NBA Fantasy News 2010/2011

[HacheMan]

Fresh Blatche
[SIZE=+1]Trendspotting[/SIZE]

Three on the Rise:

Daniel Gibson: Finally back from his ankle injury, Gibson returned 16 points, four threes, a steal and two blocks in 30 minutes off the bench on Wednesday. Never mind that the Cavs are horrendous � points, threes and steals (if accompanied by a slight hindrance in field goal percentage) are going to be very plentiful from Gibson going forward, and he needs to be on a roster and in active lineups in virtually all formats.

Corey Maggette: Last three games: 20.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 threes. He's not a valid source of threes or steals (averaging just 0.2 of both on the season) and it doesn't help that Carlos Delfino (concussion) is nearing a return, but Maggette is otherwise worth an add for scoring and percentages. (And since I mentioned Delfino, my quick take on him is that he needs to be watched closely. Getting into rhythm may take a while, but he has the potential to reestablish a prominent role in Milwaukee.)

Chuck Hayes: I can't believe I'm writing this, but I actually added Hayes in one of my main leagues after seeing him post 8.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg and 1.3 bpg in his first four games back from an ankle injury. His game is not dynamic to watch and I would be surprised if he keeps those numbers up, but owners in need of a serviceable and somewhat versatile center could certainly do worse at the moment. And for the record, Hayes' free throw stroke currently looks a lot better than it used to.

Follow me on Twitter: @MattStroup

Three on the Plummet:

James Harden: I was fully in support of adding him when he was playing well, but whether because of the injured fingers on his shooting hand or simply an unrelated dip in playing time, Harden's stock has plummeted drastically in January. Averaging just 7.5 ppg in 22 minutes over his last six games, his recent dip in production warrants an immediate drop and search for help elsewhere.

Stephen Curry: This is obviously a very different kind of plummeting than that pertaining to Harden, but Curry's recent hit in value still needs to be addressed. First, the bad news: He has lost some minutes lately due to defensive issues and is clearly not the team's first or second option (that would be Monta Ellis and Monta Ellis). But with that said, it's not all terrible. Even while struggling, Curry is still averaging 15.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.9 spg and 1.8 threes in January, numbers that place him 25th overall in Basketball Monster's eight-category rankings this month. My stance on this remains to stay patient.

Paul Millsap: If the other owners in your league have a tendency to get impatient quickly, Millsap's last three games (9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) make him a nice short-term buy-low option. Quite simply, he's just four games removed from a huge 27-10-4 line and has too steady a game to struggle for any prolonged stretch.

[SIZE=+1]Three Random but Hopefully Useful Observations[/SIZE]

1. Last year's Andray Blatche is back (sort of). Okay, so maybe it's not quite the same Blatche who memorably averaged 21.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.1 apg and 1.4 spg in April 2010, but the oft-frustrating Wiz PF has posted a formidable 20.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.7 spg and 1.7 bpg in his last three. It was a somewhat maddening first couple months of the season, but Blatche's season stats remain solid (16.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.5 spg, 0.8 bpg) and there's still room to improve.

2. Lamar Odom: Holding steady. I was among those anticipating a notable drop in production with the return of Andrew Bynum, but Odom's loss has been far less pronounced than I anticipated. Even with Bynum starting and averaging 27 minutes per game this month, Mr. Kardashian has averaged 14.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.0 bpg and 0.9 threes in 29 minutes per game this month. Last year's precedent suggested that his scoring dropoff would be more drastic, but it hasn't happened that way and at this point I'm reasonably convinced he can keep it up.

3. Grant Hill's recent scoring binge is impressive � and totally unsustainable. Don't get me wrong � Hill is a useful source of points and percentages regardless, but his recent run of 24.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 1.3 threes in his last three games cannot last. He torched two very generous defenses in New York and Cleveland this week, but shouldn't be considered more than a 15.0 ppg scorer going forward.

[SIZE=+1]10 Quick-Hitting Statements of Fact and/or Opinion[/SIZE]

1) Samuel Dalembert's 10.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 1.8 bpg in his last five looks appealing, but I'm not in any rush to add him and still expect maddening inconsistency in the long run.

2) Ryan Anderson would have made the "Three on the Rise" list above, but presumably he's already gone in most competitive leagues after posting 14.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg and 2.9 threes in January.

3) I don't know exactly what Rick Adelman is planning for the Houston PG situation, but it's feeling more and more like Kyle Lowry (16.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.2 threes in his last six games) is not about to surrender his value any time soon.

4) Normally limited to scoring and threes, Nick Young (22.3 ppg, 2.3 threes in January) has upped his playmaking acumen this month (2.8 apg) after averaging just 0.7 apg through his first 30 games.

5) Greatly enjoyed Boris Diaw's 25-11-11 line on Monday, but his 12-2-2 line one day later underscored that it was, unfortunately, a wonderful fluke.

Editor's note: For exclusive articles, chats, projections and more, check out the Rotoworld NBA Season Pass.

6) Andris Biedrins has hit double figures in scoring just twice in 32 games this year, and has posted an ugly 4.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg (with 1.7 bpg) this month. Unless you're truly desperate for blocks, the GSD (Golden State Dalembert) does not need to be occupying a spot on your roster.

7) I wouldn't offer Jason Kidd up in a trade immediately after his 21-point, 10-assist, five-three game Wednesday. Seems too desperate. Wait until he has logged a few useful games in a row, then shop him.

8) After shooting 10-for-53 (18.9 percent) on threes in his first 19 games, Baron Davis has hit 13-for-33 (39.4 percent) through his first eight games of January.

9) He was visibly in pain, but Eric Gordon otherwise looked great playing through the torn ligament in his finger on Wednesday. Based on his willingness and effectiveness in playing with only nine fingers on Wednesday, fantasy owners should feel reasonably confident that he can continue to play through the injury effectively.

