazz, Wesley Matthews and C.J. Miles have each posted one huge line recently. Matthews hit 9-of-11 shots and six treys on Sunday, while Miles posted a similar line on Tuesday. Both are worth a look with four games this week, but the return of Kirilenko, who is day-to-day with a calf injury, would hurt them. Paul Millsap played 39 minutes on Sunday, but had just 13 points and five boards. Okur (back) sounds like he may be back before Kirilenko, but I still think Millsap might be worth a shot this week.

Bobcats

Charlotte's Stephen Graham is starting in place of Gerald Wallace, who should miss at least one more game with an ankle injury. I don't think Wallace is probably startable in most weekly leagues, but it is also possible he doesn't even miss a game this week. He's with the team for Tuesday's game in Indy, but the latest reports suggests he won't play. Graham's certainly not a must-own even if Wallace is out, and Tyrus Thomas is probably a safer bet. Graham had 12 points on Sunday's start. If I owned Wallace in a weekly league, I would probably bench him as of now, but I'm hoping for a new update later on Monday.

Magic

Mickael Pietrus started for Matt Barnes on Sunday (toe) and scored 20 points. Barnes is due back for the Magic's next one, so I think it's safe to forget about Pietrus for now. Brandon Bass has seen an increased role for the Magic, but they play just two games this week. Tough break for owners of Dwight Howard heading into the playoffs.

Rockets

Trevor Ariza started over Shane Battier in the last one and the Rockets play four times this week. I had planned on using both players in one league, but have decided to bench Battier. He's shaky enough already when starting for the Rockets.

Heat

Quentin Richardson has been all or nothing for the Heat lately and the Heat play three games this week. I'd bench him for a more reliable player in weekly leagues, but he's still worth owning at this point. Carlos Arroyo had 12 points and 10 dimes on Sunday, but I still don't trust him. Just look at his game log to find out why. Jermaine O'Neal was ejected on Sunday and could be facing a suspension, giving owners yet another tough decision this week. My guess is he gets one game, but it's just that – a guess. We'll see. Michael Beasley is still out with his leg injury and doesn't know when he'll return. He's probably too risky for this week – especially with just three games.

Sixers

Jason Kapono started the second half of Sunday's game over Lou Williams. I still trust Lou and Jrue Holiday a heck of a lot more, but they haven't exactly been tearing it up lately, either. Philly has four games this week, meaning Williams and Holiday are still worth fantasy consideration.

Continue reading for Team Notes and the Injury Report.
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Cavaliers

Anderson Varejao has been playing great and is now a must-start with four games, while Delonte West is cooling off. I don't think I'd have the guts to start West in most leagues, but he's always worth a close look for the Cavs.

Bucks

Jerry Stackhouse scored 20 points for the Bucks on Sunday, and while he's certainly an intriguing player, he's too inconsistent to be in most lineups. The Bucks play three games this week.

Pistons

Jason Maxiell has been filling in nicely for Ben Wallace, while Will Bynum had 20 assists on Friday. Still no word on Big Ben's target date, meaning Maxiell is a decent four-game option this week, while Bynum should have two more solid games with Rodney Stuckey out on Monday and Tuesday. I say play them both, unless we get an update today.

Warriors

Reggie Williams and Anthony Tolliver are still getting decent minutes for the Warriors, who play four games this week, but they are low-end fantasy options. C.J. Watson's minutes have taken a hit, so I'd probably try to bench him, while Anthony Morrow is a bit iffy now that Corey Maggette is back.

Wolves

Wayne Ellington has scored 15 & 17 in his last two for the Timberwolves, but I don't think he's a real option with three games this week. I could be wrong. As for what to do with Kevin Love? I don't know. He was playing pretty well off the bench, but with just three games this week, I'd try to find a replacement if you own him.

Nets

The Nets only have three games this week, but I am starting Terrence Williams and Courtney Lee, who bounced back on Saturday. Yi Jianlian could return from his injury and rain on the parade for T-Will, but it still feels like he's earned at least 25 mpg when Yi returns. This just in - Devin Harris has the flu and is now iffy for Tuesday.

Blazers

Nicolas Batum played well on Sunday, but is not a real option with the Blazers only playing twice this week.

Suns

Jared Dudley is suddenly intriguing with news of Grant Hill's concussion, while Leandro Barbosa's return from wrist surgery will be timely if Hill is out. The Suns have three games this week, and I'd be hesitant to start any of the three players mentioned. That also goes for Robin Lopez, who has forgotten how to rebound. Amare Stoudemire has caught fire just in time for the fantasy playoffs, so hopefully he can keep it going.

Wizards

JaVale McGee is struggling again for the Wizards but plays four games per week for the next four. He's not a must-start by any means, but can be used in a pinch. Shaun Livingston shocked the world with 18 points and eight assists on Saturday, and while I'm in favor of picking him up, I'd be hesitant to put him in my lineup until we see him do it again. Start him at your own risk. And on a related note, Randy Foye hasn't played well. He'll either continue to sink, or get going now that Livingston is applying some pressure.

Knicks

Earl Watson and Brandon Rush look like safe starts now for the Pacers with T.J. Ford and Mike Dunleavy injured, while Roy Hibbert looks like a decent play at center.

Clippers

Travis Outlaw has played well in two straight games as we still await a return date for Eric Gordon from his leg injury. As long as Outlaw is starting, he can be used in fantasy, but he's only played well in his last two games. Rasual Butler should also get it going again if Gordon is going to remain out. DeAndre Jordan had eight points, five boards and five blocks in about 30 minutes on Saturday and remains an intriguing player. But he isn't likely to see heavy minutes as long as Chris Kaman is healthy. The Clips play three games this week.

Bulls

Jannero Pargo went off in the absence of Derrick Rose in his last game, but it sounds like Rose could play on Tuesday. If it happens, Pargo is probably not worth playing. Then again, Kirk Hinrich is suspended for Tuesday, so Pargo should be decent for at least one game. I'm getting the sense Luol Deng and Joakim Noah won't play much this week, if at all, making Taj Gibson, Brad Miller and James Johnson look like decent plays. Johnson had 20 points, six boards and two blocks on Friday in a start for Deng, and could be a great sleeper if Deng remains out. But yes, he's also quite risky. I don't think I have the guts to start him this week, but you may. As for Rose, I'm probably benching him (unless we get a positive update), but that could come back to bite me, as the Bulls play four games this week.

Spurs

Richard Jefferson is starting again and has come alive for the Spurs, scoring 18 and 19 points in his last two games. He's well rested because he's come off the bench for so long, and could be a sneaky pick-and-play now that he's starting. Do I trust him? Not at all, but he could have a nice week, as the Spurs would love to see him get going for the playoffs. Matt Bonner had a big line in his last game, but it came against the lowly Clippers, who the Spurs have beaten 16 straight times. Don't play Bonner.

Knicks

Toney Douglas (21 points, 4 3-pointers, 8 assists in last one) and Bill Walker (23 points, five 3-pointers) are suddenly hot for the Knicks. I still think Wilson Chandler is a decent fantasy starter after scoring 22 points on Saturday, while Douglas also looks like a must-start now that he's the Knicks starting point guard. Walker has scored 20 in four of his last eight games, but those other four were pure duds. The Knicks have four games this week, so all three players can be used in fantasy. As for Tracy McGrady? Um, you can do it, but I'm still not touching him.

[SIZE=+1]Monday Morning Injury Report[/SIZE]

Since we've basically broken down most of the teams dealing with injury issues today, I'm simply posting the link to the Rotoworld Injury Report. I've made sure it's updated with all players bothered by an injury right now, including those playing through them. LeBron James had blurred vision with an eye injury on Sunday, Marc Gasol hurt his neck on Saturday and Deron Williams tweaked his bothersome shoulder again on Sunday. All of them played through their injuries, so the hope is they'll continue to do so. Good luck in the playoffs

 

[HacheMan]

Crash Course in Playoff Prep
If you're like me, you woke up this morning with the faint echo of Wire references reverberating through your brain and the lingering aftertaste of an excess of steamed crabs you pulverized with a wooden mallet during a memorable visit to Baltimore over the weekend.

And if you can't quite identify with me on the Wire, Baltimore or crab fronts, you hopefully at least woke up realizing that for many of us, this is Day One of an important journey through the fantasy basketball playoffs.

When we set out on any expedition, we often have questions:

What should I pack?

What's on the itinerary?

Why is your cousin Ralph in my living room? He's not coming with us, is he?

At the outset of this particular basketball voyage, the primary questions are less about Cousin Ralph and more about what to do with certain NBA players in confusing or perplexing situations regarding injuries and playing time.

With that in mind, I will now answer a series of questions that all begin with the same five words:

What should I do with…

…Gerald Wallace and his sprained ankle?

Truly a tough call here. The Bobcats play four times this week, and while Wallace sounds unlikely for Tuesday, I'm not sure I can bring myself to bench the No. 12-ranked player in fantasy basketball (according to Basketball Monster).

Sure, I get the logic behind benching him. It's just too risky given that we don't know his status. But as prone as he is to injuries, Wallace is also a gritty hombre who told the Charlotte Observer with regard to another sprained ankle in January, "It would have to be broken for me not to play."

Yes, I think he probably misses Tuesday's game, and he could sit Wednesday as well. But given Wallace's track record, I think there's a chance (albeit a slim one) that he wakes up Tuesday morning and declares himself ready to go.

Ultimately, my decision here centers around a couple factors:

1) I believe that lineup gambling is sometimes necessary to win fantasy leagues (not to mention fun);

2) Gerald Wallace is my favorite player in the NBA and I'm kind of stubborn;

3) I think he has a legitimate shot to play three games this week.

With all of that said, this is still not an easy call. If it were me, I would start him unless I had a truly compelling source of rebounds, steals and blocks on my bench. But I also wouldn't fault any owner who opted to play it safe…

… apart from mentioning one last time that gambling on your lineup is a lot more entertaining.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

…Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Brandon Roy and their two-game weeks?

Normally I'm not a proponent of starting players on two-game weeks, but in the case of the four players mentioned above, I'm not sure you can afford to bench them. Of the four, I would argue that Dirk and Roy (neither of whom is consistently dominant in any one category) are the most benchable, but only if you have a viable alternative (i.e., I still wouldn't bench either one for four games of Brandon Rush).

…Tyrus Thomas and his diminishing minutes?

After a strong run to begin his Bobcats career, Thomas has now averaged just 7.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 spg and 0.4 bpg in his last five games. He clearly belongs on fantasy benches based on those numbers, with the only caveat being that this is still the same Ty Thomas who is capable of busting out a two-steal, eight-block game when you least expect it. It's for that reason that I would keep him around rather than outright drop him, but I don't have the guts to start him in a weekly league right now.

…Luol Deng and his strained calf?

If you're in a weekly league, it probably goes without saying that you need to get him benched.

If you're in a head-to-head league with daily transactions and no limit on games played, things are a bit more complicated.

I'll take this opportunity now to provide an important philosophical reminder about head-to-head leagues with daily changes: You have to be ruthless during the playoffs. The point isn't to have the best starting lineup; the point is to accumulate the best overall stats. And if your opponent is adding and dropping new players to stream into the lineup every day, you simply can't afford to carry a player like Deng, who may not play this week at all.

Overall, you don't want to be hasty, but you have to be unsentimental at the same time. It's a difficult balance to strike.

With that said, the Deng injury has me keeping a close eye on James Johnson, who has averaged 16.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg and 1.5 threes in his last two games. That's obviously a small sample size, but the rookie has shown enough to make me add him for a Tuesday spot start in one of my main leagues (a daily roto league). And I think he's an intriguing and gutsy sleeper in weekly leagues with the Bulls playing four times.

…Kendrick Perkins?

The Celtics' center remains capable of posting the occasional solid game and still has appealing overall numbers on the season (10.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg), not to mention a standout playoff schedule.

Despite those facts, I am advising you to stay rather far away. Through his first seven games in March, Perkins has averaged 7.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 1.0 bpg, numbers that dipped to 6.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 0.5 bpg (including a combined 2-for-8 free throw shooting) during a dreadful four games last week. In theory he's still capable of making a big impact in blocks, but Perkins has had more than three blocks in a game just once since Jan. 20.

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…Trevor Ariza?

There was a point in time when I was ready to unequivocally bench him or trade him away to get his rotten percentages out of my lineup at any cost, but that time has passed, and now I'm feeling rather comfortable about starting Ariza for the Rockets' run of four consecutive four-game weeks during the fantasy playoffs.

What has changed? With the arrival of Kevin Martin, Ariza doesn't have to shoot as much. Since Martin joined the team, Ariza (who missed seven games in late Feb./early March with a hip injury) has averaged 11.3 shot attempts in four games after averaging 15.0 shot attempts through his first 51 games. Ariza still won't shoot a great percentage, but shooting less allows him to keep the FG impact at a minimum while still contributing solid numbers, which he did while posting a 12-10-6 line with two threes (on 5-for-11 shooting) on Thursday.

…Joakim Noah?

If you're in a weekly league, the news that he could return later this week is enough of an impetus to add him at once, stash him away and see how it pans out. There's no guarantee that he'll come back at full speed in time to help you next week, but he still has a chance at some big games before the season is done. In daily head-to-head leagues, he should remain on waivers for now.

…Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack?

Since Toronto plays four games in Weeks 22-24, this is a situation that needs to be monitored closely. Up until Saturday night, I was planning on using Jack's starting job, solid production and standout schedule as a quiet key to my head-to-head playoff strategy. However, Calderon averaging 17.5 ppg and 9.5 apg in two consecutive games has suddenly changed things, and now a story in the Toronto Star suggests that he could unseat Jack as the starter on Wednesday night.

Having watched much of the Blazers-Raptors game on Sunday, there's no question that Calderon was running the offense quite smoothly. There's also no question that he has some major defensive deficiencies, as he was getting repeatedly beaten with a crab mallet by Andre Miller.

Regardless of who starts Wednesday (and I would guess it's Calderon), this is still a PG platoon. I do think Calderon is worth adding, but if possible I would avoid starting either Toronto PG this week and monitoring how the situation plays out. Calderon has the advantage at the moment and is the recommended play if you must choose between the two, but I see the playing time situation as being far from being fully decided.

…Lou Williams?

Things were looking great for Lou at the outset of last week, but a 9-for-36 shooting slump through 3.5 games got him benched to start the second half of Sunday's game, at which point he was 0-for-5. He returned later in the third quarter and showed some encouraging signs, but was inexplicably pulled directly after drilling a three-pointer with five minutes remaining in the game.

I'm not sure exactly what's going on in Eddie Jordan's mind, but clearly he has to some extent once again soured on Lou, who has now averaged 8.8 ppg and 3.5 apg on 27.5 percent shooting (11-for-40) over his last four games. I still wouldn't drop him in any format just yet, but get him benched in weekly leagues this week and hope that his ever-fluctuating value takes a timely surge upward for Week 22.

…Randy Foye?

Gotta bench him in a weekly league, but his tenuous confidence could return at any given moment, so I would hold off on dropping him in a daily league for a bit longer, especially considering that the Wizards are tied for the most games remaining of any team (18) from here on out.

…Chris Paul?

I've been an advocate of hanging onto Paul if at all possible, but it's now to the point where you have to seriously consider cutting him loose if, and in my opinion, only if you're playing in a daily head-to-head league.

Based on the philosophy I illuminated earlier, you just can't afford to carry injured players in daily head-to-head leagues at this juncture of the season. And CP3 was reportedly only cleared to begin running at half speed on Sunday.

With that said, I still think he needs to be on a roster in weekly head-to-head leagues and roto leagues. Though time is running out quickly, he could still make a big impact even if he only reaches something resembling peak form for a few late-season games.

And speaking of something resembling peak form, it is time for you, the fantasy owner embarking on a playoff run, to find it. This is a long season and I know it's difficult for some to stay focused with baseball directly on the horizon and the NCAA tourney beginning this week, but this is no time to let up.

No more questions, no more excuses, no more prelude. Now get out there and ruthlessly humiliate whoever is unfortunate enough to be standing across from your scowling visage in the playoff bracket.

 

[HacheMan]

Down Goes Granger
This is roughly the 80th Daily Dose I've written this season, but the end is near. There's some fairly big news about Danny Granger, Chris Paul, Andray Blatche and Jose Calderon this St. Patrick's Day, so let's get to it.

The Season Pass Live Chat is on for today (Wednesday) at 4 p.m.

And don't forget to fill out your brackets in the It's Madness contest. I've got Kansas winning it all in one, and Ohio State in another. Way to go out on a limb, huh?

[SIZE=+1]Wednesday's Injury News and Notes[/SIZE]

Down Goes Granger

Danny Granger exited last night's game late with a "cheek" injury, but it appears to be much more than that. He was basically knocked for a loop and barely made it to the locker room, and needed a lot of help to get there. And a bigger concern is that the Pacers immediately ruled him out for tonight's (Wednesday) game. You have to wonder if this could be an orbital injury similar to the one suffered by Jason Terry a couple weeks ago. If it is, Granger's season could be over. But it's too early for owners to panic, and I've been wrong before. Tayshaun Prince looked absolutely terrible while being half-carried to the locker room on Monday but somehow started and had one of his best lines of the year last night. I don't know how, but it happened. Grant Hill also played despite supposedly suffering a concussion, so anything is possible. I think Granger's owners have to hope for the same kind of miracle. But unlike Prince and Hill, Granger has already been ruled out for tonight. My guess is Dahntay Jones will be the primary beneficiary, but with Jim O'Brien's team, anything is possible. Mike Dunleavy actually showed a pulse last night, while Brandon Rush is always worth a look. He was great in his previous game, but threw up a total dud last night, as did Earl Watson. Oh well.

Happy CP3 Day On Monday?

Chris Paul is running near full speed in practice and could play by the end of the week, although Monday sounds more likely to me. I'm rather surprised he's going to give it a go, but he should be picked up in all leagues at this point. Keep in mind he's coming off knee surgery and the Hornets are now 7.5 games behind Portland for the final playoff spot in the West, with Houston and Memphis in front of them. I don't know if he's a must-start for next week or not, but he should at least be owned in all leagues again at this point.

Blatche's Ankle Injury

Andray Blatche sprained his left ankle last night after stepping on Nene's foot but says he doesn't plan on missing any time. The Wednesday morning update is that he's definitely planning on playing Friday, so keep him in your lineup. Hopefully a crisis was avoided here.

Doh Joe

Joe Johnson missed last night's game and has been ruled out for tonight against Toronto. Jeff Teague started for the Hawks last night but was quiet, while Jamal Crawford had a big game, as expected. Mo Evans also played heavy minutes and scored 12, and all three players are worth a look again tonight. Hopefully Joe will be back from his Achilles' injury on Friday against Charlotte. Al Horford had a nice line of 15 points, 11 boards and seven assists, and Mike Bibby played through the flu, finishing with 10 points and two 3-pointers.

Devin Harris Sits

Devin Harris missed last night's game with the flu and will be iffy again tonight against the Sixers. Keyon Dooling started and had eight points and six assists and is worth a one-game flier if Harris is out again tonight. The big surprise for the Nets was Josh Boone, who went off for 13 points, 20 boards and a block. Yi Jianlian is probably out for another week, meaning Boone is worth a look. Just keep in mind he hadn't been better than six points and nine boards in any of his previous four games. Terrence Williams is still getting a lot of run for the Nets and posted decent numbers last night, but didn't shoot it well. Courtney Lee continues to be highly inconsistent, but could easily bounce back tonight after Tuesday's dud.