10) Even with the slight 8-for-13 setback from the line on Wednesday, Blake Griffin (27.8 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 4.3 apg this month) is shooting a much-improved 68.8 percent on free throws this month. Going forward, I still think 70-plus percent is a realistic expectation.

 

[HacheMan]

They Say Misery Loves Company
It's been a pretty wild week in the NBA, but things calmed down on Thursday night when we learned Tyrus Thomas will have knee surgery, Blake Griffin got back on track and D.J. Augustin made his owners very happy. Here are 11 things we learned on Thursday.

1. Tyrus Thomas will miss eight weeks due to left knee surgery. He took a nap, awoke to a swollen knee, had an MRI and boom – he's done. It's devastating news for Thomas and his owners, but he's been so inconsistent that it might be a fantasy blessing, putting his owners out of their collective misery. And with him being out for two months, he can safely be dropped in almost all instances. The Bobcats aren't going to make the playoffs and it would make little sense for them to throw him out there for the final three weeks of the season. It's possible, but I don't think he's worth hanging onto. Boris Diaw, Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson will pick up the slack, while guys like Kwame Brown and Nazr Mohammed could see a small boost. But this is not one of those situations where you can just blindly run out and pick up his replacement.

2. Carlos Boozer missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle on Thursday night for the Bulls, but is expected back on Saturday against the Cavs. And while this was a lost week, that should mean he's good to go for the next one. Taj Gibson struggled last night after blocking six shots in two straight games, finishing with four points, six boards and zero blocks.

3. Marcus Camby is now only expected to miss three weeks of action after arthroscopic knee surgery, according to coach Nate McMillan. Call me crazy, but I'd be a little surprised if he's back quite that quickly. Then again, after seeing Brandon Roy come back in record time from knee surgery about a year ago, anything's possible. But we saw how that turned out, right? The Blazers are actually still cooking without two of its core players, as they're 14-7 without Roy and 4-1 without Camby this season. If you own Camby, you can probably hang onto him if it's really going to be just three weeks.

4. Eric Gordon's injured, but you would never know it by watching him play. He hit a career-high seven 3-pointers last night and just missed scoring a career high with 35 points. He also had five boards and four assists despite a torn tendon in the middle finger on his shooting hand. He says he's in a ton of pain and it could take over a month for the injury to heal, but so far he's played even better injured than he was before it happened.

5. D.J. Augustin loves Paul Silas, while Gerald Wallace has forgotten how to play basketball. Augustin had a season-high 31 points, 25 of which came in the first half against Jrue Holiday, to finish with eight assists and three 3-pointers. He hit 10-of-11 shots in the first half and is emerging as a solid fantasy point guard this season. As for Wallace, he hit just 2-of-7 shots for six points and three boards, sending his owners into a panic. This is a nice buy-low opportunity on Wallace, but keep in mind his numbers have been down across the board all season. But with Ty Thomas out, Wallace could be ready to break out of the funk, although he's clearly not looking forward to some of the minutes he's going to be spending at PF now. Regardless of which forward slot Wallace is in, his numbers can only get better from here.

7. Al Horford (ankle) and Francisco Garcia (calf) are going to miss time with their injuries. Horford will miss a couple games with a sprained ankle, starting tonight against the Hornets, which is great news for the owners of Emeka Okafor and David West. If you're looking for someone to come in and replace Horford's numbers, you probably won't find that guy in a Hawks' uniform. But it should mean a boost for Josh Smith, while Josh Powell could be the biggest beneficiary. And guys like Maurice Evans, Zaza Pachulia could also make some additional noise tonight, but I see no reason to pick up any Hawks off the waiver wire in this instance.

Garcia could miss as much as two more weeks after aggravating his hamstring in practice yesterday, which is a bummer for owners. Donte Greene looks like the starter for now, but I'm pretty sure Paul Westphal will tire of him shortly. And as we know from how the season started, Garcia is really the only guy who had value as the starting small forward in Sacramento, and even he was a shaky play. Just like with Thomas and Horford, this is another injury that doesn't have a clear beneficiary.

8. Rudy Fernandez is coming on, while Wesley Matthews bounced back from a four-point performance with 28 points, four 3-pointers, three boards, five assists and three steals last night. Rudy scored 17 points with two steals, a three and a block on Thursday, after scoring 13 points in each of his two previous games, hitting five treys along the way. I'm still not sold on the fact that he's going to battle Nicolas Batum for fantasy value with Roy and Camby out, it is possible. If Matthews was dropped in your league after his four-point game, pick him up. He's averaging 17 points and more than two 3-pointers per game in January.

9. Rick Carlisle is a mad scientist. He's started Sahsa Pavlovic, who is now on a second 10-day contract, in two straight games while putting Shawn Marion on the bench. Marion scored 22 the first time it happened, but hit just 2-of-7 shots for six points last night. Come on, Rick. It's the same as fantasy hoops – start your studs. I really have no idea what his sudden infatuation with Pavlovic is, especially since the guy hasn't played much ball over the last year and is now trying to adjust to a facemask to protect his broken nose. Carlisle's always been an annoying fantasy coach, and it's because of stunts like this. The Mavs beat the Lakers to snap a six-game losing streak in Sasha's first start, but they lost last night to the Bulls. Hopefully that will be enough to stop the madness.

Peja Stojakovic will reportedly be waived by the Raptors and then sign with the Mavericks. Great. Another old, injury-prone 3-point specialist for Carlisle to experiment with. The Mavs appear to be grasping at straws after losing seven of their last eight games and I can't imagine Peja making a big difference in Dallas. Who knows if he is even healthy enough to play right now?

10. At least one major All-Star snub is coming in the West, while there could be multiple players left off the team that deserve to be there. Blake Griffin, who started a new double-double streak with 20 & 18 last night, LaMarcus Aldridge, who is having a career year and had 28 points and eight boards, and Kevin Love, who is leading the league in rebounding while scoring 21.4 points per game, are all worthy of making the Western Conference All-Star Team. But with guys like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Zach Randolph working in the West, there just isn't enough room for everyone. Personally, I will be really shocked and disappointed if Griffin is left off the team. The fans want him on it and while he plays for a losing team, the Clippers are no longer a joke. In fact, if they somehow stay at the pace they're playing right now, they might sneak into the playoffs. I will also be mildly upset if Love doesn't make it. I know the T-Wolves are a joke, but Love's nose for the ball, shooting touch and 3-pointers have made him one of the most surprising players in the league this year. Maybe he's the favorite to win the Most Improved Player this year. And while Aldridge is having an awesome year and the Blazers are actually a playoff contender, I like Griffin and Love a little more for the team. But either way, at least one PF stud is going to be snubbed this year, and that number could even go as high as three.

 

[HacheMan]

Cavs Set A Boobie Trap
Here you go. I don't know if the picks have just been obvious, or if I've got some good karma going, but I feel like Waiver Wired has been going pretty well lately, thanks to guys like Nicolas Batum, Ryan Anderson and Corey Maggette. Enjoy.
www.therx.ws
Games Played This Week

Trail Blazers – 2 Games
Hawks, Bulls, Mavericks, Pacers, Clippers, Lakers, Heat and Spurs – 3 Games
Everyone Else – 4 Games

[SIZE=+1]Guards[/SIZE]

Daniel Gibson Cavaliers

Not only is Gibson one of the best players left in Cleveland, but he's getting healthy while his teammates are dropping around him like flies. Both Mo Williams and Ramon Sessions went down last week leaving Gibson and Manny Harris as the main backcourt pieces for the Cavs. Williams could decide to shut it down for the rest of the season and "hop on over to Mamby Pamby land to find some self confidence," while Sessions is currently being reevaluated with an abdominal injury. I'm not a big fan of seeing the word 'groin' next to my injured guy's name, and along with 'knee surgery,' 'abdominal strain' is pretty high up on the list of bad hoops injuries.

Gibson is a must-own player at this point, while Harris is definitely worth a look as well. Just like J.J. Hickson is the only guy they've got to play center, these two are the only guys they've got to play guard right now. In fact, there's a decent chance I'll be recommending myself for a pickup here next week, as I might be the new point guard in Cleveland. Yeah, it's that bad. The real question is, when will they win another game? The good news is the Cavs play four times per week until the All-Star Break.

Lou Williams Sixers

Sweet Lou has scored between 12 and 26 points in his last nine games and is averaging 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and a 3-pointer per game in January. Need I say more? Williams and the Sixers play four games this week.

Keyon Dooling/Earl Boykins Bucks

Dooling has broken out of a nasty funk recently, while I'm still shocked every time I write Boykins' name in a fantasy column. It just makes no sense. Dooling had a nice week, recording his fourth career double-double, and has scored in double figures in four of his last five games. He double-doubled twice in the 2008-09 season, as well as posted a 20 & 10 game back in 2003-04. He's also hit at least one three in all but one January game, but outside of his assist explosion when he had 11 against the, ahem, Cavs last week, he's not a guy who's going to help you win assists every week. He's also going to lose all value the second Brandon Jennings comes back from foot surgery, but that could still be a month or so away.

Boykins was like a ping-pong ball last week, scoring 5, 19, 9 and 23 points, with the 23 coming in Saturday's finale, which I'm guessing won some fantasy games for owners. He hit five threes in the 'good' games and zero in the bad ones, and is as hit-or-miss as they come. He's far from a must-own player right now, but he is a guy who can help you out in a deep league. But again, like Dooling, he'll lose his fantasy value when Jennings is back.

The Bucks play four games a week until the All-Star Break.

Anthony Morrow Nets

Morrow finally returned from a hamstring injury last week and played in a couple games, scoring 10 in his first one and just two in the next. His minutes were limited in each as he's going to slowly work his way back into the mix, but don't be surprised if he's starting a week from now. He scored in double figures in six straight games and hit a ton of threes before going down in before Christmas, and there's a pretty decent chance he'll be back to form in the near future.

Rudy Fernandez Blazers

I've been hesitant to jump on the Rudy bandwagon, but it's clear he's becoming a prominent part of the Blazers' offense. He's scored between 11 and 17 points in his last four games, hitting nine 3-pointers over that stretch. He's also getting 30 minutes a game, and while I don't like him as much as teammates Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, Fernandez looks like a decent pickup right now. Just remember the Blazers only have two games this week.

Others To Consider Corey Brewer Timberwolves, Reggie Williams Warriors, Tracy McGrady Pistons

Brewer is starting and should be a good source of steals and threes, Williams has been given the green light to shoot from coach Keith Smart, and helps fill in when Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry go down, while T-Mac continues to start for the Pistons. He's cooled off though, and his next injury is probably just around the corner.
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[SIZE=+1]Forwards[/SIZE]

Nicolas Batum Blazers

Batum was featured here a week ago and has been one of the hottest pickups over the last few weeks since Marcus Camby and Brandon Roy shut it down for the Blazers. He's now owned in 80 percent of leagues, which means he's available in about 20 percent of them. Don't look at the numbers and don't wait any longer. If he's available in your league and you don't have to cut one of your starters, pick him up. He's averaging 16 points, five boards and nearly two 3-pointers per game in January, and his 0.7 averages in steals and blocks should be up to at least 1.0 by the end of the month. The bad news is the Blazers only have two games this week.