Gerald Wallace To Miss Another

Gerald Wallace is expected to miss another game tonight with his bum ankle, but the hope is he can play on Friday. Stephen Graham started last night and had 19 points, eight boards and a 3-pointer, and should start again tonight against the Thunder. I was right on about half my sleeper picks yesterday, with Graham being one of my successes. Earl Watson, on the other hand, didn't play well in the Pacers' win over the Bobcats. Stephen Jackson went off for 20 points, nine boards, six assists, three steals and two blocks, and should be big again tonight if Wallace sits. Boris Diaw added 20 points, five boards and four assists. Tyson Chandler played just 11 minutes and remains as frustrating as any fantasy player around.

Injury Round Up

Paul Pierce is expected to play tonight for Boston despite a sore back.

Matt Barnes is due back tonight for the Magic against the Spurs, so don't expect a repeat performance from Mickael Pietrus.

Ben Wallace and Rodney Stuckey were out again last night for the Pistons, as Jason Maxiell double-doubled again. Will Bynum was serviceable, but owners were likely disappointed with his 12 points and four assists on 6-of-17 shooting. Tayshaun Prince shockingly started and had 15 points, seven boards and eight assists. He might have been dropped in your league after being carried off the court with a back injury on Monday, so give him a look. Stuckey hopes to practice on Thursday and play Friday, which will obviously hurt Bynum's minutes if it happens.

Chris Andersen missed Tuesday's game with a broken finger, but it sounds like he's day-to-day for the Nuggets.

Marc Gasol was out last night with a neck injury, allowing Hasheem Thabeet to start for the Grizzlies. Thabeet, who was another sleeper pick, played well with 10 points, nine boards and two blocks, but will only be worth a look as long as Gasol is out. He's iffy for tonight at Houston.

Delonte West (knee) sat out for precautionary reasons last night, but could return for Wednesday against the Pacers. I started him in a league or two, so my fingers are crossed.

Marreese Speights is out for the Sixers with a right knee sprain, while Thaddeus Young's fractured thumb has him out indefinitely. Lou Williams, who missed his last game with back spasms, is a game-time decision against the Nets, and Eddie Jordan says he likes playing Andre Iguodala at shooting guard, which is bad news for Lou-Will. Keep him benched until further notice.

Wilson Chandler and Eddie House are out for the Knicks tonight. Chandler has a groin injury and House is dealing with an Achilles' injury. Chandler's injury is a concern, as groins are always tricky injuries. I have him in the same lineup as Delonte, and Chandler double-doubled in his last one. Ouch.

Jason Terry is expected back tonight from his orbital injury and will be wearing a mask for Dallas.

Joakim Noah isn't ready to return for the Bulls and could miss another week with his foot injury. Luol Deng, Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich were all out again on Tuesday. Hinrich will return from his suspension tonight against the Mavs, while Deng (calf) and Rose (wrist) are both game-time decisions. The Bulls starting lineup last night was a dreadful combo of Acie Law, Jannero Pargo, Brad Miller, Taj Gibson and Flip Murray. James Johnson came off the bench and Gibson was awful before fouling out. Murray scored a season-high 25 points with four threes, while Miller double-doubled. Hinrich's return hurts Murray and the return of Rose would really hurt both he and Pargo. Hakim Warrick had 22 points and four boards off the bench, while Law had 18 points, three boards and three assists. In other words, the Bulls are a mess, and you might get a headache trying to figure out who to start tonight. And so will Vinny Del Negro.

Jose Calderon To Start For Raptors

As we hinted at for a couple days now, Jose Calderon will replace Jarrett Jack as the starting point guard for the Raptors tonight, and has been playing well enough off the bench to be used in all fantasy leagues. Make sure he's not available in yours.

Kaman Not Thrilled With Role

Chris Kaman is frustrated by what he feels are "really inconsistent" minutes, exaggerated by the Clippers' recent coaching change. "I'll start the game and they'll take me out with six, seven minutes to go," said Kaman. "It's kind of tough –the coaching change...I like Kim (Hughes). We've had our differences the past few weeks about different issues. But ultimately he's a good guy and I like him. It's just been a little different." There is no quick fix for this situation, so fantasy owners should get used to up-and-down play. And keep an eye on DeAndre Jordan, who is coming on.

Continue reading for Tuesday's Game Notes
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[SIZE=+1]Tuesday's Game Notes[/SIZE]

LeBron Goes Off Again As Cavs Beat Pistons

LeBron James had 29 points, 12 boards and 12 assists and Mo Williams added 20 points, five 3-pointers and five assists in a win over the Pistons.

Rip Hamilton played well for the Pistons, Maxiell double-doubled and Prince played surprisingly well. Charlie Villanueva even showed up with 16 points, but you simply can't trust him right now.

Grizzlies Hold On To Beat Bulls

Mike Conley went off on a make-shift Bulls' backcourt for 19 points, 10 assists, two 3-pointers and five steals, O.J. Mayo scored 24 and Thabeet posted a solid line in the absence of Gasol. I started Conley this week on a whim, and am pretty happy about it as of now.

Spurs Beat Heat

The Spurs got 12 points and 11 boards from Tim Duncan, who appears to be saving himself for the playoffs. He's been effective, but far from a dominant force lately. George Hill is an auto-start (16 points), Manu Ginobili added 22 and Richard Jefferson had 15 points and eight boards. RJ has played well in three straight and should probably be picked up. Matt Bonner backed up his 21 points and five 3-pointers with two points in 13 minutes last night. Yuck.

The Heat got a dud from Quentin Richardson, whom I have developed a hate-hate relationship with. Oh well, he's still stuck in my lineup for the rest of the week, so I'm hoping he gets hot in the next two. Michael Beasley returned from his bruised thigh and had six points on 3-of-10 shooting, so it's hard to blame him for Q's bust. Dwyane Wade had 28 points, Udonis Haslem added 10 points and 12 boards off the bench, and Dorell Wright returned from a DUI suspension with four points in 14 minutes. Carlos Arroyo had eight points and three dimes, while Mario Chalmers didn't even score. Try to avoid the Heat PG tandem if possible.

Nuggets Handle Wiz

The Nuggets beat the Wizards last night, but it was closer than expected. Carmelo Anthony stayed hot with 29 points and 12 boards, while J.R. Smith chipped in with 17 points.

The Wizards got 23 points, eight boards, a steal and block from Blatche, despite his sprained ankle. Alonzo Gee somehow had 13 points, 10 boards and two threes, and had 10 points in his previous game. I'll admit I thought there was some sort of typo when he was leading the team in scoring the other night, thinking that it must have been JaVale McGee, but no. Alonzo Gee is playing better than McGee. Al Thornton scored 16 points, while Randy Foye, Shaun Livingston and Earl Boykins are all taking turns at point guard. Avoid all three if possible. Mike Miller played 39 freaking minutes, but somehow managed just five points on 2-of-8 shooting. He did have eight boards and four assists, but come on, man.

Suns Romp and Roll Over Wolves

The Suns racked up 152 point in a very easy win over the Wolves. Where do I start? Jason Richardson hit six 3-pointers and scored 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting, Steve Nash had 13 points and 14 assists in 28 minutes, and Louis Amundson went off for 20 points, seven boards and two blocks on 10-of-13 shooting in just 20 minutes. He's played well in two of his last three and should be watched closely. Robin Lopez proved he can still play with 12 & 9 (no blocks), Channing Frye hit four 3-pointers for 14 points, and Goran Dragic added 11 points, five boards and five dimes in the blowout. Leandro Barbosa returned from wrist surgery for 14 points, three boards and three assists, while Grant Hill played through a head injury for 13 points, eight boards and three assists.

The Wolves were led by Corey Brewer's 21 points, two threes and two steals, while Ryan Gomes chipped in with 18 points and two threes. Darko Milicic started again and had four points and two boards, while Kevin Love hit rock bottom on 0-for-7 shooting, three points and seven boards. I don't trust any of these guys, although Brewer seems like the safest bet going forward.

Lakers Cruise Over Kings

The Lakers pulled off another win, beating the Kings by seven points. Kobe Bryant had 30 points, nine boards, seven assists and two threes, Pau Gasol went off for 28 & 12 on 12-of-14 shooting, and Andrew Bynum was money again with 21 points, 12 boards and two blocks. He had just one TO last night, after racking up eight of them in his previous game. The Lakers and Kings both took care of the ball, giving up nine TOs a piece. Bynum has simply gone off in four straight games, but keep in mind they played the Raptors, Suns, Warriors and Kings over the run. The Lakers are off until Friday when they get another 'bye,' this time against the Wolves.

The Kings got 25 points, 11 boards and nine assists from Tyreke Evans, as he puts the finishing touches on his Rookie of the Year Award. Jason Thompson had 14 points and 10 boards, but played just 24 minutes, which is still concerning. Donte' Greene started and had just two points, meaning he's still impossible to rely on, even when starting. Beno Udrih struggled with four points, but did have eight assists in another start.

 

[HacheMan]

Warriors Come Out to Play
A NBA column filed on the characteristically hectic first day of the NCAA tournament should be nothing if not fast and mildly furious, and I shall attempt to uphold both of those tenets below (though I'll say up front there is a lot to discuss). Commencing game-by-game breakdown of Wednesday's action… now:

GSW 131, NOH 121

Warriors: The game of the night saw the Warriors come back from a 21-point deficit thanks in large part to three former D-League players: Anthony Tolliver (30-6-3 with four threes, four steals and a block), Reggie Williams (22-4-4 with two steals and four threes) and Chris Hunter (17 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block).

I expect Tolliver to remain erratic, but he's obviously worth owning in most leagues at this point. Considering that Williams played just four minutes in the Warriors' last game, I'm holding off on adding him in shallow leagues. I'll say the same for Hunter, but he and Williams are both worth a look in deeper formats. Just understand that neither is guaranteed steady minutes on any given night.

In other Warriors news, Monta Ellis bounced back from a brutal shooting night to post 28 points, 13 assists and four steals, while Stephen Curry sat out with an ankle injury. Curry is headed for an MRI, but according to the San Francisco Chronicle, he does not expect to miss much time and is being called day-to-day.

Hornets: David West continued his tear with a 36-15-5 line… Darren Collison had 20 points, six rebounds, 14 assists and eight turnovers, numbers that should not shock you whatsoever at this point (though unfortunately, Collison's brilliant run appears to be nearing an end with Chris Paul reportedly set to return either this weekend or early next week).

In other Hornets news, Morris Peterson had his third straight productive game with 17 points and four threes, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's worth a look in deeper formats… Emeka Okafor (six points, six rebounds in 19 minutes) was disappointingly quiet against the porous Warriors, but had matchup problems with the Warriors starting the perimeter-oriented Tolliver at center… Marcus Thornton had a quiet (for him) 14 points, but added four rebounds and six assists.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

CHA 100, OKC 92

Bobcats: Gerald Wallace (ankle) tried to suit up, got declined, and now looks like a go for Friday. Stephen Graham (19 points) filled in nicely, but does not have any lasting value… Tyson Chandler (seven points, three rebounds, two blocks) is clearly not ready for prime time.

Thunder: Kevin Durant had a fairly standard 26 points, but shot an uncharacteristic 9-for-26 (and 0-for-7 from three-point range)… Nick Collison had 15 and six off the bench, but this should not stir up too much excitement.

CLE 99, IND 94

Cavs: LeBron James' lines don't always warrant mentioning in these columns, but a 32-9-9 with three steals, two blocks and six turnovers got my attention… Mo Williams was quiet with seven points and seven assists, but will bounce back… Delonte West (knee) returned to action, but had an unexciting nine points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench.

Pacers:With no Danny Granger (upper cheek injury), the inconsistent Brandon Rush uncorked 13 points with two threes, two steals and four blocks… A.J. Price (14-4-6 off the bench) is worth watching closely… Roy Hibbert had 20 points but not much else, and Troy Murphy was a beast with a 19-15-5 line, including two steals and four threes.

PHI 108, NJN 97

Sixers: In a game that someone had to win, four of the five Sixers starters posted solid lines: Andre Iguodala (20-4-8), Jrue Holliday (19-7-7), Elton Brand (13-8-4 with a block) and Samuel Dalembert (10 points, nine rebounds, five blocks)… Lou Williams (back) returned after a one-game absence, finishing with 11 points and three assists in just 18 minutes. I would expect more minutes and production next time out, but Lou is not a must-start at the moment.

Nets: Terrence Williams joined the starting lineup, commemorating the occasion by shooting 4-for-16 en route to 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He was already playing plenty of minutes off the bench, but the move to the starting five underscores the fact that he should be owned in most leagues… Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee both had off nights but will ultimately be fine, while Devin Harris (flu) sat again, giving way to Keyon Dooling (15 points, three assists, three treys).

TOR 106, ATL 105

Raptors: Jose Calderon got the starting nod over Jarrett Jack, finishing with nine points, six assists and two steals in 28 minutes to Jack's seven points and four assists. Hardly a decisive turn of events, but the fact that the Raptors won helps Calderon's case… Andrea Bargnani bounced back with 22 and 11… Hedo Turkoglu went for 16-5-3 with two steals, which actually constitutes a good line for him these days… DeMar DeRozan had 19 points but very little else.

Hawks: The good news for the Hawks: Josh Smith (14-10-7), Al Horford (18-14-5) and even Mike Bibby (17-4-5) played well. The bad news: Marvin Williams was rotten (two points, four rebounds in 32 minutes) and they lost to the Raptors… Additionally, the bad news for Bibby is that Joe Johnson (Achilles) could return on Friday, which is likely to render the Hawks PG and fill-in starter Maurice Evans (16 points on Wednesday) borderline useless once again.

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HOU 107, MEM 94

Rockets: Aaron Brooks went for 31-5-4 with seven threes, which is tremendous but almost not shocking at this point… Luis Scola stayed hot with a 20-7-3 line… Trevor Ariza struggled somewhat with just seven points and three rebounds, but added a steal and four blocks, while Shane Battier went for a strange but wonderful 6-6-4 line with five blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.

Grizzlies: Memphis was without Marc Gasol (neck) for a second straight game, and for a second straight game got a productive line from Hasheem Thabeet (eight points, 10 rebounds, a steal and four blocks)… There's no indication that Gasol's injury is serious, but at least Thabeet is proving he may have some NBA worth after all. (Update: Gasol reportedly has a slight muscle tear and may sit out Saturday's game against Golden State. I'm adding Thabeet as Gasol insurance.)… Zach Randolph went for 30 and 15, which he'll do from time to time… O.J. Mayo (four points, six rebounds, three steals) failed to score double figures for just the ninth time all season.

BOS 109, NYK 97

Celtics: Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 29 points, while Kevin Garnett took advantage of a soft Knicks D to score 22… Ray Allen was virtually absent (nine points, three assists) and Rajon Rondo was somewhat quiet (five points, zero rebounds, 12 assists), but none of the Celtics starters played more than 28 minutes in the easy win… I had basically written off Kendrick Perkins coming into this week, but he has surprisingly bounced back to post two solid lines in a row, including a nine-point, 12-rebound, three-steal, two-block gem on Wednesday. I still don't fully trust him, but I'm watching closely considering the Celtics' strong schedule.

Knicks: There aren't a lot of positive takeaways from the Knicks camp in this one, save for a tremendous 29-9-7 line from David Lee and a solid 11-7-3 with three steals from Toney Douglas… Forgive me for not getting overly excited about Tracy McGrady's 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals… Bill Walker had a chance to sting his former team with Wilson Chandler out due to a groin injury, but had a hollow eight points in 23 minutes… And Danilo Gallinari was pretty rotten (nine points, one rebound, one assist) but at least had two threes and three steals.

ORL 110, SAS 84

Magic: Orlando's surprisingly easy win did not do good things for anyone's fantasy lines, though Rashard Lewis (20 points), Matt Barnes (8-7-4) and Vince Carter (24-4-8) all escaped with productive evenings in the 26-point win… Conversely, it was not a statistically enjoyable night for Jameer Nelson (10 points, two assists) and Dwight Howard (nine points, seven rebounds, one block), who played just 20 and 24 minutes, respectively.

Spurs: Not a lot of positives to take away here. Most notably Tim Duncan (five points, six rebounds, 1-for-10 shooting) and George Hill (two points, four assists) were wretched… On a more positive note, Manu Ginobili had 18 points in 24 minutes and Richard Jefferson (20-6-3) continued his recent surge, though you'll have to forgive me if I'm not convinced he'll keep it up.

DAL 113, CHI 106

Mavs: Caron Butler (27-5-3) and Dirk Nowitzki (26-7-5) were both large for Dallas, giving some justification to owners who started them during their two-game week… Jason Kidd, however, did not share that productivity, finishing with an out of character zero points, two rebounds and four assists… Also struggling was Brendan Haywood, who had four points, three rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes to Erick Dampier's nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes. --Platoon alert--… Jason Terry (facial fracture) returned, posting nine points and two assists in 25 minutes and should be back to full speed soon.

Bulls: Chicago was without Derrick Rose (wrist) and Luol Deng (calf) once again, which meant increased minutes for the likes of Acie Law, James Johnson and Jannero Pargo. Law took advantage with 22 points and Pargo had nine points, four assists and five steals in just 17 minutes, but neither will likely be worth owning once Rose returns… Johnson had a quiet 11-3-2 with a three and a block, but is worth a look with Deng's return date uncertain… Kirk Hinrich returned after a one-game suspension, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.

UTA 122, MIN 100

Jazz: Andrei Kirilenko returned from his calf injury, but left in the third quarter after aggravating it… Deron Williams had nine points and 11 assists but suffered a sprained left ankle, though he returned to play through it and hopefully won't miss any time… The inconsistent but overall useful Paul Millsap had 21 points and 11 rebounds… Kyle Korver had 20 points, but is still too erratic to deploy outside of much deeper leagues.

T'Wolves: This is an absolutely ghastly squad in both real-life and fantasy hoops… Kevin Love played just 17 minutes off the bench and is clearly not on the same wavelength as Kurt Rambis. Bench him for now… Al Jefferson was solid with a 17-8-4 line in 26 minutes, but the T'Wolves' ineptitude is definitely hindering his upside.

LAC 101, MIL 93

Clippers: Chris Kaman recovered after two bad games to post 20 points with seven rebounds and three blocks… Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan, who was coming off two consecutive intriguing games, had just two points, two rebounds and a block in 11 minutes… Craig Smith (migraine) returned from a one-game absence, finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes. He belongs on waivers in standard-sized leagues.

Bucks: Stop the presses: Brandon Jennings (21-5-5, 9-for-16 from the field) shot 50 percent or better for just the third time since Feb. 1… Carlos Delfino was out due to an ankle injury, giving Charlie Bell a chance to start. He did not capitalize (three points, two assists in 24 minutes). In other news, Andrew Bogut is good (18-11-3 with two steals, four blocks on Wednesday; averaging 4.0 bpg in seven games this month).

TONIGHT

There are two NBA games on the schedule this evening: Orlando at Miami and New Orleans playing in Denver. There is also some sort of intercollegiate basketball event taking place, which may be worth a look. Check it out if you have a spare moment.

 

[HacheMan]

Open Competition
We've entered the third week of the exhibition schedule, which means that position battles are starting to become all the rage. You know, like foursquare or something. By the way, I just became the mayor of my basement apartment. Long story. Anyway, a number of these competitions may have an impact on how you will draft your team. Others won't, depending on what format you play in. The important thing to keep in mind is that even if you own the player who wins the Opening Day nod, you shouldn't rest on your laurels.

Sure, someone will inevitably scoop up the jobs detailed below, but that doesn't mean they will keep them. If anything, you should know that if I am highlighting them here, that means their grip on the job will probably tenuous at best. For example, last year Jason Motte, Kevin Gregg, Brandon Morrow and Brad Ziegler, were officially or unofficially named their team's closers by Opening Day. And we all know how that turned out.