Ryan Anderson Magic

Here's another guy I've had trouble not talking about and he has been too kind to us. He's averaging 15 points, six boards, three 3-pointers and a block in January. He has season highs of 20 and 21 in two of his last three, and averaged 17 points, seven boards, 3.5 threes and .75 blocks in four games last week. Add in the fact the Magic play four times a week until the All-Star Break, and it's tough not to love Anderson. Brandon Bass is also still worthy and averaged 13 points, seven boards and a block last week, but Anderson looks like a much better option right now.

Corey Maggette Bucks

Maggette, who is playing through a sore hand, was another guy featured here last week, about a day before he became a full-time starting small forward for Scott Skiles. Maggette had a very nice week, averaging 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal in his four starts. Am I worried about the return of Carlos Delfino and the possibility he replaces Maggette as a starter? Absolutely, but I plan on riding the Maggette train until it runs off the tracks, which will hopefully not happen in the upcoming week. The Bucks play four times a week for the next three.

Omri Casspi Kings

Casspi took over starting duties for Francisco Garcia, who is out for at least another week with a calf injury, and is averaging 12 points, 10 boards, a steal and two 3-pointers over his last two games (one was off the bench). He's going to start for Paul Westphal until further notice, although that doesn't guarantee anything. But he looks like a nice pick up right now, at least for the upcoming week when the Kings play four times, but keep in mind they have a two-game week coming up in the following scoring period.

Mike Miller Heat

Miller caught fire in a start for the Heat on Saturday when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were out, scoring 32 points along with 10 rebounds, six 3-pointers, three assists and a steal. He's going to struggle to be consistent when Wade and Bosh are back, but we at least know he's healthy and capable of playing well again. I don't trust anyone on the Heat not named LeBron, Dwyane or Chris, but Miller probably deserves a look after Saturday's explosion.

Others To Consider: Andrei Kirilenko Jazz, Arron Afflalo Nuggets, Shawn Marion Mavericks, Shane Battier Rockets, Carlos Delfino Bucks, Ryan Gomes Clippers

Kirilenko shouldn't even be available, but he is in some leagues, Afflalo is coming off a 22-point, five-3-pointer night on Friday and has scored between 21 and 31 points in three of his last six games, and Marion is still worth a look despite recent struggles and a demotion out of the starting five. Battier played well in a couple games before struggling on Saturday, Delfino is working his way back from a concussion, and Gomes is quietly averaging nine points, 4.5 boards and 1.3 3-pointers per game in January.

[SIZE=+1]Centers[/SIZE]

J.J. Hickson Cavaliers – Don't look at the numbers, don't worry about who he plays for or why he's even relevant. He should be owned in all leagues until further notice. Period.

Marcin Gortat Suns

Gortat is still not starting, but I have a feeling it's only a matter of time. He's double-doubled in three straight games and should be picked up in all leagues, as the starting job should be his for the taking in the next 10 days or so, and he'll continue to dub-dub and block at least a shot per game, and maybe two. The Suns go four times this week, but have just two games in Week 15.

Darko Milicic Timberwolves

Darko practiced on Saturday with a sprained ankle, which should put him on track to play four times this week. Yes, he's pretty unreliable injury-wise, but has blocked 19 shots in his last six games, hit double figures in scoring in four of those and double-doubled in two of them. He's also shooting it much better over his last four, although turnovers are still a concern. If you're thinking about using him this week, go for it.

Jason Thompson Kings

Thompson looks like a much better option than Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert right now, along with DeMarcus Cousins. Thompson averaged 14 points and eight boards last week, getting 35 minutes or more in three of those four games. Landry could emerge at any time, but for now, Thompson (along with Cousins) looks like the guy you want to own.

DeJuan Blair Spurs

Blair blew up last week and has posted three monster double-doubles in his last five games. He came back to earth on Saturday when Gregg Popovich limited his minutes, and will struggle to get a consistent 30 minutes a night when Matt Bonner is back from a knee injury. Why Bonner, or anyone else, limits Blair's minutes makes no sense to me, but that's how Pop rolls. But when Blair is getting minutes, he's a very solid fantasy forward. It's just impossible to predict how Pop is going to use him from night to night. He has four games this week, but just two in Week 15.

JaVale McGee Wizards

McGee is one of the most frustrating players to own in fantasy, as he simply isn't capable of consistent play or minutes. He's capable of a double-double with six blocks on any given night, but is also capable of four points, three boards and two blocks the next time out. The key is he's blocked at least one shot in every January game, which is the main reason you would put him in your lineup. Anything else is icing on the cake. His January averages are nine points, seven boards and three blocks, so it's hard to be too upset with him. The Wiz play four times in each of the next two weeks.

Others To Consider: Roy Hibbert Pacers, Serge Ibaka Thunder, Greg Monroe Pistons, Ronny Turiaf Knicks, Chuck Hayes Rockets, Kwame Brown Bobcats

Hibbert double-doubled against the Blazers on Saturday and he should still at least be held in most leagues. Starting him is another story. Ibaka was a beast on Saturday with 11 points, 15 boards and two blocks, but would be much more fun to own if he was a starter. Monroe has scored just five and six points in his last two, but is still crashing the boards. He's started seven straight games, but has just two blocks in January. Turiaf is getting run for the Knicks, Hayes is playing pretty well for the Rockets and Kwame Brown is a deep-league possibility for Charlotte. All are worth a look if you need a center.

 

[HacheMan]

Jennings Closing In On Return

The Trail Blazers have just two games this week, while most teams play four times. Only the Hawks, Bulls, Mavericks, Pacers, Clippers, Lakers, Heat and Spurs have three games. Let's go over the injury report as you prepare to set lineups.

Carlos Boozer is questionable for Monday with his sprained ankle. He played on Saturday and all signs are pointing to him playing again tonight, but it's not guaranteed to happen. I would probably start him this week, but remember the Bulls have just three games.

John Salmons missed another game on Saturday with his mysterious hip injury making him a very iffy play for this week. And since information out of Milwaukee is virtually nonexistent, starting him will be a crapshoot. Maybe we'll get an update before tonight's games start, but I'm not holding my breath.

Brandon Jennings will practice on Tuesday and is nearing a return to action after foot surgery. This is pretty surprising news and is just another reason to avoid Salmons right now. It's also bad news for guys like Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins, although I am reluctant to tell you to start Jennings until we see him play in a few games first.
www.miamiheat.ws
Ramon Sessions is very iffy with an abdominal strain, but is traveling with the Cavs and could possibly play on Monday against the Nets. I don't have the guts to start him this week unless we hear that he's good to go prior to tonight's game. Mo Williams is still on the shelf, while Daniel Gibson is now a must-start with Anthony Parker still out with a back injury. Manny Harris could even be a sneaky play this week, but I don't trust him unless we find out Sessions is going to miss several games. So as you can see, a lot hinges on what the Cleveland reporters tell us about Sessions in the next five hours.



Kendrick Perkins is targeting a Feb. 4 return and could be the best center available on your waiver wire. Don't expect much offensively, but he should be solid on the boards and blocks once he's back. And with both O'Neal boys hurting, Perkins should get immediate use from Doc Rivers.
Eric Gordon's owners got some great news when his MRI didn't show any serious damage to his wrist. He's still very banged up though, as his right wrist, right finger and lower back are all hurting. The fact he's playing through so many problems, and playing well, means he's tough as nails, but you have to believe it will catch up to him at some point. But until you hear he's out, you have to keep running his broken body out there. The Clips play the Mavs on Tuesday, so we won't know his true status until then. My guess is he'll play.

Al Horford is hoping to play for the Hawks on Wednesday with a sprained ankle. They're off on Monday and Tuesday, and he's missed a couple straight games with the injury, but I would roll the dice and play him this week unless you have better options. And you might given that the Hawks have just three games.

Dwyane Wade missed Saturday's game with a migraine but his status for Thursday hasn't yet been determined. But given the fact the Heat don't play a game until then gives Wade and company four full days to heal. They only play three games this week, but I'm probably going to play Wade if I own him.

Chris Bosh isn't even running on his sprained left ankle, an injury that's starting to look a little more serious than it did initially. Bench him until you hear some good news.

Francisco Garcia will likely miss at least another week with a calf injury, so I'm running new Kings' starter Omri Casspi out there for four games this week in several leagues.

Danny Granger left Sunday's game with a sprained ankle as he and Tyler Hansbrough played a game of 'trading places.' Granger finished with just eight points, while Hansbrough went nuts for a Granger-like 27 points and 10 rebounds. Hansbrough is still too inconsistent to start, but can at least be owned again. The Pacers are off until Wednesday when they host Orlando, and my guess is Granger will play.

Charlie Villanueva is very iffy tonight with a sprained ankle, and he should be benched until you see him on the court again. X-rays on his ankle were negative, which is good news.

Jose Calderon tweaked an ankle on Saturday, leaving his status for Monday night a little shaky. We will hopefully know if he's active or not prior to game time, so stay tuned. Linas Kleiza missed Saturday with a lingering sore knee and should probably not be in starting lineups right now. Leandro Barbosa will be out another week with his hamstring injury, which means he's probably on waivers in your league.

Luke Ridnour (hamstring) and Darko Milicic (ankle) practiced over the weekend and my guess is they are ready to play against the Rockets on Monday night. Hopefully we get confirmation on that later today, but for now, my guess is they're going to play.

Andre Miller missed most of Saturday's game with a stomach illness, but my guess is he'll play Monday night against the Kings. He's listed as probable. Marcus Camby questions are rolling in now that he's been dropped in many leagues. He's only about two weeks away from a return (targeting Feb. 11), so he's worth a look if you need a center. Camby for free could be a good thing down the stretch run. Brandon Roy says he still plans on playing again this season, but I don't see a reason to own him.

Monta Ellis played through his sprained ankle on Saturday but clearly wasn't himself, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-21 shooting. He rested on Sunday but the Warriors play the Spurs tonight, meaning Monta may still not be fully healthy. But with four games this week, it's nearly impossible to imagine sitting him right now. Unless you hear he's out, go with him.

Do You Drop These Guys?

Gilbert Arenas – I say hang onto him and hope he gets into the rotation soon. But yes, he is cuttable if you need to.

Jeff Green – He's been just awful, but I still can't bring myself to drop him.

Wilson Chandler – He's fallen off a cliff in the last few days, but he will get it going again. He's too talented to put on waivers.

Kirk Hinrich – Something popped in his elbow and he could be out for several games, if not more. It's probably time to dump him, while this is also good news for owners of Nick Young and John Wall.

Richard Jefferson – He showed some promise early, but just isn't very good these days. Dump him.

Chris Kaman – DeAndre Jordan looks like the starting center going forward for the Clippers. Kaman will get some minutes, and could even start at some point, but he's no longer a must-own player – especially since he could be out another month as the Clippers try to shop him.

Mike Dunleavy – He is a safer play at this point than Brandon Rush, but both veterans are now being pushed by rookie Paul George, who started the second half of Sunday's game and finished with 17 points. He's far from startable at this point, but it's probably time to give George a look. And if you need to cut either Dunleavy or Rush, it could make sense.

Al Harrington – Harrington was a hot guy to hold onto when the Melodrama was at its peak, but he's just a marginal bench player at this point. Just like teammate J.R. Smith. There will be situations when it makes sense to own these guys depending on league size, but they should probably be floating on waivers in most instances.

Andris Biedrins – How long do we have to wait for this guy to show us he still knows how to play basketball? He's been awful and it doesn't look like he's getting better. If you need to cut him, do it.