One of the best ways you can prepare yourself for the season ahead is to purchase the new Rotoworld Draft Guide. Besides having the opportunity to read more thoughts by me, you can hook yourself up with tons of player projections, cheat sheets and of course, the ever-valuable, constantly-updating Average Draft Position (ADP).

With that out of the way, let's meet the participants.

Blue Jays closer

One of the more hotly-contested battles, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and the aforementioned Gregg are all candidates for ninth-inning duties in Toronto. And appropriately, they all put zeros on the board against the Orioles on Wednesday. On the very same day, manager Cito Gaston said two rather noteworthy things to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. One, he stated his intention to announce a primary closer before the start of the season, killing the notion of a closer-by-committee. And perhaps most interestingly, he at least suggested that Downs would be comfortable with returning to his familiar set-up role. And wouldn't you know it, Downs is the only one of the three to not allow a run this spring.

Gregg, of course, was signed to a one-year, $2.75 million contract in February, meanwhile Frasor's name has been tossed around in numerous trade rumors over recent weeks. Thus, logic dictates that Gregg should be the favorite for saves, right? Not so fast. According to Bastian -- who covers the team on a daily basis -- he thinks that Frasor will ultimately win the job. Get that? There's a reason neither are currently among the top 250 players off the board according to our current ADP data. We're nowhere close to a resolution here.

Yankees fifth starter

Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre are all being given chances, but we all know it will likely come down to Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. And if you've listened to the New York tabloids this week, it appears Hughes (2.08 ERA in 8 2/3 spring innings) is the early favorite. Many believed Chamberlain was on the ropes before his appearance against the Phillies on Wednesday, and while I don't believe that to be the case, he turned in four strong unofficial innings to at least silence the critics.

However the Yankees intend to make this decision, you shouldn't pay too much attention to the boxscores. Why? Because even though Hughes tossed four scoreless innings against the Astros on Tuesday night, he did so against what was effectively the team's "B" squad -- i.e., Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman (obviously) weren't even in the lineup and many of the regulars had left by the time Hughes had entered the game.

The Yankees are reportedly more focused on Hughes utilizing his changeup more effectively and Chamberlain's ability to be more economical with his pitches, something he did quite well on Wednesday. Even if Hughes wins this job, I'm not convinced he'll actually spend the entire year in the rotation. Remember, Hughes has never thrown more than 146 innings in a season -- and that was way back in 2006 -- so eventually he'd be subject to an innings limit. Just something to keep in mind. Though Hughes has yet to crack the Top 250 according to our ADP data, I believe both pitchers are worthy of being selected in the later rounds. Obviously, whoever starts the season in the Bombers' rotation has immediate value in mixed leagues.

Rockies catcher

You know, it might be unfair to call this a battle exclusive to spring training, because I have a feeling they will be jockeying for the starting job all season long. Manager Jim Tracy basically said as much on Wednesday, stopping short of calling it a platoon, but hinting that both Chris Iannetta and Miguel Olivo will get significant playing time. It's obviously a blow for those who planned to select Iannetta as a possible sleeper.

Colorado signed Olivo to a one-year, $2.5 million contract in early January after talks with Yorvit Torrealba reached a stalemate. So far, Olivo has impressed his new manager, going 8-for-20 (.381) with one home run and five RBI. However, Iannetta has been equal to the task, batting .389 (7-for-18) with six RBI, including a two-run triple against an Indians' split-squad team on Wednesday.

We all know the immense power that Iannetta possesses -- he homered once every 18.1 at-bats last season -- good enough for third among MLB catchers. But did you know that Olivo homered once every 17 at-bats? You shouldn't have to ask who the better catcher is in reality. Iannetta's .361 career on-base percentage and this study by Driveline Mechanics should provide some obvious clarity there. But Olivo was the more valuable catcher in fantasy terms last season. That being said, if Tracy continues to give Iannetta the Torrealba treatment, you should consider tempering your expectations.


Cubs and Dodgers second base

I'm lumping these together because none of the candidates involved are expected to be relevant in mixed leagues, however they could have some obvious value in NL-only leagues. Right now, it appears Mike Fontenot, who struggled to a .236/.301/.377 batting line last season, will be Lou Piniella's primary second baseman against right-handers, while Jeff Baker, who batted .305/.362/.448 after coming over to the Cubs last season, will play against lefties.

It looks like an ideal platoon situation. Granted, it was only 52 at-bats, but Fontenot batted .212/.246/.308 against southpaws last season while the righty-swinging Baker has an 889 career OPS in 256 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Remember that Fontentot managed a .276 batting average on balls in play last season, as opposed to his .310 career mark in the majors and .342 in the minor leagues, so even though he was exposed as everyday player, we should see at least some improvement in that area this season. He doesn't steal bases, but there's real double-digit home run upside here. He's worth an investment.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Blake DeWitt is starting to emerge as the favorite for the starting second base job, batting .360 (9-for-25) with one home run and three RBI during exhibition action. His main competition, Ronnie Belliard, has just nine at-bats this spring and his $850,000 contract will not become guaranteed unless he weighs 209 pounds or less at some point during spring training.

Now, DeWitt shouldn't be a stranger to fantasy owners. The former first-round pick batted .264/.344/.383 with nine home runs and 52 RBI as a 22-year-old with the Dodgers in 2008 while Nomar Garciaparra was on the mend. His stock has fallen over the past year – and the sporadic call-ups to the big leagues probably didn't help his .256/.349/.426 batting line at Triple-A Albuquerque -- but fantasy owners should look for some hope in his fluky .273 batting average in balls in play and the fact that he walked (48) more than he struck out (44) for the first time in his professional career. Don't let a mere 49 at-bats at the big league level last season scare you away. DeWitt's transition to second base will ultimately tell the tale, but if he beats out Belliard, he has the potential to reward you with double-digit home runs at a bargain basement price.

Royals second base and third base

Here's one for the AL-only set. Alex Gordon's recent thumb injury has provided an opportunity for two players who otherwise would have been sharing time at second base – Alberto Callaspo and Chris Getz. Now, the displaced Callaspo – who surprisingly batted .300/.356/.457 with 11 homers and 73 RBI last season -- will have at least a brief window to prove he is capable of playing third base. God bless Dayton Moore, but according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, there's a growing sentiment among club officials that Callaspo might actually be a better option at the position than a healthy Gordon. I'm skeptical if he can hit more than 10 home runs again, but whether it's at second or third base, Callaspo is obviously too good of a hitter to be sitting on the bench. By the way, he's batting .448 (13-for-29) this spring.

As for Getz, let's just say he's not making the most of his opportunity thus far. The 26-year-old second baseman has just two hits in his first 20 at-bats this spring (.100). And generally speaking, his .261/.324/.347 batting line with a measly two homers and 31 RBI in 375 at-bats with the White Sox last season was pretty underwhelming. But in fantasy terms, the most intriguing part of Getz's game was that he went 25-for-27 in stolen base attempts. Getz never stole that many bases at any level before last season and he isn't exactly a speed demon, but with that kind of success rate, it's worth wondering what he could do with a full season.

 

[HacheMan]

Nothin' Melo About Him
I must admit, with the day off, my only baseball draft, and the NCAA's going on yesterday, I spent very little time thinking about fantasy hoops on Thursday. My playoff battles are going my way thanks to the injury list of my opponents and there were only two games on Thursday – so I pretty much checked out, took a crash course in baseball and watched college hoops from noon to midnight. Here's what you (and I) missed yesterday.

Nuggets Roast Hornets

The Nuggets easily beat the Hornets last night, holding Darren Collison's team to just 80 points, and getting 26 points and a career-high 18 rebounds out of Carmelo Anthony. Outside of that three-week break for an ankle injury, it's been tough to argue with anything Melo has done this year. And like LeBron James (and unlike so many others), he is showing up for the fantasy playoffs.

Chris Andersen returned from several minor injuries and had 13 boards, but no blocks. I dropped Chris Douglas-Roberts for him last night, but am not sure it was the right move. Something tells me CDR is about to go on a mini tear, but we should know more after tonight. J.R. Smith scored all 17 of his points in the first half and only hit one 3-pointer. He's a tough guy to own, as you know he's going to be up and down, you know he's going to hit some threes, and you know he has the potential to score 40 and hit 10 of them on any given night. But it's definitely a roller coaster ride. Nene was fabulous, hitting 8-of-12 shots for 20 points, six boards, five assists, five steals and three blocks, and has had a very nice year. Chauncey Billups scored just 10 points and has hit 4-of-21 shots in his last two games, which is not good news if you own him and your playoffs are going on. Hopefully he rights the ship this weekend. Kenyon Martin is still out with his knee injury and may or may not play again in the regular season.

The Hornets got 15 points and six dimes out of Collison, David West had 14 points and six boards, plagued by foul trouble, and Darius Songaila had 13 points and nine boards. West has had a nice season and strong second half, so it's tough to complain about this dud. And while Songaila's been playing well, I still wouldn't recommend picking him up. Morris Peterson came back to earth with eight points and one three (I will never be able to trust that guy), while the Julian Wright experiment continues to yield disastrous results. He had just two points, two boards and two assists.

Magic Outlast Heat In OT

The Magic held on for an OT win over the Heat despite getting just 10 points, 11 boards and four blocks out of Dwight Howard. Shaq's buddy also picked up his 15th technical foul, which is significant, as No. 16 gets him a one-game suspension. Rashard Lewis came through with 24 points, four 3-pointers, 11 boards and two blocks, while Vince Carter added 27 points, three 3-pointers and six assists. It's rare that those two play nicely together, but both of them looked like the guy you were hoping to draft back in October. Jameer Nelson's assists are still MIA, but he had 15 points, five boards, three assists and three steals last night. Matt Barnes returned from a toe injury and had 13 points and nine boards in 40 minutes. He's not 100 percent, but with Mickael Pietrus out for about another week, Barnes is worth a deep-league look.

The Heat got 36 points, 10 boards, seven assists, a steal and block out of Dwyane Wade, but it wasn't enough. Jermaine O'Neal had 14 points, six boards and a season-high five blocks, which isn't bad considering he was in and out of the locker room last night in order to get an IV and have his ankle re-taped. Michael Beasley's late-season play is becoming a fairly major concern. He looked lethargic again and I was really expecting him to finish the season on a high note instead of a downer, as he's only 21 years old. At this point, I don't think he's a guy you drop, but options have to be weighed carefully when setting lineups. Quentin Richardson posted another dud with eight points, two 3-pointers and one rebound, and now that we've all fully given up on him again, I'm pretty sure he'll torch the Bobcats for 20 points, 10 boards and four threes on Saturday.

Injury News and Notes

CP3, Granger, Gasol, Bulls and Joe

Playoff leagues are tough this year, as the list of injured players reads like an All-Star or Olympic team. I'm a believer that the best team should win the trophy at the end of the season. Not the owner who avoided injuries and had a good two- or three-week run at the end of the year. One of my league's just implemented playoffs this year, but we also had a bigger prize for the regular-season winner. Anyway, here's a list of many of the dinged up players making headlines right now.

Danny Granger is listed as "out indefinitely" but I've also seen a report saying that Jim O'Brien wants him back as soon as possible. My guess is that was speculation by the author of that report, as it seems to me that the Pacers would be much better off just shutting Granger down and tanking in hopes of winning the lottery. We've talked about Granger being a shutdown candidate for sometime now, and while we may not be there yet, it's entirely possible he is severely limited going forward. Just bench him until we get more info out of Indy.

Chris Paul said on television last night that he's still not sure when he'll play. I'm still under the belief that he's back on Monday, but you have to remember he is coming off knee surgery and says he's still not moving at full speed. I'm still not sure whether I'm starting Darren Collison next week, but I'm currently leaning in that direction.

Marc Gasol has a muscle tear in his collarbone and hopes it's not a season-ender. If you have an extra roster spot it probably makes sense to grab Hasheem Thabeet at this point, but I still get the sense Gasol will play again. However, he sounds like a real long shot for Saturday.

Derrick Rose will miss his fourth straight game Friday night with his wrist injury, while Luol Deng and Joakim Noah are also out. These guys have all been on the injury report for so long I'm not sure what else to say. Hopefully Rose will be ready for next week, but when Deng (calf) and Noah (foot) might play again in anyone's guess.

There's still no new news to report on Joe Johnson's Achilles' injury, other than that Maurice Evans is listed as the probable starter tonight. I still wouldn't be surprised if JJ plays, so watch the news wire this afternoon if you own him in a daily league. Owners in many weekly leagues have to be thankful his injury was disclosed prior to most lineup deadlines on Monday.

The Others

Stephen Curry's left ankle is sprained, but there's no significant damage. As I understand it, he was pretty ticked off about missing Wednesday's game, so I'm hopeful he'll be back in there tonight against the Spurs – especially since I've got him in a playoff league.

Deron Williams (ankle, shoulder), Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Wesley Matthews (left knee) are all game-time decisions for Friday's game at Phoenix. My guess is Williams will play and AK-47 will sit, but that is just my take. Kirilenko aggravated a pre-existing injury in his last one, and it seems highly likely he'll do it again if he tries to go tonight. We'll see.

Jeff Green missed a portion of practice on Thursday after spraining a finger on a non-shooting hand. He took a hard fall during Wednesday's game on his elbow as well, but he was good enough to practice. It sounds like he'll play through it.

There's not timetable on Peja Stojakovic's return from a groin injury, and it's up to you as to whether or not you want to roll the dice on Mo-Pete.

Mickael Pietrus will miss about another week for the Magic with a badly sprained ankle.

Andray Blatche sounds like a true game-time decision for tonight with his sprained ankle, but the good news is there's a chance he will play.

Wilson Chandler's groin injury doesn't sound good and you can't read about it without seeing the words "shut down for the year" included in the piece. He hasn't been officially shut down yet, but it sounds like the Knicks are ready to pack it in and get ready for the lottery. Toney Douglas and Bill Walker are still very intriguing pickups right now.

Amare Stoudemire is dealing with a toe blister, but it sounds like he'll play through it.

Thaddeus Young's broken thumb (non-shooting hand) may not keep him out for long, and he could be playing within a week. I'm not sure I'd want to use him in a playoff lineup, but it sounds like it will be a possibility in deeper leagues.

Stephen Jackson missed Thursday's practice with a right heel injury, but it sounds like he'll play through it.

Pau Gasol has an issue with his tonsils and missed Thursday's practice, and while it sounds like he'll play against the Timberwolves tonight, I'd be very tempted to give him the night off if I was Phil Jackson. The Lakers probably struggled more in yesterday's practice than they will in this game.

Derek Fisher is dealing with a hip injury, but it sounds like he'll play tonight.

Welcome Back & Unhappy Campers

Gerald Wallace is due back from his sprained ankle tonight, meaning Stephen Graham's little run should be over.

Rodney Stuckey (heart) and Ben Wallace (knee) are due back for the Pistons tonight, which is potentially bad news for Will Bynum and Jason Maxiell. However, Stuckey and Big Ben have been out long enough that Bynum and Maxiell may still get decent run through the weekend.

Kevin Love didn't talk to reporters after Wednesday's disastrous 17 minutes and appears to be as unhappy as any player in the league. The source of his angst is coach Kurt Rambis, who is screwing with Love right now. "He's just got to continue to fight through with whatever frustration he's feeling now," Rambis said. "That's what guys do at this level. You've got to let go, move forward." Something tells me Rambis isn't the most popular guy in the Twin Cities right now. Love may or may not get going again this year, but he could end up expressing his feelings to Rambis, which would be a risky route to take. Bench him until we see what happens next.

Lou Williams is ticked off at losing his starting job and it remains to be seen if Eddie Jordan is going to put him back in the Sixers' lineup, or keep him coming off the bench. I dropped him for Bill Walker in one league, and while that's a very risky move, it felt right at the time. We'll see.

Terrence Williams sounds likely to start at small forward for the Nets the rest of the way, according to Trenton Hassell, who lost his job to Williams. If T-Will is still out there in your league, he looks like a great pickup. CDR came out of nowhere and went off in his last game, and if he does it again Saturday, grab him at halftime.

The Wizards will reportedly sign Shaun Livingston for the remainder of the season and he could start at point guard. But regardless of whether or not he starts, he's going to split time with Randy Foye and be a shaky fantasy player. And many owners learned this the hard way by picking him up and throwing him into lineups this week. He had a big line last Sunday against the Magic, but that's the only nice game he's had this year. I'm more interested in seeing if Alonzo Gee can keep it up.

 

[HacheMan]

Another One Bites the Dust
Injury rates are at an all-time high again in the NBA, with Tyreke Evans and Andrew Bynum the latest big names to fall. Here's a look at guys you should be looking at on your waiver wire.

Brandon Jennings PG Bucks

Jennings isn't filling in for an injured player, but has finally broken out of the slump haunting him all season. He's scored at least 21 points in three of his last four, had 35 on Friday night, has 16 threes over his last five games, and has hit nearly 50 percent of his shots and 3-pointers over that stretch. Stuckey should never have been dropped, but based on the number of emails I got from owners who got tired of waiting, I imagine he is out there in a few leagues.

Rodney Stuckey PG Pistons

Stuckey came back from his illness on Friday and scored 25 points off the Pistons' bench. Is he good to go for the rest of the season? I am not positive, but he should probably be picked up in most leagues. Will Bynum was quiet in Stuckey's return, and will only be startable if Stuckey goes down again.

Richard Jefferson F Spurs

Jefferson is another guy who is not benefiting from an injury, but is suddenly playing at a high level. He was put back in the starting lineup about a week ago and has been fantastic ever since. Jefferson has scored at least 15 points in each of his last five games and is averaging nearly 19 points and seven boards over that stretch. It only took him four and a half months to figure things out in San Antonio, but it looks like he should be the real deal the rest of the way.

Terrence Williams G/F Nets

Williams will likely start at small forward the rest of the way for the Nets. He's been solid, but has yet to have that wow game. My guess is it's coming soon.

Toney Douglas G Knicks

Douglas is still playing well, yet I still get emails asking if he should be picked up. The answer is yes, as he should start the rest of the way for the Knicks. Just beware the Knicks only have two games this week.

Bill Walker G/F Knicks

It sounds like there's about an 80 percent chance that Wilson Chandler will be shut down for the rest of the year due to a groin injury. Walker has had four or five nice games this season, but there could be a lot more in the near future. He's not guaranteed to start every night and should be up and down, but it would also be surprising if he didn't get 30 minutes per game the rest of the way. He can score, steal and hit threes when he gets hot.

Darren Collison PG Hornets

Yes, Chris Paul may be coming back in the very near future. But until we see it happen, as well as how it plays out, Collison should still be held in all leagues – just in case.

Beno Udrih, Donte' Greene, Francisco Garcia G Kings

Tyreke Evans is the latest big-named player to go down and his season is over if he broke his jaw last night. Because we're dealing with Paul Westphal here, it's impossible to know who is going to step up in his absence. But I do know that Beno Udrih, despite a recent mini-slump, should be owned in all leagues, while Greene and Garcia are likely to split minutes at SG if Evans is done. As an Evans owner in a H2H playoff league, my fingers are crossed that the jaw isn't broken.

James Johnson, Taj Gibson F Bulls

Luol Deng is likely done for the year for the Bulls, and while it's a tossup between Johnson and Gibson at this point, Johnson is the healthier player. Both started and played well on Friday, but with Joakim Noah possibly on his way back to action, I trust Johnson a little more than Gibson.

Paul Millsap F/C, Ronnie Price PG Jazz

Andrei Kirilenko (calf) is out for now, and Deron Williams (left shoulder, ankle) seems to be hanging on by a thread for the Jazz. Millsap has been playing well and should be picked up in most leagues, while Price would be forced into the limelight if Williams goes down. Just keep an eye on Price, but think about grabbing Millsap, who is averaging 14 points and eight boards over his last four games.

C.J. Watson PG Warriors

Stephen Curry has now missed two straight games with a sprained ankle and can't even run or jump currently. I have no idea how long he'll be out, but it's time to give Watson another look. And don't be surprised if he's available in your league, as it looked like he was going to be useless for a minute when Monta Ellis and Curry were getting all the guard minutes in for the GSW. Now it's Ellis and Watson as the only available guards for Don Nelson, so look for a lot of points, assists, steals and threes from Watson for as long as Curry is out. Anthony Morrow's stock also rises a bit if Curry's going to be out for long.

Hasheem Thabeet C Grizzlies

Marc Gasol's neck injury is a pretty big concern and Thabeet is the only viable option the Grizzlies have to back him up. I still don't fully trust him, but he had eight points, 10 boards and four blocks in his last game, and is averaging nine points, 9.5 boards and three blocks in his two starts for Gasol.

Anthony Tolliver F/C, Reggie Williams F Warriors

Both of these guys continue to get minutes and to defy the odds. Tolliver continues to start at center, while Williams is getting consistent run every night. Both can get hot from three, Tolliver can block shots, and both can score and rebound. Not must-own players, but guys who are still worth a look in most leagues.

Chris Douglas-Roberts G Nets

CDR blew up for 23 in his last game after doing almost nothing for a couple months. I still have no idea if it was a fluke or for real, but we should know by the end of Saturday's game. If CDR plays well in the first half, it's a great sign that the Nets are ready to turn him loose again, and he should probably be scooped up before the other owners in your league get to him. If he doesn't do anything tonight, Wednesday's explosion was simply a false alarm.

Earl Watson PG Pacers

Broken record alert. T.J. Ford is out with a groin injury, making Watson the starting point guard for the Pacers. He's inconsistent as heck, but played well on Friday and should still probably be owned in most leagues.

Kirk Hinrich, Flip Murray, Flip Murray G Bulls

Derrick Rose could finally play on Saturday after missing several games with a wrist injury. If he does, I'd ignore the list of Bulls players above. But if Rose continues to miss time, or aggravates the injury, Hinrich, Murray and Pargo are still worth a look. I like them in this order, but only if Rose remains out for much longer.

James Singleton, JaVale McGee F/C Wizards

Singleton is quietly coming on again and had 10 points, 16 boards and no blocks on Friday. McGee had nine points, nine boards and three blocks, and while neither is reliable, both are worth keeping an eye on, or possibly owning in deep leagues.

D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell F/C Lakers

Andrew Bynum went down with an Achilles' injury on Friday, and while we still don't know the extent of the injury, it's possible he could be shelved until the playoffs. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol are the obvious beneficiary here, and while I cannot recommend picking up Mbenga or Powell in most leagues, they should at least be watched going forward.

 

[HacheMan]

CP3 En Route
You may have stumbled across a column titled "The Week Ahead" on Monday morning at Rotoworld. The column was from last year and should be ignored. It has been removed from the site - our apologies.

Your regular Monday host is away on some highly important and extremely classified business, so I'll be pinch-hitting on the Dose today for the esteemed Dr. A.

Before we get to talking hoops, an update to the programming schedule: Your regularly scheduled serving of Roundball Stew is now set to arrive on Tuesday, the same day on which I will be running a live hoops chat in the vicinity of 3 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, Dr. A will be back tomorrow to administer his usual dosage of hoops insights.

A full injury report is ahead, but first let's break down the big headlines from the weekend:

PG RELIEF, PART I

As of Monday morning, we know this much for certain: Chris Paul is expected to return against a team that rhymes with "haves." That would be either the Mavs on Monday or the Cavs on Wednesday. Given that the Hornets play just three times this week, he's probably too risky to start in weekly formats, and Darren Collison has suddenly become a risky start as well.

As for Collison, the Hornets are saying they plan to play him with CP3 at times, but don't fool yourself into thinking that Collison's value won't take a significant hit once Paul is back to full speed. It will. Collison is still worth hanging onto in all formats, but just be prepared for things to change soon. And as for the third key member of the New Orleans backcourt (Marcus Thornton), I am of the opinion that he's going to get shots and numbers regardless, so don't panic there.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

PG RELIEF, PART II

Derrick Rose and Rodney Stuckey both made inspired returns from injury this weekend, with Rose dropping 23 points (and an out of nowhere career-high four threes) on Saturday. Stuckey scored 25 on Friday night, but followed that up with four points in a blowout loss to Cleveland and is a dicey starting option with the Pistons playing just three times this week.

In other positive PG news, Stephen Curry returned from his ankle injury on Saturday to give owners the green light to start him for the Warriors' four-game week. Elsewhere, Brandon Jennings turned back the clock to Nov. 2009, hitting for 35 points and eight treys on Friday, his biggest outburst since he dropped a double nickel on the Warriors way back when. Naturally, he followed that up with a 3-for-9, nine-point stinker against the Nuggets on Saturday, but we'll give him a pass since it was the second of a road back-to-back in Denver's altitude.

PG CONCERN, PART I

Tyreke Evans suffered a concussion and a bruised (not broken) jaw on Friday, and reports are differing as to when he might return. Kings' beat writer Jason Jones has indicated that Evans could play on Monday, but it remains entirely possible (and perhaps likely) that he'll miss some additional time. The Kings do play four times this week, so keep checking back with our news blurbs leading up to Monday evening. If Evans misses more time, Francisco Garcia (16-3-4 on Sunday) becomes an intriguing start, and Beno Udrih (23.0 ppg, 13.0 apg in last two game) looks like a must-start either way.

PG CONCERN, PART II

So much for Jose Calderon seizing the starting PG job in Toronto. What we've got on our hands here is a full-blown platoon. On Saturday, both starter Calderon (seven points, eight assists, three steals in 22 minutes) and backup Jack (15-8-4 in 26 minutes) happened to be productive, but it's my opinion that it's too risky to start either one in standard-sized leagues despite the Raptors' four-game week.

C CONCERN

Andrew Bynum (Achilles) is traveling with the Lakers on their upcoming five-game trip, but it's uncertain if he'll play on said trip and he needs to be benched in all formats for now.

Elsewhere, Dwight Howard is one game away from his 16th technical and an automatic suspension, and Stan Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel that "It's more than likely going to happen." Despite the looming suspension concern, I don't see how owners in weekly leagues can possibly risk benching Howard. But I'll admit, it is irritating and unnerving that the team is apparently resigned to the fact that he'll get the 16th tech. This may sound slightly oversimplified, but how about not yelling at the refs?

Now, a game-by-game look at what went down on Sunday:

HOU 116, NYK 112

Rockets: Aaron Brooks (16 points, two assists) was quiet, but is still a must-start for the Rockets' four-game week. Ditto Luis Scola (four points, four rebounds), who lost minutes while Jordan Hill (13 points, five rebounds) got a chance to prove a point against the team that drafted him… Kyle Lowry (18 points, five assists in 22 minutes) was impressive off the bench, but isn't getting enough run to warrant a lineup spot in standard leagues… Shane Battier suffered a hyperextended knee on Sunday, and is reportedly set for an MRI on Monday. Even before Battier's injury, I was starting Trevor Ariza (12-7-6 on Sunday) with confidence.

Knicks: Several Knicks had big games on Sunday: Toney Douglas (26 points, six treys), Danilo Gallinari (26 points, three treys), David Lee (a beastly 27-20-6 line in his return from knee tendinitis) and yes, even Tracy McGrady (15-7-5 with two steals and two blocks). The only problem is that the Knicks play just twice this week, making everyone but Lee a somewhat dicey start.

ATL 119, SAS 114

Hawks: Yours truly attended this game, and I came away wondering why Marvin Williams (26 points, nine rebounds) can't bring that kind of intensity every night. May have something to do with the fact that he's still just 23 years old… Joe Johnson had 20 points and 13 assists despite shooting 8-for-23, and Al Horford had 22 points, 18 rebounds and one very emphatic throwdown on Tim Duncan… Johnson, Horford, Josh Smith (13-7-5) and Jamal Crawford (19-5-5) are all must-starts with the Hawks going four times this week. I would still be hesitant to use the erratic Williams, but can see deploying him in deeper leagues.

Spurs: The Hawks got absolutely dissected by Ginobili, who unleashed 38 points in a vintage performance… Speaking of vintage, Tim Duncan dropped 29 and 13… Richard Jefferson continued his run of solid play with a 12-8-4 line and looks reasonably startable with the Spurs playing four games… George Hill played 41 minutes, but had just 11 points and three assists as the offense filtered through Ginobili and Duncan. I would still start him this week with a decent amount of confidence.

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IND 121, OKC 101

Pacers: Danny Granger (32 points) was tremendous for a second consecutive game after returning from his head injury on Friday… Despite his reputation for inconsistency, Roy Hibbert (18.3 ppg in his last three) will be tough to sit during the Pacers' four-game week… Brandon Rush has averaged 15.0 ppg and 2.5 threes since Granger returned, but has no steals, blocks or assists in those two games.

Thunder: There are rumors that some Thunder players attended a Jay-Z concert the night before this game, which would help explain wretched lines from Russell Westbrook (zero points, five assists in 17 minutes) and Kevin Durant (16 points on 4-for-16 shooting). Westbrook was also reportedly dealing with stomach trouble, so I'm not going to overreact to his struggles and Eric Maynor's standout game (15 points, 11 assists). I still expect Westbrook to have a big week with the Thunder playing four times.

SAC 102, LAC 89

Kings: As mentioned earlier, Beno Udrih (20 points, 17 assists) looks like a strong play even if Tyreke Evans does return at some point this week… Spencer Hawes has averaged 14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.3 bpg and 1.0 threes in his last three games. That's enough to make him an intriguing start for the Kings' last four-game week of the season, but remember that Hawes remains prone to wild inconsistency… In part due to Hawes' recent strong play, I can't trust Jason Thompson (six points, six rebounds, two blocks in 23 minutes on Sunday).

Clippers: Chris Kaman (12 points, nine rebounds, one block) and Drew Gooden (eight points, five rebounds, one block) were both quiet, but should bounce back… Though he didn't hit any threes, Eric Gordon's line (23-4-4 with two steals and a block) was his best all-around statistical performance in over a month.

CLE 104, DET 79

Cavs: If you're looking for big takeaways from the Cavs side of things, don't. All you need to know about the relevance of stats in this blowout win is that Leon Powe led Cleveland with 16 points.

Pistons: The only positive news from a 25-point loss for the Pistons was that Jason Maxiell (16 points, nine boards, one block) continued his run of productivity. I wouldn't start any Pistons with too much confidence during the upcoming three-game week, but Maxiell looks like a respectable option with Ben Wallace still dealing with knee trouble.

LAL 99, WAS 92

Lakers: Though the Lakers play just three times this week, I'm not sure I would be able to bench Lamar Odom with Andrew Bynum out. Odom scored just four points on Sunday, but added 13 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks.

Wizards: Andray Blatche is reportedly still dealing with ankle pain and shot just 7-for-20, but his 16-12-5 line with three steals is a reminder of why it's very hard to bench him for a four-game week… Shaun Livingston looked impressive en route to eight points, six assists and two steals in 28 minutes, but is still only a deeper league option… Randy Foye (nine points, three assists) needs to remain benched… JaVale McGee has averaged 2.4 bpg in his last five, but has tempered that production with just 5.6 ppg and 5.4 rpg during the same stretch… Nick Young busted out a random 22 points in 22 minutes, but don't be fooled… Al Thornton's points have gone 15, four, 16, five, 18 in his last five games. The schedule is favorable, but beware of inconsistency.

PHX 93, POR 87

Suns: Robin Lopez followed up a strong game from Friday with an awful one on Sunday and can't be started with any confidence in fantasy leagues… Amare Stoudemire followed up a season-high 44 from Friday with a slightly disappointing 18 and 14 on Sunday, but remains an automatic start even though the Suns only have three games.

Blazers: Marcus Camby (seven points, 16 rebounds, a steal and five blocks) is finding his groove in Portland at precisely the right time… Brandon Roy (8-for-25), Andre Miller (7-for-20) and LaMarcus Aldridge (6-for-15) had off shooting games on Sunday, but all obviously belong in fantasy lineups despite the fact that the Blazers play just three times this week.

INJURY NOTES

Lou Williams (back) – won't play Monday. Should be benched in most weekly leagues.

Thaddeus Young (thumb) – ditto.

Shane Battier (knee) – expected to undergo an MRI on Monday. Sounds like an iffy play for this week.

Luol Deng (calf) – may be done for the season. James Johnson an intriguing start with the Bulls playing four times.

Marc Gasol (neck) – looks iffy for Monday and the safe call is to bench him for now.

Tony Parker (hand) – Reportedly lobbied to play on Sunday and is hoping to return for a few regular season games, but at the moment belongs on waivers in standard leagues.

Jermaine O'Neal (ankle) – questionable for Monday. Good news is that the Heat play four games this week.

Andrei Kirilenko (calf) – questionable for Monday, though word should surface sometime during the afternoon.

Mehmet Okur (virus) – ditto.

James Harden (hamstring) – getting closer to a return, though no target date has been made clear.

Rudy Fernandez (quad) – remains day-to-day.

Matt Barnes (toe) – expected to play Monday, but his value will take a hit with reports that Mickael Pietrus (ankle) is hoping to play Wednesday.

Ben Wallace (knees) – return date uncertain.

T.J. Ford (groin) – could return Tuesday or Wednesday. Not good news for Earl Watson, who has been enjoying life on the court of late.

 

[HacheMan]

-Will Says He'll Play
My fantasy playoffs are going a bit like my NCAA brackets. I have Ohio State winning it all, but have them beating Villanova, who is long gone. I got bounced in one league by Janet Weiss, who managed to beat me two weeks in a row. My team casually rolled through that league in the regular season, but losing Joakim Noah and Andrew Bynum late eliminated all my blocks and left me vulnerable in rebounds, and I just couldn't overcome it.

I'm playing against Ryan (who many of you live chat with on Tuesdays), in another league, and while I looked like a bit of a favorite with LeBron and Melo, he pretty much assured me of a loss on Monday night. It's clear to see why my team was better during the regular season, as his waiver-wire work has been nothing short of spectacular. I got my you know what handed to me last night by Marcus Thornton, Anthony Tolliver and Reggie Williams, while he also has Andray Blatche, Dwight Howard AND Andrew Bogut. Toast. And it didn't help that I had Terrence Williams, Ersan Ilyasova and Quentin Richardson each laying an egg for me. Matt Stroup will be chatting today at 3 p.m. – Hit the link above.

Anyway, enough about my woes. Here are injury thuds, studs and duds from Monday.

[SIZE=+1]Injury Thuds[/SIZE]

Terrence Williams appeared to easily be on his way to a triple-double last night before going down with a foot injury. X-rays were negative and I'm not sure I've ever heard of a player sound more confident about not missing his next game. He says he doesn't want to wear the protective boot and that he's playing on Wednesday. We'll see what the doctors say.

Marc Gasol was out again with his neck injury and I'm really starting to question whether he's coming back this season. The Grizzlies are basically out of the playoffs, and if Gasol couldn't play the last few games when they still had a fighting chance, I'm not sure why the team won't just shut him down and give Hasheem Thabeet all the minutes he can handle. Thabeet had 10 points, seven boards and three blocks last night and looks like a good pickup to me.

Udonis Haslem was a late scratch due to an ankle injury, although I think we had it posted early enough for you to get him out of your lineup in many leagues. He's day-to-day.

Tyreke Evans will miss at least one more game with a concussion.

Shane Battier will miss 10-to-14 days with a hyperextended left knee, while Jordan Hill (ankle), Jared Jeffries (Achilles) and David Andersen (back) all went down for Houston.

Andrei Kirilenko missed Monday with a calf injury, but is still hoping to play on Wednesday. We'll see.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, while not injured, is expected to sign with the Cavaliers on Tuesday, and is another center to be given consideration for a pickup.

[SIZE=+1]Studs[/SIZE]

Reggie Williams had a career-high 29 points to go along with two 3-pointers and six rebounds, and has only played in 12 NBA games! He's scored in double digits in nine of those and played 33 minutes off the bench last night. GSW teammate Anthony Tolliver's been at it for only a slightly longer time period and had 25 points, 12 boards, five assists, three steals, two blocks and two 3-pointers – in 47 minutes! If you were starting them, congratulations. And if you were playing against them, I feel your pain. And yes, it came against the Suns, but that fact didn't help several other players on the team last night (see "Duds").

Jason Richardson scored 34 points to go along with six boards, four assists, five 3-pointers and two steals, and this one was easy to see coming against GSW. What a strange season Richardson is having, but in the end, he's certainly been worth owning if you picked the right spots to use him. Amare Stoudemire had 37 points and is rolling. It's probably not a coincidence that he's playing so well and now talking about opting out (again).

Beno Udrih stayed hot for the Kings with 18 points, seven boards and 10 more assists. Beno got hot exactly three games ago and has posted points/assist lines of 26 & 9, 20 & 17 and 18 & 10 in his last three. But he went 4 & 8 and 2 & 1 in his previous two games, making it impossible to see this run coming. Props to you if he ended up in your lineup over these last three games.

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 10 boards, setting the Raptors' franchise record for double-doubles in a season with 44.

Flip Murray scored 18 points off the Bulls' bench, but I wouldn't start him as long as Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich are healthy. Rose went off for 27 points, seven boards, eight assists and two 3-pointers last night, and has SIX threes in his last two games. I'm not sure where they are coming from, but I like it. Yes, he has only hit 12 of them on the season, meaning half of them have come in the last three days, with a bad left wrist. Taj Gibson went off with 10 points, 12 boards and five blocks, and looks like a decent play as long as Joakim Noah (12 minutes, four points, six boards) is getting less than 20 minutes a night.

C.J. Miles had 23 points for the Jazz, but will take a hit when Kirilenko returns. Mehmet Okur returned from the flu for a huge line of 14 points, 15 boards, four 3-pointers, three steals and three blocks. We posted that he'd play before 4 p.m. EST yesterday, so hopefully you rolled the dice on him.

Trevor Ariza wasn't exactly a stud, but his 18 points, nine boards, five assists, three steals and two threes were nice. He's shooting it a little better, hitting 22-of-49 shots over his last five, but is just 5-of-15 from downtown during that stretch. With all the injuries in Houston, he's now a must-start. Luis Scola bounced back from an awful game with 22 points and 10 boards last night.

Continue reading for the rest of the Studs, as well as the Duds.
<!--RW-->
Morris Peterson went off for 20 points in a move to small forward, and hit four threes. Maybe he's ready to produce consistently the rest of the way, and is at least worth a look. Marcus Thornton started at SG and had 28 points and four threes on 12-of-22 shooting, and remains a must-start, while Darren Collison came off the bench for 16 points, four boards, eight dimes, two steals and two threes. He also looks like a safe play, as Chris Paul was quiet in his return (see "Duds"). David West added a full stat line of 25 points, six boards, 10 assists and two steals after being ejected early in his previous game.

Kevin Durant went off for 45 points on 15-of-24 shooting, adding eight boards, three blocks and a 3-pointer in a loss to the Spurs. Of course, the team I own him on has a bye week.

George Hill scored a career-best 27 points, and while he didn't have an assist, he hit 9-of-14 shots and two threes in the win.

Carlos Delfino had 23 points, nine boards, five assists, two steals and two threes in a tough win over the Hawks, and played 43 minutes. John Salmons stayed hot with 32 points and three 3-pointers, as the Bucks remain the hottest team in the league.

Jermaine O'Neal returned from an ankle injury and had 25 points and nine boards. He was helped by the absence of Udonis Haslem, but remains an injury risk from game-to-game. But for now, he looks like a safe play. Dwyane Wade had 27 points, seven boards, 12 assists, two steals and a block as the Heat beat the Nets.