Aaron Brooks – What a nightmare his severely sprained ankle as been, as Kyle Lowry has destroyed his value and playing time. Maybe Brooks will get it going again at some point, but it's starting to look like he may never get back to last year's form this season. Should you cut him? Maybe, but I'd try to hang on as long as you can.

 

[HacheMan]

Aldridge & Gordon are gimpy
Monday night was a very interesting one in the NBA and actually caused more confusion and created more questions than anything else. Chris Paul and Tim Duncan gave their owners mild heart attacks, the Bucks and Scott Skiles pulled one over on us, suckering people, including me, to buy into Corey Maggette, while Eric Gordon didn't travel with the Clippers for tonight's game. He might play, but then again, he might not.

[SIZE=+1]Big Names Hit The Deck[/SIZE]

Chris Paul rolled his ankle late in last night's thrilling win over the Thunder, as David West's fadeaway 19-footer won the game and stole the headlines. Paul had 24 points and nine dimes, but his ankle injury is now a concern. He played through it and said afterwards that he will "be all right," but owners will want to watch for updates today in case it swelled up over night.

Tim Duncan dropped to the floor and lay motionless while holding his left knee last night. I thought he was really hurt and it looked like DeJuan Blair was suddenly going to be a must-own player. But Duncan got up, walked off the court under his own power and started the second half. Crisis avoided.

Eric Gordon didn't travel with the Clippers but could still join the team in Dallas for tonight's game. His wrist is the biggest issue, while his finger and back are banged up as well. He could certainly use a night off, and we'll be watching @reallisa on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

Jose Calderon was a late scratch last night due to the flu, which is actually good news, as there are concerns about his ankle as well. Jerryd Bayless nearly triple-doubled in his absence, and I'm just sad we didn't get the update a little earlier. Calderon was stuck in two of my lineups, but my guess is he's back on Wednesday when the Raps host Philly.

Brandon Jennings is now targeting a Saturday return from his foot surgery if all goes well in today's practice. Maybe he'll go Wednesday night, but Saturday appears to be a more realistic return date.

LaMarcus Aldridge will have X-rays on his sore right hip after struggling on 4-of-14 shooting for nine points Monday. Watch for updates today.

Ramon Sessions played through his abdominal strain and had 16 points and six assists for the Cavs. Keep him in your lineup.

Al Horford sounds good to go for Wednesday with a sprained ankle, so get him in your lineup unless you hear otherwise before the game.

Andre Miller was back from a stomach problem last night and had 18 points, five boards and five assists. Get him back in your lineup.

Dwyane Wade sounds like he's a go for Thursday after missing a game with a migraine. He practiced wearing shades on Monday, as he's still sensitive to light. Chris Bosh's ankle injury still isn't well and he sounds very iffy (doubtful?) for that one.

Arron Afflalo's left hand injury is bothersome, but X-rays were negative and he expects to play tonight. He's been hot recently, making him worth a close look in most leagues.

Danny Granger's ankle injury doesn't sound too serious and I'm guessing he'll play on Wednesday after leaving Sunday's game early.

Charlie Villanueva remains day-to-day with a sprained ankle and missed Monday's game. Austin Daye stepped up in his absence with 20 points, seven boards and four threes. I wish he got consistent minutes and am not pleased that he was on my bench in a couple deep leagues for his career night. He's worth keeping an eye on, but is still a pretty shaky fantasy starter – at least for now.

Kirk Hinrich (arm/elbow) did not play on Monday and will have an MRI taken on Tuesday to determine a course of action. "He's going to get it reevaluated," Flip Saunders said. John Wall and Nick Young are must-starts anyway, but are even better options as long as Hinrich is out.

There are plenty of other injuries out there and the Rotoworld Injury Report is the place to check in on all of them.

Keep reading for Sluggish Starts to the week, as well as Surprising Starts.
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[SIZE=+1]Sluggish Starts To Week 14[/SIZE]

Andray Blatche looked like a guy who didn't care last night, hitting just 2-of-10 shots for six points and five rebounds. He's going to have to bounce back in his next one or he could be headed for the doghouse. "He was terrible. He was bad," Flip Saunders said of Blatche. "Looked like he didn't have energy or something. When you're a quote-end-quote go-to guy, you can't have those kind of games. You've got to find a way to produce. If he doesn't produce it will put a lot of pressure on us."

Corey Maggette, who was in my lineups, as well as many of yours after a nice run last week, disappeared despite starting last night. He had four points on 1-of-4 shooting in 20 minutes, while guys like Dooling and Chris Douglas-Roberts, who started for John Salmons, went off. I'm not giving up on Maggette yet, but this was not the way we wanted to see him get started. As for CDR, he's very unreliable and I just don't trust him. One of my rules this season was to stay away from Bucks, but I got bamboozled by Skiles and Maggette. Hopefully things go differently on Wednesday against the Hawks.

Carlos Delfino played 31 minutes, but hit just 1-of-5 shots for three points. As with any Bucks player, starting Delfino is risky business.

Vince Carter hit just 1-of-6 shots for two points and is 10-of-40 in his last four games. Yuck. I'm guessing it's just a slump and you should continue to roll with him. Hopefully he knee isn't bothering him again. Marcin Gortat had just two points in 10 minutes against Dwight Howard, which was disappointing. Hopefully he gets back in the mix Wednesday against Charlotte. It still makes no sense to me that he's not in the starting lineup for Phoenix.

Jason Richardson scored six points and Hedo Turkoglu had four as the Magic fell to the Pistons. Yikes. J-Rich has scored eight or less in three of his last four, while Turk has been in single digits in five of his last eight games. Both players were looking like must-starts two weeks ago, but that's no longer the case.