Samuel Dalembert bounced back from an off night with 16 points, 14 boards and zero blocks against Dwight Howard and the Magic, while Elton Brand also came back from a disastrous game with 23 points, six boards and three steals on 9-of-15 shooting. Andre Iguodala played through a pair of sore feet for 23 points, six boards and six assists.

Rashard Lewis stayed hot with 24 points, Dwight Howard added 23 points, 15 boards and two blocks in a dominant performance against Jermaine O'Neal, and Vince Carter chipped in with 17 points, three boards, five assists and two threes in the win.

[SIZE=+1]Duds[/SIZE]

C.J. Watson and Anthony Morrow were basically useless last night against the Suns, as Don Nelson didn't give them much of an opportunity. Corey Maggette started, but didn't play much in the second half when Williams caught fire for the GSW. Maggette finished with just 13 points in 19 minutes.

Francisco Garcia started for Tyreke Evans, but hit just 3-of-12 shots for seven points. At least the minutes and shots were there, and he might be OK in the next one with TE out for one more game (at least).

Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon each had nine points for the Raptors, as the timeshare buzzkill continues.

James Johnson started for the Bulls, but had just four points and five boards in 13 minutes.

Rajon Rondo had just six points, four boards, and six assists on 2-of-7 shooting, as he, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce all fizzled in an important night for fantasy owners.

Aaron Brooks struggled for the Rockets, hitting just 3-of-17 shots and two threes on his way to nine points and six assists.

Chris Paul returned to action for the Hornets, but played just 21 minutes for 11 points and three assists. If you benched him this week, you made the right call with just two games left. But he'll hopefully be back near full strength next week.

Russell Westbrook's struggles continued on Monday when he had just 12 points, four boards and four assists. He's struggling, averaging just 9.5 points (14-of-43 shooting) and 4.3 rebounds over the past four games. Eric Maynor has been getting minutes, but I don't think he's the problem. Westbrook is simply in a funk, and while I'm not ready to blame it on the Jay-Z show, something isn't right with Westbrook right now. Hopefully the slump will end Wednesday at home against the Rockets.

Richard Jefferson, who had hit double figures in six straight games, had five points, two boards and one assist in 28 minutes, just in time to put his playoff owners in a sour mood. I should have known better than to trust him, but then again, it's still early.

Ersan Ilyasova had double-doubled in his previous two games before last night's stink bomb of three points and four rebounds on 1-of-6 shooting. Please bounce back, EI. Please. Brandon Jennings, who was very hot coming in, was worse with just two points in 17 minutes. Luke Ridnour got hot (18 points, eight assists), rendering Jennings useless. The Bucks play Philly on Wednesday, when these two will hopefully get it going again.

Marvin Williams had been playing well for the Hawks, but had just two points last night after going for 26 on Sunday. SMH (scratching my head).

Yi Jianlian is back, but had just four points and five boards last night, while Brook Lopez had 25 points, but just one rebound in 35 minutes. I would have bet my house against Lopez getting less than five boards in any game in which he played 35 minutes. And I don't care who he's playing against. It just makes no sense.

Quentin Richardson got me (and you) again last night with six points, six boards and two threes on 2-of-7 shooting after hitting six 3-pointers in his last one. We seriously need to just forget this guy exists when combing the waiver wire next time.

Jameer Nelson struggled last night with just five points, three boards and six assists on 2-of-10 shooting. He's averaging less than nine points and five assists in his last five games, but should be about ready to break out of the funk.

Here's to hoping that Tuesday, Wednesday and the rest of the week goes better for us than Monday did. Good luck!!

 

[HacheMan]

Every Rose Has its Three
For most of us, the unkind calendar date known as the fantasy basketball trade deadline has long since passed. And for some of us, this particular juncture of the week means sitting and watching as a weekly head-to-head playoff matchup plays itself out.

Feeling somewhat helpless and ineffectual? Go out into the backyard and smash a cantaloupe with a giant rock. It helps. Then go back inside, wash the melon shards off your hands and face, and join me as we embark on one of the few useful fantasy hoops endeavors we can still get involved in after our trade deadline has passed and our weekly lineups have locked:

Trendspotting.

The Trend: Derrick Rose's three-point shooting

Numbers: 6-for-13 in last two games

Analysis: Though it's just a two-game sample, this is extremely significant for two primary reasons: 1) The trey bomb (and to a lesser extent, steals) has been the primary obstacle holding Rose back from true fantasy beastliness; 2) attempting 13 threes over two games is not just tinkering – it's more along the lines of a full-scale shift in philosophy.

So will it keep up? Yes and no. Clearly, Rose won't keep averaging 6.5 attempts per game (in fact, only four players in the league – Danny Granger, Aaron Brooks, Rashard Lewis and J.R. Smith – average 6.0 or more).

But to hear Vinny Del Negro's comments to the Chicago Tribune, this barrage has been a decent amount of time in the making. "He's been working on it for a while," Del Negro said. "I don't want him to fall in love with the 3-pointer just yet. But when he's open and feels good about it, I want him to be confident because he puts the time in."

In other words, it appears that the wrinkle we've been waiting for has finally arrived. And I'm cautiously optimistic that Rose can average somewhere in the vicinity of 1.0-1.2 threes the rest of the way.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

The Trend: Reggie Williams' emergence

Numbers: 16.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.8 threes in last five games

Analysis: Williams' recent five-game run of stats would look even better had he not played just four minutes of a loss to the Lakers on March 15, but I deliberately included that game as a means of tempering enthusiasm. As good a story as Williams has been, not only is he not very far removed from playing limited minutes off the bench, but he has also not done much beyond contribute in points and threes (he's averaging 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks in 12 games).

The bottom line is that Williams remains an intriguing option for the moment, but I would be surprised if he's consistently producing at a formidable clip two weeks from now.

The Trend: Anthony Tolliver's manifesto

Numbers: 17.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.2 bpg, 2.4 threes in last five games

Analysis: As surprised as I would be to see Reggie Williams throwing down 20-plus point games with any regularity two weeks from now, I must admit that I'm reasonably confident that Tolliver can continue to produce for fantasy owners for the duration of the season.

Granted, Tolliver has not been a picture of consistency (his last five point totals have gone 14, 30, six, 12, 25), and I will call his absurd 25-12-5 line with three steals, two blocks and two threes on Tuesday the exception rather than the rule. But altogether I would feel rather pleased with myself if I were the fortunate owner who ended up with Tolliver on my roster prior to this recent run.

The Trend: Morris Peterson's rebirth

Numbers: 13.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.0 threes in last six games

Analysis: This latest hot streak has a little bit of a Quentin Richardson vibe to it. Mo Pete averaged 15.7 ppg for a three-game stretch, then dipped to 5.5 ppg for a two-game stretch before recovering to score 20 on Monday. I wouldn't unequivocally trust him with a lineup spot at this point, but I have seen enough positive signs of late to make him an interesting spot starter in daily leagues. Just be ready and willing to drop him if and when he first disappoints you.

The Trend: Russell Westbrook's slump

Numbers: 7.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 6.3 apg on 29.6 percent shooting (8-for-27) in last three games

Analysis: Before we go panicking, the main culprit in this rotten stretch was a scoreless effort in 17 minutes the night after multiple members of the Thunder reportedly attended a Jay-Z concert. Throw that one out and Westbrook's last two games (11 points, 10 assists on Friday and 12-4-4 on Monday) haven't been that bad. My guess he gets directly back on track in a matchup against Houston at home on Wednesday.

On the heels of trendspotting, let us transition directly to waiverhunting (I realize that should not be one word, but because I'm feeling mildly stubborn I refuse to put in a space).

I got a question from a reader in my Tuesday chat asking for some waiver wire tips on players owned in less than 10 percent of leagues. Because it was the sort of question that's impossible to answer without having done at least a moderate-sized smidgen of research, I decided that a more appropriate time to respond would be right… now:

Hasheem Thabeet (10 percent owned in Yahoo leagues): Even including a rotten, foul-plagued effort against Golden State on Saturday, Thabeet has averaged an even 8.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg in his last four games. We still don't know exactly when Marc Gasol will be back, and for that matter we still don't know if Gasol will be back. My guess is that Gasol is not yet done for the season, but Thabeet is worth deploying in the short term at the very least.

James Johnson (5 percent owned): Prior to a foul-plagued 13 minutes on Monday, he had averaged 11.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.8 bpg and 0.8 threes in his previous six games. A starting spot, regular minutes and a reasonable amount of fantasy intrigue are his for as long as Luol Deng is out – which could be the remainder of the season.

Kyle Lowry (7 percent owned): Has averaged 14.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.5 spg in his last two games and should be good for around 25 min. per game going forward. There will be nights that his numbers don't look that appealing, but he's a useful option in deeper leagues and as a spot starter in standard leagues.

Flip Murray (5 percent owned): Need scoring? Murray has averaged 14.7 ppg (and 1.7 threes) in his last six games. He won't help you much in the way of rebounds or assists, but has consistently been getting an opportunity to produce off the bench every night.

James Singleton (6 percent owned): He is far from the most consistently productive humanoid on the planet, but Singleton has posted 6.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 0.8 bpg while averaging 30 minutes over his last four games. Given that kind of playing time, the man is going to block some shots – in late February and early March, he had an eight-game run during which he averaged 2.5 bpg.

Shaun Livingston (3 percent owned): In his last five games, Livingston has averaged 8.4 ppg, 4.8 apg and – as an added bonus – 0.8 bpg. He's still only a viable option in deeper leagues at this point, but then again, we've been talking about Kyle Lowry, Flip Murray and James Singleton, so you probably figured that out by now.

As a side note, it is rather tremendous that Livingston is has rediscovered some semblance of productivity a little more than three years after one of the most gruesome leg injuries any of us has seen outside of a Steven Seagal movie. Of course, sentimental comebacks alone won't win you any fantasy titles, but the story line behind this one may help convince you to chuck Livingston into your lineup when all other options fail.

 

[HacheMan]

You Blatche To Be Kidding Me!
Tuesday night provided some drama, although there weren't many injuries. Andray Blatche picked the worst possible time to start a fight with his coach, while Stephen Jackson's left hand is becoming a major concern. Catch up on all the "beyond the box score" action from Tuesday, as well as a full injury report and preview of tonight's games in Wednesday's Dose.

I'll be around, as usual, for a Season Pass Live Chat @ 4 on Wednesday.

And check out Matt Stroup's Roundball Stew if you missed it on Tuesday.

As for those of you wondering about my lack of Tweeting recently, I should be back in full force on Wednesday and Friday. Tweeting is not my top priority, especially on my days off, and I was traveling last Friday. Wednesday and Friday are my big days, so I'll see you there over the next three days. However, I'm also dealing with a technical glitch that's making it tough for me to answer questions properly there right now.

[SIZE=+1]Tuesday's Game News[/SIZE]

Charlotte Beats Wizards After Blatche's Meltdown

The Bobcats beat the Wizards on Tuesday in a game that featured the Top 2 stories of the night: Andray Blatche's meltdown and Stephen Jackson's hand injury.

Brian from Guster, who was watching the game, sent me a text about Blatche going to the "locker room early" so we assumed he was injured and posted as much. But details emerged later that he got into it with coach Flip Saunders after Saunders called Blatche out for shoddy defense early in the game. To make a long story short, Blatche took himself out for the night, Flip ripped him for letting his teammates down, and his status for Wednesday is now completely up in the air. When asked if he'd play tonight, Saunders said "I would doubt it. I don't know, but I would doubt it." This has suspension written all over it and should mean more run for JaVale McGee and James Singleton, who both saw huge minutes on Tuesday. I guess my suggestion on Blatche is wait and see what kind of information we get on Wednesday afternoon, and then consider benching him based on what we find out. It's hard to believe he had this kind of meltdown during the fantasy playoffs, but then again, the frustration of losing probably caught up with him, as the Wizards have lost 12 straight games. Additionally, Blatche isn't exactly known for sound decision making, as this is the same dude who got arrested for soliciting a prostitute the night before he was to sign the biggest contract of his life in 2007.

As for Jackson, he's dealing with a left hand injury that's bothered him for a month, but it's becoming unbearable. He was said to be in "excruciating pain" after the game and has hit just 10-of-40 shots in his last two. He has NOT been ruled out for Wednesday against the Timberwolves, but this appears to be an ideal game for the Cats to let him try to heal. Leave him in your lineup for now, but watch for updates on Wednesday.

As for the game, the Bobcats won in overtime behind a huge line from Gerald Wallace, who had 17 points, 19 rebounds, three steals and a 3-pointer. If Jackson misses time, look for D.J. Augustin, Stephen Graham and Tyrus Thomas to all see a bump in playing time.

The Wizards got 15 points, four boards, four assists, three steals and three 3-pointers from Mike Miller, who came in with a bruised tailbone and played through a sprained ankle suffered during the game. It sounds like he'll continue to play through it, and he could be on the verge of more offense if Blatche is out.

JaVale McGee had 14 points, 12 boards and two blocks in a career-high 46 minutes, while James Singleton added nine points and seven boards in 37 minutes. Both guys, especially McGee, become much more intriguing if Blatche is going to miss time.

Shaun Livingston made another start at point guard for nine points and six assists in 24 minutes, while Randy Foye came off the bench to hit 3-of-12 shots for six points, four boards and two assists in 25 minutes. The timeshare is a fantasy killer for both players.

Pacers Handle Pistons For Season Sweep

Danny Granger's shutdown has not happened yet, and might not. He had 32 points, six boards, four assists, a steal and five 3-pointers on 8-of-20 shooting, and for the all the headaches he's caused this season, all would likely be forgiven if he pulls you through in the fantasy playoffs. Earl Watson added seven points, 13 dimes and a 3-pointer on 3-of-9 shooting, and looks like a safe fantasy play as T.J. Ford continues to sit (see Injury Roundup below). Brandon Rush also came through with 20 points, a steal, a block and five 3-pointers in the win, and deserves a look in any league. Roy Hibbert had just five points, five boards and two blocks, but played through an injury after taking a hard hit from Ben Gordon at the end of the first half. Hopefully he's good to go on Wednesday against the Wizards.

Tayshaun Prince played 40 minutes and had 14 points, nine boards and six assists in the loss. The same can't be said for Richard Hamilton, who has hit rock bottom. After hitting just 1-of-11 shots over his last two games coming in, he was 3-of-12 for nine points last night. That makes him 4-of-23 over his last three, but the lack of minutes is even more disturbing. He's gotten just 19, 19 and 22 minutes in each of his last three. Bench him for now. Will Bynum started but played just 17 minutes (11 points, four assists), while Rodney Stuckey came off the bench for 11 points and one assist in 32 minutes. Seventeen minutes are simply not enough for Bynum, starting or not.

Knicks Knock Off Nuggets As Karl Remains Out

George Karl missed another game for the Nuggets and is now not expected back from his cancer treatment until the playoffs. All the best to coach Karl, who is probably not thrilled the Nuggets lost to the Knicks and have now dropped three of their last five games.

Carmelo Anthony went off again for 36 points, but added just five rebounds and two assists on 14-of-26 shooting. This was somewhat expected though, after that 18-rebound game last Thursday. Chauncey Billups chipped in with 26 points and six assists, while J.R. Smith struggled for 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Chris Andersen continues to play through a myriad of injuries and had five points, seven boards and two blocks in 21 minutes.

The Knicks got 28 points, five 3-pointers and five boards from Danilo Gallinari, who had a nice shootout with Melo. I remember getting a lot of emails from guys ready to drop him a month ago, but he's gotten really solid minutes recently, and will continue to do so down the stretch. Tracy McGrady scored 15 points, but didn't do much else last night. However, he did attempt to posterize Andersen on a dunk attempt, but didn't finish the deal. Toney Douglas continued his stellar play with 16 points, seven assists and two 3-pointers on 5-of-11 shooting, while Al Harrington continues to intrigue off the Knicks' bench, finishing with 23 points, nine boards and a three. He scored just four points in his last game, but hit double digits in his previous 14 games. It sounds like the Garden was in a frenzy last night, and I must admit, those Knicks fans are still awesome despite all the losing they've seen since I've had this job (a long time). The Knicks had just two games this week, but you'll want to be sure to roll with guys like Gallinari, Harrington, Douglas and David Lee (12 & 16) when they play four times next week. Especially since they get the GSW and Clippers in the second half of the week. Feel free to start Bill Walker and T-Mac next week as well, but they are not for the weak at heart.

Continue reading for more Tuesday recaps, Injury Rundown and Wednesday's previews.
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Mavs Beat Clips Despite Gooden's Heroics

Dallas rolled the Clippers behind a season high of 26 points from Jason Kidd, who had "one of those nights." He added six 3-pointers, six boards, 12 assists and a steal! That is some clutch playoff work. Erick Dampier replaced Brendan Haywood as the Mavs' starting center, which looked like a disaster for Haywood's owners. But Dampier played just 18 minutes, hit 1-of-5 shots and finished with three points, six boards and two blocks. Haywood responded off the bench with 12 points, 10 boards and four blocks in 30 minutes, and is averaging 11 points, 9.5 boards and three blocks over his last two games. He should clearly be used in front of Damp in fantasy, and the same probably holds true in reality, although Rick Carlisle doesn't appear to see it that way.

Drew Gooden went ballistic with season highs of 26 points and 20 rebounds, and kicked in two steals and a block for good measure. Gooden had just 8 & 5 in his last one, but went for 16 & 11 and 18 & 9 in his previous two. Make sure he's not floating around on waivers in your league. Chris Kaman added 22 points and nine boards, while DeAndre Jordan failed to score in just 10 minutes. So much for him getting extra minutes, huh? Eric Gordon and Rasual Butler each added 16 points in the loss, while Baron Davis double-doubled.

[SIZE=+1]Injury Roundup[/SIZE]

Tyreke Evans is not expected to play for the Kings on Wednesday due to a concussion, but the hope is he can play on Friday.

Terrence Williams skipped Nets practice on Tuesday in order to get treatment on his injured foot. He says he's playing Wednesday, but we still have to see what the doctors say. My fingers are crossed.

Marc Gasol's status is still up in the air due to a neck injury, although he did work out prior to Monday's game. The Grizzlies are four games behind the Blazers for a playoff spot, so Hasheem Thabeet looks like a solid roll of the dice for fantasy owners right now. My guess is Gasol doesn't play tonight against the Warriors.

Andrei Kirilenko is a true game-time decision for the Jazz on Wednesday due to his lingering calf injury, but should be benched unless we get very positive news on Wednesday afternoon.

Chris Paul wanted to play more than 20 minutes on Monday but was told "no" by Jeff Bower. Hopefully he'll get more run next week, but he could be a bust for the next couple Hornets' games. Marcus Thornton, Darren Collison and Morris Peterson, on the other hand, look like solid plays again. Just keep in mind that the Hornets could turn CP3 loose at any time, which would hurt Collison, despite the fact he'll play alongside Paul occasionally.

Wilson Chandler is expected to miss at least another week for the Knicks with his groin injury, but no one has really stepped up in his absence at shooting guard. Bill Walker is always worth a look, but has been really quiet starting in his absence. If you're still holding onto Chandler, I say it's time to drop him.

T.J. Ford was out again for the Pacers on Tuesday and isn't likely for Wednesday due to his groin injury. However, it does sound like he will play again, although I'm not holding my breath or picking him up. He will, however, hurt Watson upon his return.

Ben Wallace was out again for the Pistons on Tuesday with a knee injury, while Jason Maxiell failed to do much while in foul trouble, finishing with just six points. Maxiell remains a viable starter though, as long as Big Ben is out.

Andre Iguodala says he doesn't expect to miss any games for the Sixers while dealing with a pair of sore feet, which is good news. Thaddeus Young (thumb) and Lou Williams (back) are both out against the Bucks on Wednesday, and both players should be dropped if you have your eye on a hot free agent. Marreese Speights had 17 & 11 on Saturday, but my guess if you can find a more reliable option than him.

Rudy Fernandez is unlikely to play for the Blazers on Thursday due to a quad injury.

Kenyon Martin is riding a stationary bike, but it's still impossible to say when he'll return for the Nuggets from his knee injury. I would not be wasting my time with him in most leagues, either.

News and Notes

There are rumors that Real Madrid will attempt to sign Manu Ginobili for next season, but my guess is he stays in the NBA.

Prosecutors are recommending three months of jail time for Gilbert Arenas, as well as three years of probation. His gun possession sentencing is scheduled for Friday.

[SIZE=+1]Wednesday's Schedule[/SIZE]

Magic @ Hawks - Sleepers: Magic – Jameer Nelson (time to end the slump, eh?), Hawks – Marvin Williams. Hawks have trouble stopping Dwight Howard, but I am feeling them, as this would be a huge win for Atlanta. You have to think the Hawks are desperate to finish above the Celtics in order to avoid a first-round meeting with the Bucks – the hottest team in the league.

Jazz @ Raptors - Sleepers: Jazz - C.J. Miles (if no Kirilenko), Raptors – Jose Calderon (he's due). Jazz are the better team, but may have a tough time winning on the road.

T-Wolves @ Bobcats - Sleepers: Wolves – Ryan Gomes, Bobcats – D.J. Augustin (if Stephen Jackson sits). Bobcats should roll, with or without S-Jax.

Wizards @ Pacers - Sleepers: Wizards - JaVale McGee (no Blatche?), Pacers – Brandon Rush. Pacers will likely hand Wizards their 13th straight loss – especially if Blatche is benched.

Nuggets @ Celtics - Sleepers: Nuggets – J.R. Smith (due for a big one), Celtics – Michael Finley. Celtics are looking better and Nuggets are facing third straight loss.

Kings @ Nets - Sleepers: Kings – Francisco Garcia, Nets – Terrence Williams (I guess I think he's going to play). Kings should win this game, but it will be close.

Cavaliers @ Hornets - Sleepers: Cavs – Anthony Parker, Hornets – Marcus Thornton. Cavs should dominate simply because of LeBron James.

Rockets @ Thunder - Sleepers: Rockets – Trevor Ariza (Rockets are so injured), Thunder – Russell Westbrook (I've had enough of this slump). Thunder will regroup and win.

Sixers @ Bucks - Sleepers: Sixers – Marreese Speights, Bucks – Ersan Ilyasova (will hopefully bounce back from dud). Bucks look to make it four in a row and 10th of last 11.

Lakers @ Spurs - Sleepers: Lakers – Ron Artest (he's due, right?), Spurs – DeJuan Blair. This may be the game of the night, as the Spurs hope to show they can still play with the Lakers.

Grizzlies @ Warriors - Sleepers: Grizzlies – Mike Conley, GSW – Reggie Williams/Anthony Tolliver (can they do it again?). I think Warriors will run over them at home.

 

[HacheMan]

Very Smoove
A game-winning tip dunk, a very spicy dose of Curry, a non-suspended Blatche and yes, a Nets victory were all on the docket during an exceedingly eventful NBA Wednesday. Here's a game-by-game look at what went down:

ATL 86, ORL 84

Hawks: A game with some important real-life implications (Hawks beating the Magic for the first time this season and clinching a playoff spot in the process) also had some notable fantasy performances… Josh Smith's 15-7-3 line with a steal and four blocks was solid, but his game-winning tip dunk at the buzzer was spectacular… Joe Johnson (5-for-17) and Jamal Crawford (4-for-14) struggled shooting, but both salvaged respectable all-around performances – Johnson with a 17-6-8 line and Crawford going for 11-4-4.

Magic: Dwight Howard got into early foul trouble, but recovered to post 19 points, 24 rebounds, two steals and four blocks despite rough shooting (4-for-11 from the field and 11-for-16 from the line)… After some recent struggles, it was encouraging to see Jameer Nelson play well (20-5-8), but it's worth noting that Mike Bibby has not exactly been the world's premier defender of opposing PG's this season… Mickael Pietrus left early with an ankle injury, but Matt Barnes (12 points, seven rebounds) was still on the bench down the stretch, leading him to voice his frustration with Stan Van Gundy to the Orlando Sentinel… Rashard Lewis came in averaging 22.7 over his last three, but had just six points on 2-for-9 shooting on an off night.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

GSW 128, MEM 110

Warriors: Stephen Curry posted a brilliant 30-5-11 line with four threes, four steals (and seven turnovers). He's currently No. 14 in Basketball Monster's season rankings, and I can absolutely see drafting him around No. 12 next year… Monta Ellis (illness) wasn't quite at full speed, but still went for 21-6-8 with three steals.

Meanwhile, Corey Maggette was productive in 21 minutes (12-5-4), but lost playing time as Don Nelson favored Devean George (11-4-3, three treys, two steals, two blocks) and Reggie Williams (23 points, five rebounds, two threes). Williams is playing well, but I'm of the opinion that his D-League to NBA story is overrating him slightly as a fantasy player. With no steals and no blocks Wednesday, he's averaging 0.5 and 0.1 in those categories through 13 games. (And yes, I am angry that I'm going against him in a head-to-head matchup this week.)… As for George, I'm classifying his great game as a shot in the dark and leaving him on waivers for now.

In other Warriors news, Anthony Tolliver picked up three fouls in the first six minutes, but still managed 12 points and six rebounds… Chris Hunter looked good with 10 points, 10 boards and two blocks, but remains too inconsistent to trust… A special thanks to Nellie for making his team warrant three paragraphs when no other team in this whole column necessitated more than one.

Grizzlies: The Grizzlies gave up 78 points in the first half and looked out of sync offensively despite scoring 110. They appear to really miss Marc Gasol, who practiced Tuesday and will hopefully be ready to return soon. On that topic, Hasheem Thabeet got into foul trouble and had four points, three rebounds and three blocks… O.J. Mayo (21-8-6), Mike Conley (21 points, nine assists) and Rudy Gay (25 points, 10 rebounds) were all productive even though the team collectively looked bad… Meanwhile, Zach Randolph struggled to 16 points and five rebounds before leaving with a sprained ankle. The Warriors TV crew didn't provide a lot of details on the injury, so we'll have to wait for reports to surface… Sam Young was active with 14 points, two steals and a block, but still isn't getting enough minutes to contribute regularly.

IND 99, WAS 82

Pacers: Danny Granger (31 points, four threes) continues to cruise at precisely the right time… Brandon Rush was off with his shot (4-for-14, 0-for-6 on threes), but did have two steals and a block… With T.J. Ford's return apparently not imminent, Earl Watson posted 10 points, seven assists and a three… Josh McRoberts (14 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) got the start for Roy Hibbert (jaw). However, Hibbert is day-to-day, so McRoberts' relevance may be short-lived.

Wizards: After it looked like he might get suspended for his conduct Tuesday night, Andray Blatche ended up starting and had 21 points, six rebounds and two threes. Not his most dynamic line, but all things considered Blatche owners have to be thrilled… JaVale McGee (zero points, three rebounds) reportedly may have played his way out of the starting lineup, which means it's time to run to pick up apparent new starter James Singleton (19 points, 21 rebounds)… Mike Miller played through ankle and tailbone trouble and had five points and 12 rebounds… Shaun Livingston was bad (four points, one rebound), but I would still hang onto him in deep leagues. The Wizards were playing the second of a back-to-back on the road.

BOS 113, DEN 99

Celtics: An enjoyable evening for Celtics starters… Paul Pierce scored 27, Kevin Garnett went for 20-10-5 and Rajon Rondo threw down an 11-11-15 (with four steals) triple-double… Ray Allen's 16 points look rather pedestrian by comparison, but at least he added a three, a steal and a block… And at least he's not Kendrick Perkins, who continues to be maddeningly inconsistent (seven points, five rebounds, two blocks).

Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony scored 32 while Chauncey Billups (3-for-9) continued to be off target, but posted a solid enough all-around line (12-7-6)… Nene struggled (seven points, five rebounds, three assists, 1-for-5 from the line), but salvaged his night with three blocks.

CHA 108, MIN 95

Bobcats: Gerald Wallace posted a wonderfully maniacal line with 23-4-4, four steals, three blocks and a three… Stephen Jackson put aside a painful hand injury to throw down 37 points on 15-for-24 shooting… Just when you probably gave up on him (and understandably so), Tyrus Thomas went for eight points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks in just 19 minutes. As always, chase those stats at your own risk… Theo Ratliff (five points, six rebounds, four blocks) and Tyson Chandler (four points, nine rebounds, one block) are essentially canceling one another out.

T'Wolves: Aside from a pretty good line from Al Jefferson (21 points, five rebounds, a steal and three blocks), this is an awful box score to look at… Kevin Love was far from terrific offensively (five points on 2-for-6 shooting), but did have nine rebounds, a steal and a block… Wayne Ellington (six points on 2-for-8 shooting) is clearly not ready to contribute on a nightly basis.

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UTA 113, TOR 87

Jazz: Deron Williams blew up for 18-8-16 with four steals… Deep league revelation Wesley Matthews had 16 points, eight rebounds, three treys, a steal and a block… Mehmet Okur (16 points, eight rebounds) continues to be a pleasant surprise in blocks (three more on Wednesday and 1.9 per game this month)… Andrei Kirilenko sat with his calf injury, but the Salt Lake Tribune reports that he plans to play Friday.

Raptors: The Jose Calderon-Jarrett Jack platoon continues with no end in sight… Hedo Turkoglu ended up with a rotten four points on 1-for-3 shooting after missing the second half due to the stomach flu. However, he has been playing better lately and the Raptors lost by 26, so his line and most other Raptors' performances should simply be written off as a bad night.

NJN 93, SAC 79

Nets: Nets win Nets win Nets win… Brook Lopez was a beast with 26-13-4 and four blocks… Ditto Devin Harris (24-4-9)… Courtney Lee continued his subtle resurgence with a 12-5-4 line, but is still a risky start… Yi Jianlian was bad (five points, six rebounds on 2-for-7 shooting), and trusting him with a lineup spot is ill-advised at this point… Though he spoke confidently of playing earlier in the week, Terrence Williams (foot) ended up sitting and is reportedly hoping to play on Friday pending the results of a CAT scan.

Kings: Though he gave up a huge line to Brook Lopez, Spencer Hawes was at least productive himself (12-7-6 with two blocks)… The Beno Udrih express continued to roll with 19-8-5. Tyreke Evans' return (potentially on Friday) will hinder his numbers somewhat, but Udrih should still be worth owning… Speaking of taking a hit after Evans' return, Francisco Garcia was disappointing with 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks… Jason Thompson was productive with eight points, 11 rebounds and three steals, but he's still likely to be inconsistent given his limited minutes… Donte Greene said hello with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but you'll forgive me for ignoring him.

PHI 101, MIL 86

Sixers: A strange win for the Sixers, who scored 101 despite no player scoring more than Willie Green's 16… Jrue Holiday (15-4-7) actually outplayed Andre Iguodala (14-3-5). I'm not worried about Iguodala's foot trouble (he threw down a rather emphatic dunk on Wednesday) as much as I'm encouraged by Holiday's consistency. He's a nightly fantasy starter right now… On an evening that Elton Brand struggled somewhat (three points, six rebounds, four assists), Jason Smith posted a random 11 and nine with a steal and a block. Leave him on the wire.

Bucks: The Bucks have been scalding, but surprisingly stalled against a bad Sixers squad… Overall there's not much to dwell on here – this was simply a bad night across the board, and Andrew Bogut (eight points, three rebounds, two blocks) and John Salmons (four points on 2-for-12 shooting) took the most painful statistical hits. Quite simply, when Jerry Stackhouse (15 points) is your leading scorer for the evening and the year is 2010 rather than 2003, you attempt to forget that the entire night ever happened.

CLE 105, NOH 92

Cavs: J.J. Hickson (20 points, nine rebounds) upstaged Zydrunas Ilgauskas' return to the Cavs. Ilgauskas will be better than he looked Wednesday (one point, two rebounds, three assists) once he gets into shape, but he's clearly not a must-own player in fantasy leagues… LeBron James suffered what appeared to be a mild ankle sprain, but played through it en route to a 38-6-9 line (which is amazingly almost an average night)… Mo Williams (eight points, seven assists, 3-for-10 shooting) simply had quiet night in a relatively easy win.

Hornets: After an earlier report that Jeff Bower would only play Chris Paul for 20 minutes again, CP3 snuck onto the court for 31. His line of four points, seven assists and two steals won't make you weep if he was on your bench, but it looks like it's time to activate him going forward… Darren Collison (17 points, seven assists in 31 minutes) remained productive, and owners have to hope that he somehow manages 30 minutes a game going forward. I'm skeptical, and expect him to end up in the 20-25 range eventually. Either way, he's clearly worth keeping for now… Marcus Thornton (20-4-5) is averaging 21.4 ppg in 13 games this month.

OKC 122, HOU 104

Thunder: James Harden returned from a hamstring injury rather furiously, scoring 23 points with two steals, a block and three treys. Unfortunately he's still going to be stuck in a timeshare with Thabo Sefolosha, which makes him unpredictable… Russell Westbrook continued to be slightly off (four points, five rebounds, eight assists) and Eric Maynor continued to play well (10 points, nine assists in 23 minutes). Westbrook needs to assert himself quickly to fend off this emerging platoon… Jeff Green went for 19-5-5 with three treys, a steal and two blocks, and Serge Ibaka had six points, eight boards and four blocks in just 23 minutes. Ibaka could post some very compelling stats with a consistent 30 minutes a game, but he remains a deep league option/standard league spot start block specialist at the moment.

Rockets: Aaron Brooks continued to struggle with his shot (3-for-12), but still had 11 points, seven assists, three treys and two steals… Kevin Martin attempted a season-low six shots, but he has not suddenly become shy and should start firing away again shortly… Trevor Ariza had a standout 20 points, three treys, two steals and two blocks, while deep league PG sensation Kyle Lowry had 15 points and three threes off the bench.

LAL 92, SAS 83

Lakers: Despite reportedly playing through shoulder pain, Lamar Odom had 19 points and 13 rebounds… Ron Artest posted his best all-around line of the month, going for 16-8-3 with five steals, a block and a three… Unfortunately, both Odom and Artest are likely to take a hit with Andrew Bynum's return apparently drawing closer. Bynum reportedly could return before the Lakers' current road trip ends on March 31.

Spurs: George Hill (21) and Manu Ginobili (24) combined for 45 of the Spurs' 83 points… Meanwhile, Tim Duncan was off target (six points on 2-for-11 shooting), but added 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks… Richard Jefferson (six points on 3-for-9 shooting) was bad for a second straight game. I might be inclined to give him one more game, but I can also sympathize with the notion of jettisoning the irritating swingman to waivers and not looking back.

 

[HacheMan]

Ariza coming through in clutch
It was a quiet night in the NBA as the Bulls didn't show up against the Heat, the Mavericks failed in Portland, and the Rockets lost another game – this time to the Clippers.

It was, however, a great night to forget about the pros and watch some college hoops. Butler's Cinderella run continued with a trip to the Final 8 by knocking off No. 1 seed Syracuse, West Virginia and Kentucky rolled over Washington and Cornell (sorry, Andrew Bernard), while Xavier fell to Kansas State in double-OT in what was possibly the game of the year. Good stuff, and we get four more of them tonight.

But there are also 11 games on the NBA schedule for Friday night, which I'll get to later.

[SIZE=+1]Thursday's Action[/SIZE]

Rockets Fall to Clippers

The injury-depleted Rockets took another loss to a bad team, but got another big line from Trevor Ariza, who couldn't have picked a better time of the year to finally get it going. He hit just 7-of-20 shots, but also drained three 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, eight boards, eight assists, three steals and a block. Ariza is averaging nearly 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, a block and two threes over his last five games, which should help owners move past the fact he can't shoot it straight.

Luis Scola added 16 points and 14 boards in the loss, while Chase Budinger had 14 points and two 3-pointers while filling in for injured Kevin Martin (shoulder). No word on Martin's outlook as of yet, so consider him day-to-day. The Rockets are off on Friday, leaving Martin iffy for Saturday against the Lakers. Aaron Brooks hit just 6-of-15 shots and a 3-pointer last night, but finally had a decent game with 18 points and nine assists.

For the victorious Clippers, Craig Smith blew up off the bench to hit 10-of-13 shots for a season-high 25 points, 10 boards, two steals and two blocks. If he was in any fantasy lineups last night I'd be surprised. He had failed to score in two of his previous four games, so it was difficult to see this coming. Drew Gooden was solid again with 17 points and 14 rebounds, and should now be owned/starting in all leagues. Chris Kaman, on the other hand, was not so good, hitting just 2-of-9 shots for four points, 12 boards and two blocks in 24 minutes. He should still be a fine start, but this game is concerning. DeAndre Jordan came off the bench for seven points, eight boards and two blocks in 19 minutes, and remains an intriguing figure in fantasyland. But there's not much mystique or interest being generated by Travis Outlaw, who failed to score in eight minutes.

Blazers Roll Mavs

LaMarcus Aldridge, Marcus Camby and Andre Miler all double-doubled as the Blazers beat the Mavs in Portland. Aldridge had 20 points, 10 boards, five assists, a steal and block while playing through foul trouble, Camby had a 17 points, 11 boards, a steal and two blocks, and Miller had 19 points and 10 dimes. The 17 points were the most for Camby as a Blazer, and I still get a chuckle when thinking back to a time when Nate McMillan refused to play Andre Miller. Good times. Rudy Fernandez was back from his injury, but had just seven points in 26 minutes.

The Mavs got a nice line from Caron Butler (because I'm playing against him this week) with 11-of-18 shooting to go along with 25 points, nine boards and two steals. Jason Terry played through the flu but hit just 4-of-14 shots for 11 points, and Shawn Marion added 15 points with a sore back. Jason Kidd didn't have the monster line he posted a couple nights ago, but still managed 11 points, seven boards, seven assists, one steal and three more 3-pointers in the loss, while Brendan Haywood manned the middle eight points, eight boards and four blocks. Dirk Nowitzki didn't have a great game (again), hitting just 5-of-13 shots for 15 points and seven boards. He's scored 18 or less in three straight games, although he was ejected early in one of those.

Heat Crush Bulls

The Heat stuck a fork in the Bulls last night in one of the most lopsided games you could ever hope to watch. And thankfully, the college action was there to save you from sitting through this one. Jermaine O'Neal played through a sore ankle to hit 9-of-14 shots for 24 points, four boards and two blocks, Dwyane Wade added 12 points, five boards, 10 assists, a steal and two blocks despite a quad injury, and Udonis Haslem returned from a missed game with a sprained ankle for 14 points and six boards. Carlos Arroyo was also decent with 10 points, five boards, five assists and two steals, but he's still too inconsistent to rely on.

Quentin Richardson played through a sprained ankle for nine points and eight rebounds. We wrote in a blurb recently that Q-Rich was "on fire" in March, but I have since edited that one, as he's been anything but. Yes, he's hit 37 3-pointers this month, but 25 of them came in four games. He's also scored nine or less points in seven of his 12 games this month, and is averaging 12 points, five boards and less than one assist per game. He's had a nice month from beyond the arc, averaging 3.1 3-pointers per game, but his stat lines leave a lot to be desired, especially when he only plays well in about one out of every four games.