Andre Iguodala hit just 3-of-9 shots for eight points last night, and while it's concerning, you have to keep running him out there as long as he's healthy.

Corey Brewer had just four points in 10 minutes, as he was benched in favor of Wesley Johnson, who blew up for 19 points, two threes, three steals and two blocks in a tough loss to Houston. Brewer was getting fantasy starts with four games, so this was a pretty big letdown. Johnson isn't Mr. Reliable, so it's probably best to get both players benched until we see how this plays out.

Jason Thompson is another guy I have in several lineups and he 'came through' for six points and two rebounds, while Carl Landry got hot and torched the Blazers for 16 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes. I really thought JT was locked, loaded and ready to go, but apparently Paul Westphal has other ideas. As usual, with four bigs who all play decent minutes (Thompson, Landry, DeMarcus Cousins and Samuel Dalembert), you're going to see inconsistency from your Sacramento bigs.

Rudy Fernandez was just 1-of-10 for two points after playing well recently. He played 25 minutes and should bounce back in the next one.

DeJuan Blair had just four points and four rebounds, as he simply can't get consistent run out of Gregg Popovich. Blair has three double-doubles in his last six games, but has gone 4 & 4, 7 & 6, and 3 & 4 in the other three. And his last two games have been dogs. If you own him, think about keeping him, but he's a total roll of the dice every night.

Andris Biedrins had zero points, four boards and a block last night, as his terrible season continues. I can't see putting him in any starting lineups right now.

[SIZE=+1]Surprising Performances[/SIZE]

Here are some players who came through for their owners, but were possibly on the bench.

Thaddeus Young had 24 points and a full stat line and has scored between 17 and 24 points in three of his last four. That fourth game saw just two points, but Young is playing well enough to be given a look in many leagues. But he could crawl back into a hole at any time.

Anthony Morrow had 16 points and a three in 26 minutes, and should be moving closer to the starting lineup for the Nets. Pick him up and stash him while you can.

Chuck Hayes kept it going last night with nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block. He's had at least four assists in five straight games and is averaging nine points, eight rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks over his last seven. If you want to drop Biedrins to get Hayes, it oddly makes sense.

Marcus Thornton had 10 points and two threes on 3-of-12 shooting, but has now hit double digits in scoring in four straight games. He might finally be worth grabbing, but is still not an automatic fantasy starter.

Wilson Chandler broke out of a nasty funk with 25 points, seven rebounds and four 3-pointers in a start for the Knicks. Get him back in your lineup.

Tracy McGrady had 20 points, seven boards, five assists and two steals last night, meaning he's still holding his value. Ben Gordon finally woke up with 16 points and a 3-pointer, but I'd like to see him do it for a week straight before putting him in a lineup. As mentioned earlier, Austin Daye came out of nowhere for 20 points, seven boards, two steals and four 3-pointers, which might force John Kuester to bite the bullet and play him. We'll see.

Ryan Anderson stayed hot with 21 points, five boards, three blocks and four 3-pointers, and should have been in starting lineups this week. The guy is on fire and has attempted 37 threes in his last four games.

David Lee scored a season-high 31 points in the Warriors' 113-102 loss to the Spurs on Monday, hitting 13-of-19 shots from the field to go with 12 rebounds, one assist, and one block. Maybe he's finally healthy and ready to do this on a regular basis.

Kurt Thomas blew up for a season-high 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists. How and why doesn't make sense, but he has had some nice games this season. However, there's no way I'd roll the dice on him right now, and one look at his game log will tell you why. He's rebounding pretty well, but this was just his second double-digit scoring line all season.

Marc Gasol did it again last night, going off for 17 points, eight boards, four assists and four blocks after going for 24 points, 16 boards and three blocks in his previous game. He had been pretty mediocre until these two games, which came against Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani. Maybe he's ready to start rolling, and he could have a good game against Brook Lopez and the Nets on Wednesday.

DeMar DeRozan stayed hot with 25 points, nine boards, a steal and two blocks, and has been one of the fantasy surprises of the season.

Jeff Green broke out of a season-long funk with 19 points, seven boards and two threes last night, and this is hopefully a sign he's ready to start playing like he was drafted. It's been a tough road for Green and his owners this season, meaning he was probably on your bench last night.

Nicolas Batum was solid again with 16 points, nine boards and two more threes. Keep running him out there until further notice.

Omri Casspi was a hot pickup over the weekend and got another start for injured Francisco Garcia (calf) on Monday, and scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting with two threes and seven rebounds. He did most of his damage in a quick run, but still produced. Hopefully he keeps it going.

Darko Milicic is healthy again and playing pretty well. He had 15 points, six boards and a block last night, and is averaging 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, a steal and 2.1 blocks in January. His free throws and turnovers are terrible, but he's shooting it much better from the floor, knocking down 54.4 percent of his shots over the last three weeks.

Luke Ridnour had 18 points, four assists and three 3-pointers last night, and has hit double digits in scoring in all but three January games. Jonny Flynn is not pushing him and he looks like a safe player to own the rest of the way.

Jared Dudley scored 23 points off the Suns' bench on Monday, hitting 8-of-15 shots from the field (including a three) with seven rebounds and one assist in 37 minutes of action. He's either on or off, with most of his productivity coming on nights when he's feeling it and his teammates are not. He's played well in two straight, but just 3, 5 and 8 points in his previous three games.
www.miamiheat.ws
Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 30 points but had scored 0, 5, 6, 2, 8 and 0 points in his previous six games. He had 24 and 30 points in his two games prior to disappearing, so don't expect last night's explosion to carry forward. Especially once John Salmons is back from his mysterious hip injury. Keyon Dooling had 13 points, 10 assists and four more 3-pointers, but he's going to disappear when Jennings is back and fully healthy.