Joakim Noah's lines are getting worse instead of better, as he played just 10 minutes in last night's blowout. Obviously, there was no reason to keep him out there, as this one was over after five minutes. Taj Gibson was solid with 12 points, 10 boards, a steal and a block, while James Johnson added six points, five boards and two blocks. Taj looks fine and is probably worth owning, but Johnson simply can't be trusted. Derrick Rose added 12 points, five boards and five assists, while Hakim Warrick came off the bench for 14 points and seven rebounds. Any way you slice it, this game was a disaster. And while the Bulls sit just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, it's hard to imagine them playing three games better than Toronto the rest of the way.

[SIZE=+1]News and Injury Notes[/SIZE]

Speaking of Toronto, Jay Triano is ready to make more changes to his starting lineup. It sounds like Jarrett Jack could be heading back into the first unit, replacing Jose Calderon, while Antoine Wright or Sonny Weems could be ready to take DeMar DeRozan's job. Hedo Turkoglu (has anyone been more useless this year?) was sent home Thursday because he's still not feeling well, and will be questionable for Friday night against the Nuggets.

Rashard Lewis is not happy with Stan Van Gundy calling him out for failing to block out Josh Smith on that incredible game-winning dunk on Wednesday, and while the Magic should still be feared in the East, it just doesn't feel like the team is completely comfortable with one another – especially in the locker room.

Thaddeus Young (thumb) is out again for the Sixers tonight, while Lou Williams is a game-time decision with a sore back.

Wilson Chandler's groin injury appears to be just as serious as we initially thought, and it would be surprising to see him play again this season. If you still haven't cut him, it's time to do so. Eddie House is set to return to the Knicks tonight from an Achilles' injury.

Al Thornton is a game-time decision for the Wizards tonight with a hip injury, but it sounds like Alonzo Gee will start either way. In a very deep league and can't find anything on the wire? Gee could get some nice run the rest of the way. He signed a second 10-day contract recently and double-doubled in one of his first games with the Wizards.

LeBron James says his tweaked ankle is good to go, just as he is tonight against the Spurs.

Tyreke Evans has now been ruled out for Friday and Sunday's games, and is iffy for Tuesday. If you feel like you need to drop him to get a healthy player in your lineup, feel free to do so. But if you can hang on until we get more information over the weekend, I would.

Mike Dunleavy's ankle injury doesn't sound serious, but he's not really playing well enough for the Pacers to be used in most leagues, while Roy Hibbert is a game-time decision against the Jazz tonight with a jaw injury. If he can't go, expect more good things from Josh McRoberts (known in some circles as McBob).

Tony Parker is doing some basketball work, but still can't dribble or catch with his broken hand. I would not recommend still owning him in most situations.

Zach Randolph says he'll play through his sprained ankle Sunday when the Grizzlies visit the Bucks. And teammate Marc Gasol, who's been out with a neck injury, sounds like he's very likely to play in that game as well. If he was dropped in your league, it's probably time to pick him up.

No word yet on the status of Terrence Williams (foot, Nets) and Andrei Kirilenko (calf, Jazz) tonight, but both could end up playing.

[SIZE=+1]Friday's Games[/SIZE]

Jazz @ Pacers - If Hibbert's out, look for Mehmet Okur to go off. Andrei Kirilenko remains a game-time decision with his calf injury, as usual. Sleepers: IND Josh McRoberts, UTA Wesley Matthews

T-Wolves @ Magic - Magic should roll easily tonight, while we'll have to see if Kurt Rambis is still in the mood to let Ramon Sessions and Darko Milicic get heavy minutes over the young guns in his stable. Sleepers: MIN Wayne Ellington, ORL Matt Barnes.

Hawks @ Sixers - Hawks should handle the Sixers on the road, but will need more from Marvin Williams, who has been useless this week. Maurice Evans should be starting over him, in my opinion. Sleepers: ATL Mo Evans, PHI Marreese Speights.

Nuggets @ Raptors - This is going to be a battle of two struggling teams trying to get hot before the playoffs start. I'll take the Raps at home behind a huge line from Chris Bosh. Sleepers: DEN Chris Andersen, TOR Antoine Wright.

Wizards @ Bobcats - The Wiz are trying to avoid their 14th straight loss tonight. Enough said, as the Bobcats, who look like a lock to make the playoffs, should roll. Sleepers: WAS Alonzo Gee (probably starting) CHA Theo Ratliff.

Kings @ Celtics - The Kings are in trouble without Tyreke, while the Celtics are starting to turn it on. Sleepers: SAC Donte' Greene, BOS Rasheed Wallace.

Pistons @ Nets - This should be a great game as the Nets try to avoid the worst record in league history, while the Pistons are just awful. Sleepers: DET Jason Maxiell, NJN Jarvis Hayes (if Terrence Williams misses another game).

Lakers @ Thunder - The Thunder won their last game and this should be a fun shootout between Kobe and Durant. Sleepers: LAL Ron Artest, OKC James Harden.

Heat @ Bucks - Heat coming off a back-to-back against the hot Bucks. I'll take the Bucks in this one. Sleepers: MIA Quentin Richardson (he's due), MIL Ersan Ilyasova.

Cavs @ Spurs - Cavs will be looking to embarrass the Spurs in San Antonio. Tim Duncan looked old against Lakers on Wednesday. Sleepers: CLE J.J. Hickson, SAN Richard Jefferson (he's due).

Knicks @ Suns - Two offensive teams in a run-and-gun bonanza. Suns should romp. Sleepers: NYK Toney Douglas, PHO Leandro Barbosa.

 

[HacheMan]

Ready For Week 23?
Welcome to the Daily Dose for Monday. Many of you are either celebrating Anthony Tolliver's heroics this morning, or lamenting them. He took me out in my main league by having as good a week as anyone in the league, while I also had the pleasure of facing his red-hot teammate, Reggie Williams. I actually came back and took the lead in my game by a score of 6-2 late on Sunday, but thanks to Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry turning into invisible men in the second half, and useless weeks by Chris Andersen and Quentin Richardson, I ended up taking a 3-5 loss to Rotoworld's Ryan Knaus.

In the Rock and Roll All-Stars League, co-owners Stephen Malkmus and Janet Weiss will play Brian McPherson for the title, as McPherson is going for his second straight trophy this week. Built To Spill's Doug Martsch will take on Explosions In The Sky's Mark Smith in the third-place game, as my sorry team and I will take it all in from afar.

Here's a quick look at news and notes from every team in the league as you prepare for Week 23, and each team's remaining weekly schedule is included. The Injury Report link is included at the end, as well as a link to Waiver Wired.

ATL 3-4-2 - The Hawks have been one of the least injured teams this season, as well as one of the most consistent. Marvin Williams has proven to be unreliable, while Mike Bibby has come on late in the year. Al Horford has eight straight double-doubles, and Jamal Crawford is going to the playoffs for the first time in his career.

BOS 3-4-2 - Kendrick Perkins is dealing with a knee injury, but should be back on Wednesday. Rasheed Wallace was fairly useless in his stead. Paul Pierce is playing through general soreness and Nate Robinson has a sore ankle, while Rajon Rondo's shot has failed him in the second half. In case you missed it, Rondo had a career-high 18 assists and three steals to move into second place on the Celtics' single-season assist record on Friday. He has 703 assists and sits only behind Bob Cousy for the record, as Cousy had 715 dimes in the 1959-60 season. He also moved past Rick Fox for the single-season steals record with his 170th swipe of the year.

CHA 4-4-2 - Still no sign of Nazr Mohammed, who is out with a back injury, Tyson Chandler is quietly playing off the bench, while Theo Ratliff is starting and putting up decent big-man numbers. Stephen Jackson's sore left hand hasn't been an issue (37 points on Wednesday), Gerald Wallace is still rolling and Raymond Felton double-doubled in his last game. Tyrus Thomas is producing in limited minutes, but is a very shaky start while getting around just 20 minutes per game.

CHI 3-4-2 - Luol Deng remains out for the Bulls, while Joakim Noah and James Johnson are both playing through plantar fasciitis. Taj Gibson looks like a fairly safe play with those three players not fully healthy, while Flip Murray, Jannero Pargo and Brad Miller are all worth keeping an eye on. Any of them can go off at any given time, but are also very inconsistent.

CLE 3-4-1 - Anderson Varejao sounds likely to miss a game or two this week with his hamstring injury, which is good news for J.J. Hickson. It should also mean more run for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but I wouldn't use him yet after his slow start in a return to the Cavs. LeBron James and Antawn Jamison had some big lines last week, while Mo Williams continues to run hot or cold.

DAL 4-3-2 - It doesn't sound like Brendan Haywood will miss much, if anymore, time with his finger injury. That means a timeshare with Erick Dampier will continue, making both players risky fantasy starters. But even with a bum finger, I trust Haywood more. For the record, Damp was held out on Saturday, but it was for matchup purposes with the quirky Warriors. Dirk Nowitzki picked the wrong week to struggle, and while scoring isn't everything, the fact Dirk has scored between 13 and 18 points in his last four games is a good indication of where he's at right now. Roddy Beaubois dropped 40 points and nine 3-pointers on the (who else) Warriors on Saturday. I'd love to know how many season/career highs the Warriors have given up this year, but I don't expect Beaubois to do this again anytime soon. He had 0, 10, 9 and 0 points in his previous four games.

DEN 3-3-2 - Carmelo Anthony hit the game-winner on Friday night to stop a Nuggets skid, and also played well on Sunday. Nene is also heating up for the Nuggets, who still have no idea when they'll see Kenyon Martin (knee) or coach George Karl (cancer) again. Actually, Karl's due back in mid-April, which is probably when we'll see K-Mart again. Chris Andersen had a terrible week, and I wouldn't use him with three game (or four, for that matter).

DET 3-4-2 - The Pistons dreary season continues, although Richard Hamilton's minutes are suddenly on the rise again. He played 32 and 28 in his last two, after getting closer to 20 per game in his previous three, and the numbers have followed. It looks like it's safe to get him back in the lineup. Rodney Stuckey tweaked his ankle on Sunday, leaving him a little iffy for his next game. However, he says he should be OK. Tayshaun Prince is still pretty hot, and along with Stuckey and Hamilton, is one of a few sure things in Detroit.

GSW 3-4-2 - As usual, where to start? Monta Ellis was out Sunday with an illness, ending many fantasy playoff dreams, while Anthony Tolliver and Reggie Williams were wrapping up a huge week with big lines on Sunday. Tolliver is averaging nearly 16 points, 11 rebounds, a steal, a block and nearly two 3-pointers per game over his last five, while Williams is at nearly 20 points, five boards, three assists and one 3-pointer during the same stretch. Only in GSW would two D-Leaguers end up being fantasy superheroes in the playoffs. Williams has played in just 15 NBA games! Corey Maggette played through the flu, Monta Ellis remains day-to-day with the same bug, and Ronny Turiaf played very well on Sunday. Turiaf is back from his knee problems, and is worth a look if you need a big man.

HOU 4-4-2 - Kevin Martin is hoping to play on Tuesday despite a shoulder injury, but we won't know how he's feeling until later on Monday. Jared Jeffries and Shane Battier will be out another week with their injuries, while Jordan Hill is back from sprained ankle. Guys like Hill, Jermaine Taylor and Kyle Lowry are all worth keeping an eye on, while Luis Scola and Trevor Ariza had big weeks. Aaron Brooks appears to be healthy, but is really struggling with his shot right now.

IND 3-3-2 - Danny Granger scored 44 points on Friday, his fourth straight game of 30 or more points, but had just 18 on Sunday. Keep running him out there. Troy Murphy is also still playing well, while Earl Watson and Roy Hibbert continue to be pretty effective despite their inconsistency. Brandon Rush and Josh McRoberts are interesting fantasy players, but possibly too risky, especially with that bad remaining schedule.

LAC 4-3-2 - Drew Gooden is quietly one of the hottest big men in the league right now, averaging nearly 17 points, 12 boards, a steal and block per over his last five games. Chris Kaman has been playing pretty well, while DeAndre Jordan refuses to go away (10 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks Sunday). Craig Smith scored 25 points on Thursday, but backed it up with four points on Sunday. It feels like we ignore Baron Davis around here, but he's usually just doing enough to have relevance, while not doing enough to be a VIP.

LAL 4-3-2 - Andrew Bynum could return from his Achilles' injury by the end of the week, or not. Keep him benched until further notice. Ron Artest was either great or awful last week, Kobe Bryant bounced back from bad Friday to just miss a triple-double on Saturday, while Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom remain solid fantasy options for the Lakers.

MEM 3-4-2 - Marc Gasol returned on Sunday for 11 points, six boards and five blocks. I was wrong about the shutdown, so get him back in your lineup. Zach Randolph is playing despite a sprained ankle, while Mike Conley impress. He double-doubled on Sunday and is averaging 15 points, seven assists and two steals over his last five games.

Keep reading for the second half of the league, as well as links to Waiver Wired and the full Injury Report.
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MIA 3-3-2 - Jermaine O'Neal's hyperextended right knee doesn't look good and he was out on Sunday, but could return on Wednesday. Joel Anthony started in his place and had 13 points on Sunday, but Udonis Haslem is hot, and the guy you want to pick up in Miami. Dwyane Wade continues to get it done for the Heat, while I will officially never own Quentin Richardson again after his four-game dud last week. Carlos Arroyo is making some noise at point guard and deserves consideration, while Michael Beasley has bottomed out again and had just two points on 1-of-10 shooting in 19 minutes on Sunday. He simply isn't playing well enough to start right now, Miami's schedule is poor, and he had the audacity to blame his struggles, partially, on the fact he plays with Wade, and finds himself standing around watching him at times. Whatever.

MIL 4-4-2 - Brandon Jennings finished a terrible week on a high note on Sunday and is worth a roll of the dice with that sweet schedule. Carlos Delfino is out with a neck injury, but it sounds like he could play on Tuesday. Start him at your own risk, as he was carried off on a stretcher on Friday night. Andrew Bogut says his back is feeling better after missing a game and returned to action on Sunday, as did Ersan Ilyasova from a bout with the flu. Luke Ridnour is relevant again, but I don't really trust him.

MIN 3-3-2 - Kevin Love went off for 23 points, a career-high 22 boards and two blocks on Sunday, while Al Jefferson also double-doubled. I don't know what to think about Love, but he might have earned some fantasy starts with yesterday's big game – off the bench. Darko Milicic is still worth a look, and Ryan Gomes had 16 points on Sunday. Keep in mind he's very inconsistent.

NJN 4-3-2 - Terrence Williams is back and playing well through an ankle injury, Yi Jianlian is officially hit or miss, as usual, and Devin Harris is impossible to predict right now. Brook Lopez looks like a solid four-game option this week for the Nets, who actually beat the Pistons on Friday. Lopez has 37 and 10 in that one, while Yi scored a career-high 31. Both players fell back to earth in their next one, but Lopez remains a must-start.

NOH 4-3-1 - Darren Collison is still producing at a high level despite the return of Chris Paul, and I would have probably won my game had I started him over Quentin Richardson. He was 10-of-10 on Saturday, scoring 22 points, while Paul had 10 dimes. Marcus Thornton cooled off in that one but is still worth using in most leagues, and David West remains a must-start for the Hornets. Emeka Okafor is hit or miss, but still a decent starting center.

NYK 4-4-2 - The Knicks have a great schedule and Toney Douglas, Al Harrington, David Lee and Danilo Gallinari should all be started in most leagues.
Tracy McGrady can also be used in deep leagues, although I don't have the guts to play him (or own him), while it still sounds like Wilson Chandler will shut down for the year with his groin injury.

OKC 4-4-2 - Russell Westbrook struggled again on Sunday, but played well on Friday. With four games, I'd go ahead and keep running him out there, despite his recent shooting woes. James Harden is back, but very inconsistent, while Kevin Durant has a perfect remaining schedule to help lead fantasy teams to the promised land. Jeff Green is also a must-start player until further notice.

ORL 3-3-2 - Ryan Anderson is suddenly hot for the Magic, while Jameer Nelson is inconsistent. Dwight Howard had another big week and, along with Rashard Lewis, should be starting in almost all leagues. Vince Carter suffered a toe injury Sunday that could keep him out for multiple games, meaning Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick are all worth a look. Redick exploded for 23 points, seven boards, and eight assists on Sunday in Carter's absence! Like Redick, Anderson could be a nice flier, but is probably worth picking up after coming out of nowhere for 19 points in each of his last two games, hitting seven 3-pointers.

PHI 3-4-2 - Lou Williams (back) could be ready to return, but is not worth playing, while Thaddeus Young remains out with a thumb injury. Samuel Dalembert, Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday and Elton Brand are all worth starting, while Jason Kapono is suddenly starting and worth a pickup after his last couple strong games. He's averaging 12 points and 2.5 threes over his last two. Iguodala missed yesterday's practice with sore feet, but should play through it and had 25-10-9 in his last game.

PHO 4-3-2 - Robin Lopez could be out for the year with a back injury, meaning Channing Frye and Louis Amundson are worth a look. Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley are also playing better and could be worth a flier for the upcoming week. Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson and Steve Nash are all must-starts with four games this week.

POR 3-3-2 - Marcus Camby is hot again, while Andre Miller, LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy are all must-starts for the Blazers, despite the bad schedule.

SAC 3-3-2 - Andres Nocioni got hot Sunday and had 23 points, but I wouldn't trust him. Tyreke Evans remains out with a concussion and is iffy for Tuesday. Hopefully we'll have an update later on Monday. Spencer Hawes was out with a back injury and we're still waiting for an update on his status, but it allowed Jason Thompson to play all 48 minutes yesterday, finishing with 16 points, 14 boards and a block. He looks like a safe play with Hawes hurting. Beno Udrih triple-doubled against the Cavs on Sunday and is another scrub playing like an All-Star in the fantasy playoffs. Francisco Garcia is also hurting for the Kings, and has missed most of his last two games with a wrist injury. Watch for news on Hawes and Evans later today.

SAS 4-4-2 - The Spurs finish up with a nice schedule, meaning Manu Ginobili and George Hill are must-starts. Richard Jefferson was terribly inconsistent last week and cannot be trusted, while Tim Duncan put up a few nice lines last week. The Spurs don't have a back-to-back this week, so Duncan should be a safe play.

TOR 4-4-2 - Hedo Turkoglu was ready to return from the flu on Sunday but was benched for disciplinary reasons. He wasn't exactly money when he was in good graces and remains a very risky start, despite the nice schedule. Sonny Weems and Antoine Wright have been starting, but were awful on Sunday and are far from trustworthy, while Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani remain must-starts. Jarrett Jack looks like a safer play than Jose Calderon, but the timeshare is going to continue, making both of them a bit risky.

UTA 3-3-2 - Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are hoping the Jazz shut Andrei Kirilenko down with his calf injury, which he's aggravated immediately both times he's tried to come back from it. He's out Monday, meaning he'll play twice at the most this week. Bench him. Mehmet Okur is hot, and is now a must-start, along with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, while Paul Millsap, C.J. Miles, Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver are all worth a look in your league.

WAS 4-4-2 - Randy Foye is done for the year with a wrist injury, meaning Shaun Livingston should be owned, and probably started, in most leagues. The timeshare is over. The Spurs swiped Alonzo Gee from the Wizards and will sign him for this year and next, but he had a lot more potential in Washington. Nick Young should get a boost now, while Andray Blatche and James Singleton are now probably must-starts. JaVale McGee is still worth a look, but will probably come off the bench behind Singleton the rest of the way. Al Thornton could miss a few more games with his hip injury, and with Gee gone, Mike Miller is looking like a must-start player, as well.

Wired and Injuries

Check out Waiver Wired for pickup ideas, and see the Injury Report for all the latest news and outlooks before setting your lineups.

 

[HacheMan]

Don't Cross the Streams
During my semi-weekly live hoops chat last Tuesday, I was semi-surprised to discover that more than half of the participants had their leagues set up as head-to-head with daily lineup changes.

Of course I knew that this format still existed (I used to employ it in various leagues myself), but I figured that a larger percentage would prefer weekly lineup changes. Not that there's anything wrong with daily head-to-head leagues, but come playoff time it does become necessary to employ a rather demanding and somewhat exhausting tactic in order to win.

As you probably know, it is most commonly known as streaming.

For anyone who somehow isn't aware, the term refers to turning over a certain percentage of your roster (let's say 2-3 players per day in most instances, though some owners take it to an extreme) in order to maximize your games played. And to do it properly, you have to set your alarm earlier than the other guy to scoop up the better options off the wire first thing in the morning (and yes, I have set my clock for an obscenely early time in order to do this).

It can be fun, no doubt, but in my old age (I'll be 74 in April), I have come to prefer the notion of strategically locking in a head-to-head lineup at the beginning of the week and seeing how each owner's decisions play out.

But considering that many of you are currently locked in a crucial playoff matchup with daily changes in play, it's time to break the old streaming helmet out of storage in order to pass along

A STREAMING PRIMER FOR WEEK 23

(Note: With one notable exception, all players listed are owned in 10 percent or less of Yahoo leagues)

MONDAY (for Tuesday's games), add:

Serge Ibaka (10 percent owned, @ PHI on Tues., @ BOS on Wed.): Prepare for a two-game run from the Thunder backup center, who has posted 7.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.0 bpg while averaging 26 minutes over his last four games.

Flip Murray (7 percent owned, vs. PHO on Tues.): He laid a couple of eggs last week, but a 23-3-4 line with three treys and two steals against the Pistons on Sunday makes him an intriguing gamble against the Suns.

DeAndre Jordan (2 percent owned, @ MIL on Tues., @ TOR on Wed.): A threat to disappear during any given game, Jordan has averaged 8.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg in his last two. Don't feel compelled to hang onto him for Wednesday's game if he lays an egg on Tuesday.

Kyle Lowry (10 percent owned, vs. WAS on Tues., @ SAS on Wed.): Had an ugly game on Saturday, but prior to that had averaged 14.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.8 apg over his last four games.

Shaun Livingston (3 percent owned, @ HOU on Tues., @ NOH on Wed.): Coming off a solid 14-3-3 game with a steal and a block on Saturday against Utah, Livingston has shown signs of rediscovering his game with a series of statement dunks in recent games. I wouldn't recommend him for the second half of the road back-to-back in New Orleans, but he's an intriguing spot start for Tuesday.

Andres Nocioni (7 percent owned, @ IND on Tues., @ MIN on Wed.): With Francisco Garcia out on Sunday, Nocioni got a season-high 41 minutes of run and responded with a 21-5-3 line, including five threes. His status is directly tied to Garcia's health, but he's a compelling play with good matchups if Garcia remains sidelined.

A reminder: For projections, depth charts, cheat sheets and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Draft Guide.

TUESDAY (for Wednesday's games), add:

(Note: The players listed below will not feature repeats from Monday's recommendations, so even though Ibaka, Jordan and others play on Wednesday, they won't be recommended again just yet.)

Rodrigue Beaubois (10 percent owned, @ MEM on Wed., vs. ORL on Thurs.): Yes, he's probably already gone in most leagues after his 40-point, nine-three, three-block gem last week, but if he's somehow still out there, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to gamble to see what he does next.

Ronny Turiaf (5 percent owned, @ UTA on Wed., vs. NY on Fri.): Most of the players on this list are pretty dispensable, but Turiaf and Beaubois are two players I would consider hanging onto for a prolonged run (rather than dropping them after a game or two). If you're wondering why, look no further than Turiaf's 13-8-5 line with two steals and two blocks on Sunday. He won't be that well-rounded every game and remains injury-prone, but Turiaf's assists are not a fluke – he has had three or more of them in eight of his last 14 games. Even if you do plan to drop him, it would be wise to at least keep him around for a matchup with the Knicks on Friday.

Kyle Korver (6 percent owned, vs. GSW on Wed.): Assuming that C.J. Miles (16 percent owned) is already gone, I would look to Korver for the always delightful allotment of the Warriors defense on the schedule. Korver remains risky and somewhat inconsistent, but he has quietly averaged 9.0 ppg and 1.3 threes in 26 minutes a game over his last three outings entering Monday. Again, I would prefer Miles first and there are other better options available in standard leagues, but Korver is not a disastrous option if you have to dig deep.

WEDNESDAY (for Thursday's games), add:

Ryan Anderson (8 percent owned, @ DAL on Thurs., @ SAS on Fri.): Anderson comes with no small amount of risk given that he has been a DNP-CD for eight of his 14 games in March, but here's the cause for optimism: In his last two games, Anderson has averaged 19.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 3.5 threes. Furthermore, both games were closely contested, so this was not garbage time production.

Given the fact that there are only two games on the schedule Thursday, there's very little to lose in grabbing Anderson and streaming him into the lineup, though it should be noted that his minutes could take a hit (or disappear altogether) if Mickael Pietrus (ankle) is able to return on Thursday. Watch Pietrus' status closely as this game approaches.

Arron Afflalo (9 percent owned, vs. POR on Thurs.): Welcome to streaming country, where players like Afflalo suddenly become worth considering. No, he's not very exciting and yes, I would classify nine of his 15 games this month as "rather ugly," but he does have a starting gig and averages 27 minutes a game, which means he at least gets a shot to contribute on a nightly basis. Accordingly, in his last four games, Afflalo has averaged 9.5 ppg and 1.8 threes. That's not dynamic, but remember that we're talking about a scenario in which you're trying to squeeze every possible stat you can into the week. Even these modest numbers can help.

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THURSDAY (for Friday's games), add:

(Note: Now that we're later in the week, you may see some repeat suggestions, because in many formats you could use a player for a spot start on Tuesday and then get him back in time for Friday's games.)

Bill Walker (7 percent owned, @ GSW on Fri.): Why Walker? Because someone seemingly always has a random huge game against the Warriors, and Walker has been playing enough (27 mpg over his last four games, as of Monday) to beg the question: Why can't it be him?

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (25 percent owned, vs. ATL on Fri.): I'm listing Ilgauskas despite the fact that he's owned in more than 10 percent of leagues because I'm guessing he 's still out there in many competitive formats (after all, he's available in my main leagues). He's not an automatic add for Friday, but in his first three games back with the Cavs, his minutes have gone from 17 to 19 to 23, and on Sunday he posted four points, six rebounds and three blocks. There's no guarantee he'll be producing well by the end of the week, but it's worth watching on Wednesday to see how he looks.

Ronny Turiaf (vs. NYK on Fri.): Looked strong on Sunday, and worth using for Wednesday/Friday combo at the very least.

Flip Murray (@ WAS on Fri., vs. CHA, on Sat.): See Monday writeup for recent stats, and note the revenge game against former team (the Bobcats) on Saturday.

Kyle Lowry (@ BOS on Fri.): Capable of posting modest but solid PG stats, as explained in Monday writeup.

Shaun Livingston (vs. CHI on Fri.): Similar value to Lowry, though could have even more value given 35 minutes of run on Saturday. See Monday writeup for more details.

FRIDAY (for Saturday's games), add:

(Note: I begin these final sections with the caveat that I am now forecasting very deep into the future in an effort to help your streaming squad. I can't guarantee that the hoops landscape will look as expected once the weekend arrives, because as you know if you regularly watch Lost, there are actually no rules as to how things operate on this planet. But here's my best guess…)

Serge Ibaka (@ DAL on Sat., vs. MIN on Sun.): The Thunder's schedule this week is set up beautifully for streaming – back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday and back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday, meaning that you can drop Ibaka Wednesday morning and get him back on Friday in many leagues (though some have a longer waiver wait time).

DeAndre Jordan (@ DEN on Fri., vs. NYK on Sun.): Jordan's schedule is equally streaming-friendly to Ibaka's. Don't be afraid to bring him back for a weekend cameo.

Andres Nocioni (vs. POR on Sat.): As mentioned in Monday writeup above, he has potential this week, but only if Francisco Garcia is still out.

SATURDAY (for Sunday's games), add:

Shannon Brown (5 percent owned, vs. SAS on Sun.): He has averaged an Afflalo-esque 9.8 ppg and 1.8 threes in his last four games (as of Monday), but if threes are critical and boom-or-bust options like James Harden (30 percent owned, vs. MIN on Sun.) are already gone, you may have to go down this boulevard.

Nick Young (6 percent owned, vs. NJN on Sun.): Speaking of streets you don't necessarily want to traverse, Young's do-nothing-but-shoot style can be rather irritating if you're the sort of person who appreciates rebounds and assists. But it is worth noting that Young was averaging 13.8 ppg and 1.6 threes in his last five games as of Monday, and a game against the Nets could provide precisely the right atmosphere for him to thrive.

Kris Humphries (2 percent owned, @ WAS on Sun.): Hopefully you have the sense by now that many of the players mentioned above are disposable, and generally exist below the first tier of talent that is likely to be available on waivers in shallow leagues. So obviously it may not be necessary for you to dig deep to add the likes of Humphries in your particular playoff matchup.

With that understood, Humphries is an intriguing last-gasp play if you're desperate to make up late ground in rebounds and blocks and all other options have been exhausted. Though he often gets less than 20 minutes a game off the bench, the reserve big man has averaged 4.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 1.3 bpg in his last four games.

Those numbers should make it clear that I can only advise making this move if you're determined, mildly desperate and ultimately willing to do whatever is necessary to win your matchup. Of course, those are most likely three prerequisites to having made it to the end of this column.

 

[HacheMan]

Bye, Bye Baron
Monday afternoon brought some disturbing news for fantasy owners as Manu Ginobili, Baron Davis and Tyrus Thomas are all dealing with injuries. Meanwhile, there's good news about Tyreke Evans and Spencer Hawes as we preview Tuesday's action.

Chat NBA Hoops with Ryan Knaus, who took me out in my main league on Sunday, live today at 2 p.m.

Fantasy Headlines

I posted the Baron Davis news at about 6:15 on Monday night, so my hope is you were able to get him out of your lineup. The news is not good, as Davis will miss tonight's game against the Bucks with back spasms and sounds very iffy for the other two games on the Clippers' road trip. Buzz Kill! Davis seems to shut it down early almost every year, except for when he shockingly played all 82 games for the Warriors two years ago. This is not an April Fools' joke, and Steve Blake could be ready to take over point guard duties for the Clippers, although there's still a chance Davis could return. I would consider grabbing Blake, especially if you own Baron, and am thinking Blake should have a nice game tonight.

Manu Ginobili is having back issues of his own and sat out last night's loss to the Nets. The Nets avoided tying the Sixers for the worst record in NBA history with the win, while the Spurs now sit in the No. 8 spot for the playoffs in the West. I don't think it's possible for them to fallout of the playoffs altogether, but they would really like to win some games in order to avoid playing the Lakers in Round 1. They're only a half game behind the Blazers and Thunder, but last night's unlikely loss was not good. Manu has only been ruled out for that game, and I think they just rested him against the worst team in the league. He says he plans on playing Wednesday against the struggling Rockets.

Tyrus Thomas was a late scratch for the Bobcats with a sprained ankle. No one really stepped up in his place for Charlotte, who lost to the Raptors, and Thomas' length would have really helped against Chris Bosh. Consider him day-to-day.

Tyreke Evans is set to return from his concussion tonight against the Pacers and he should be in starting fantasy lineups. Spencer Hawes is also set to play through his back injury, and is a borderline fantasy start for Tuesday. Jon Brockman will also return from a sprained MCL, but shouldn't have much fantasy value, while Francisco Garcia (wrist) and Sean May (knee) are out again tonight. Dominic McGuire is out for the year with a tear in his plantar fascia, not that it matters.

Randy Foye has been shut down for the year, meaning Shaun Livingston should get a majority of point guard minutes for the Raptors the rest of the way. He's probably not going to win you a fantasy championship by himself, but could contribute if he gets 30 minutes per game.

Carlos Delfino is expected to return for the Bucks tonight from a neck injury. I have gotten a lot of emails from guys wanting to drop Delfino, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. Let's see what happens tonight.

Hedo Turkoglu crawled out of the Raptors' doghouse and played off the bench last night, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points. His threes were helpful in the win, but it does sound like he'll come off the bench the rest of the way, making him a very shaky fantasy starter. The Raptors would probably love to trade him, but his bad season combined with a ridiculous contract isn't going to make it easy.

Jermaine O'Neal's week is in jeopardy because of his hyperextended right knee and I'd be surprised to see him suit up for the Heat in any of their next few games.

Kenyon Martin sounds like he's done – at least for the regular season – and he should be dropped in most leagues.

Andrew Bynum is out of his walking boot, but despite some positive reports recently, may be shutdown for the rest of the regular season with his Achilles' injury. He's droppable, but if you can wait and see what news emerges throughout the week, I would.

Wilson Chandler will meet with doctors in Portland and all indications are that he'll be shut down for the season with a groin injury. Teammate Eddy Curry is done for the year with his calf injury, which should have no impacts in fantasy or reality.

Lou Williams (back) is a game-time decision tonight against the Thunder, but will play, while Thaddeus Young is out with his thumb injury. Both guys should play again this season, but both can be dropped for a hot free agent, as Williams has fallen out of favor for Jrue Holiday. Andre Iguodala missed Monday's practice with sore feet, but should be good to go tonight.

Monday's Game News

Raptors 103, Bobcats 101 - The Raptors got 22 points, 11 boards and two blocks out of Chris Bosh, while Andrea Bargnani added 16 points, nine boards, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers in the win. Antoine Wright should continue to start over Hedo Turkoglu and had 15 points, six boards and a 3-pointer, so just keep an eye on him. Sonny Weems is the starting shooting guard for now, but had just six points in 17 minutes. Weems and Wright are worth a look, but aren't very trustworthy. Jose Calderon had 10 points and seven assists, while Jarrett Jack came off the bench for 12 points and five dimes. Timeshares + fantasy starters = disappointment. The Raptors stopped a three-game losing streak, which was huge. They sit just one game up on the Bulls for the final playoff spot in the East, and they're quite lucky the Bulls are so banged up.

The Bobcats got 18 points, five boards, seven assists and four 3-pointers from Raymond Felton, which was great for fantasy owners. But his shaky pass to Tyson Chandler with the game on the line failed to connect, costing the Cats a shot at forcing overtime. Felton is being blamed, but I still can't figure out why Chandler was moving away from the hoop when the pass came in. Chandler tweaked an ankle during the game, but played through it. Stephen Jackson had 18 points and two threes in the loss. NBA TV's Game Time hyped a dispute between S-Jax and Larry Brown in the intro, but never gave any more details. I've heard they were bickering, but I'm not too worried about it as of now.

Continue reading for more recaps and Tuesday's previews.
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Nets 90, Spurs 84 - The Nets got an unlikely win last night with Brook Lopez going for 22 points and 12 boards. Devin Harris actually had a nice game with 17 points and nine assists, and doesn't appear to be ready to shut it down after all. Courtney Lee, possibly the most inconsistent performer in the league, had 19 points, six boards and two threes in the win, while Terrence Williams overcame a donut in the first half to finish with 13 points, seven boards, three assists, a steal and a 3-pointer. I was worried that he wasn't playing or was injured, but he looked OK after the break, despite hitting just 4-of-13 shots.

The Spurs got 16 points, five boards, five assists and a block from Richard Jefferson, but (I think) he had just one point in the second half against his former team. Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair both double-doubled, but Blair played just 17 minutes for his. George Hill scored 19 points, while Matt Bonner got hot for 10 points, nine boards and two threes. Ignore him, as usual. Roger Mason suffered a finger injury, leaving the Spurs very thin with Manu also out. Mason's injury, which will require an MRI, could mean that the Spurs do whatever they can to get Manu back in action on Wednesday.

Hornets 108, Lakers 100 - Chris Paul played 39 minutes and had 15 points and 13 assists, signaling that he's officially back. Hopefully you ran him out there this week. Darren Collison played just 21 minutes, but still managed 17 points, three boards, three assists, a steal and two 3-pointers. I started him, but would feel more comfortable about it if he got more minutes. Marcus Thornton added 18 points and three 3-pointers, while Emeka Okafor added eight points, 13 boards, a steal and two blocks. You never know what you'll get from Okafor, but he was solid last night. David West is very reliable and always capable of a big line, and had 20 points and seven boards last night.

Kobe Bryant had 31 points, five boards, six assists, a steal and two threes last night, while Ron Artest and Lamar Odom each played well for the Lakers. Pau Gasol blew up for 26 points, 22 boards and two blocks, and 10 of his rebounds were of the offensive variety. His four-game week is off to a tremendous start for owners.

Mavericks 109, Nuggets 93 - Dirk Nowitzki recorded just the second triple-double of his career with a monstrous line of 34 points, 10 boards, 10 assists and four 3-pointers as the Mavericks crushed the Nuggets. Dirk was mired in a fairly disturbing slump coming in, so this was great to see if you own him. Shawn Marion chipped in with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and Jason Terry added 15 points. Rodrigue Beaubois scored 40 points with nine threes against the Warriors in his last game, but played just 15 minutes last night, finishing with five points on 2-of-7 shooting. Hopefully you ignored him after the GSW explosion.

Carmelo Anthony was awful, hitting just 3-of-16 shots for 10 points and nine rebounds, and likely put his owners behind the 8-ball this week. I know Brian from Guster owns Melo and was playing against Dirk, which could be a deadly playoff combo – but you know Melo will bounce back. J.R. Smith got hot, hitting 10-of-16 shots and three 3-pointers for 27 points, a steal and a block in the loss. Not only are the Nuggets without their coach (cancer) and Kenyon Martin, but are stumbling into the playoffs, losing five of their last six games.

Jazz 103, Knicks 98 - The Jazz got 23 points and 14 assists out of Deron Williams, along with 26 points and 14 boards out of Carlos Boozer. Paul Millsap added 14 & 10 with Andrei Kirilenko sidelined, and I'd be somewhat surprised if we see AK-47 this week, although he's trying to come back from his strained calf.

The Knicks got 26 points, a season-high 17 boards and three 3-pointers from Al Harrington in the loss, but Danilo Gallinari (2-of-10 shooting) and Toney Douglas (five points on 2-of-7 shooting) were awful. Sergio Rodriguez got hot with 14 points and two 3-pointers in 19 minutes, but I'm still holding out faith that Douglas will bounce back. It's possible he's hit a wall, as he's been terrible in his last two games, but he was simply rolling before the slump started. Tracy McGrady added 13 points, four boards and six assists, for what it's worth.

Tuesday's Previews

OKC @ PHI - The Thunder are still hot, but this should be a good game if Andre Iguodala's foot allows him to play at full strength. Sleeper: James Harden.

SAC @ IND - The Kings welcome back Tyreke and Hawes, but the Pacers are hot – winning five of their last six and seven straight at home. Danny Granger is hot again, and this should be a good game. Sleeper: Roy Hibbert.

LAC @ MIL - It should be the Steve Blake show without Baron around for the Clippers, while I'm hoping Brandon Jennings can shoot it straight tonight. Delfino's return and the emergence of Blake should be the headlines here. Sleeper: Blake.

PHO @ CHI - The Suns should work the Bulls over tonight, and I'm expecting big things from Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson, while I'm guessing we also get pleasant surprises from Channing Frye and Louis Amundson with Robin Lopez out for Phoenix. Sleeper: Frye.

WAS @ HOU - Livingston will make his debut as the main man at point guard for the Wizards, while Andray Blatche and James Singleton should have their way with the lack for Houston bigs. Luis Scola is hot, Aaron Brooks is in a shooting slump, and Kevin Martin is iffy with his shoulder injury. We should have a Martin update later today. Sleeper: Livingston.