Ersan Ilyasova was nice last night with 17 points, a three and a block, but had scored a total of 26 points over his previous four games. Like the rest of this teammates, he's just too inconsistent to plan on using on a regular basis.

There were plenty of other nice performances from bigger names on Monday, but that's what those guys are supposed to do, right? Good luck on Tuesday.

 

[HacheMan]

DeAndre Decision
The idea of losing your starting job due to injury is nothing new. Made famous by Yankee Wally Pipp back in 1925, it now happens all the time in the NBA -- even to former All-Stars. On Monday night, Greg Monroe stuck in the starting five even though Ben Wallace (ankle) was healthy. Aaron Brooks still has not gotten his job back from Kyle Lowry even though Brooks has been healthy for two weeks.

NBA coaches are constantly tinkering, toying and yanking around with rotations. The effect this has on minutes played and thus statistical production is where we come in. Each week in this space, I'll explore the rotations of half the league's teams while attempting to get inside coaches' heads. The idea is not to tell you what Kevin Durant and LeBron James are going to do -- it's to decipher how much production we can get out of fringe players. Last week, I hit the East. Let's start this week off with the Clippers, where Chris Kaman is in danger of getting "Pipped."

* Note that lineups listed reflect the starters in the team's previous game. Stats are through Monday's game unless otherwise noted.

<BIG>LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS</BIG>
PG Baron Davis
SG Eric Gordon
SF Ryan Gomes
PF Blake Griffin
C DeAndre Jordan

Just two weeks ago, I thought Chris Kaman would get his starting job back once healthy. But with the Clippers winning 12 of their last 17 games, that's now a poor bet. There is no question that DeAndre Jordan has played well enough to keep the starting job -- he is averaging 8.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks over his last 10 outings. More than that, Jordan does not demand touches in the post like Kaman does -- allowing Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin to get all the isolations. Kaman actually now fits better with the second unit.

Ideally, the Clips would trade Kaman for a small forward and allow Jordan to blossom as part of their core. But trades in the NBA are easier said than done, and we can not brush Kaman off as some scrub who makes $11.3 million. Just last season, Kaman averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on his way to the All-Star game. Once healthy, look for Kaman to get about 25-28 minutes off the bench with Jordan hovering around the 30-minute mark. That's enough for both to hold value in all formats.

Be careful not to get caught up in the Blake Griffin hype machine. He will continue to be among the league leaders in minutes, points and boards, but it's troubling from a fantasy perspective that he does not block, steal, pass, make 3-pointers or hit free throws at a plus-level. It sounds crazy, but guys like Elton Brand and Nene Hilario are better fantasy options.

Eric Gordon's health is certainly a concern, but there is no real way for owners to protect themselves. If Gordon were sidelined, Randy Foye, Al-Farouq Aminu and maybe even Rasual Butler would all chop up the minutes as an unappealing three-headed monster led by Foye. The real beneficiary would be Baron Davis, who would take on a larger scoring role with the first unit.

<BIG>DALLAS</BIG>
PG Jason Kidd
SG DeShawn Stevenson
SF Sasha Pavlovic
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Tyson Chandler

Coach Rick Carlisle has become some kind of mad scientist as his team has floundered. They have lost seven of their last nine games, although it must be noted that four of those losses came with Dirk Nowitzki (knee) sidelined. Still, Carlisle appears panicked as he brings both Shawn Marion and Jason Terry off the bench.

Carlisle has started Sasha Pavlovic, a slow-footed journeyman on a 10-day contract in each of the last three games. That leads us to an obvious question -- will Peja Stojakovic start once his signing is completed? I suspect he eventually will. Stojakovic is still one of the best pure shooters around and the Mavs are in desperate need of floor spacing with their first unit. However, fantasy owners should only be adding Peja in very deep formats. Like Pavlovic is now, Stojakovic is likely to play just 18-22 minutes per game -- if his gimpy knees even allow that. And even when he was in his prime, the sharpshooter gave owners nothing in steals, blocks, assists, rebounds or free-throw attempts.

Meanwhile Marion's move back to the bench is a real downer. The fact that he can't separate from Sasha Pavlovic and DeShawn Stevenson in the rotation speaks volumes. There will be some sporadic big games from Marion, but his sudden inability to shoot treys or get his trademark defensive stats means you aren't missing much by leaving him on waivers.

Out of this entire mess, Jason Terry's role is perhaps the most secure. Whether starting or coming off the bench, he is going to play 31-34 minutes and get at least 14-16 shots up a night. Make sure you're there when he catches fire as he often does late in the season.

Editor's Note: Draft a hoops team just for tonight and win real cash in SnapDraft!

<BIG>DENVER</BIG>
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Arron Afflalo
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Kenyon Martin
C Nene Hilario

We are exactly one month away from the NBA's trading deadline. The Nuggets could very well use that entire period to get the best deal for Carmelo Anthony, or Melo could even decide to stay in Denver during that time. My guess is that Denver will give Anthony one last chance to sign a three-year, $65 million extension with them. If he once again declines to do so, the Nuggets will trade him to a team willing to "rent" him, like Houston or Dallas.

In the meantime, however, we can only analyze this rotation as currently constructed. Kenyon Martin is on a minutes cap thanks to his balky knees and is a threat to be a late scratch nightly. It's not worth the headache. J.R. Smith and Al Harrington can only be considered 3-point specialists as bench players. Ty Lawson has not topped 28 minutes in a game since December. Until further notice, this rotation is set.

<BIG>GOLDEN STATE</BIG>
PG Stephen Curry
SG Monta Ellis
SF Dorrell Wright
PF David Lee
C Andris Biedrins

The concern over Stephen Curry's usage is overblown. Does anyone really think that Acie Law, who has been dumped by five different teams since 2007, is a real threat to Curry? In most of the games where Curry has seen limited minutes, the issue has been foul trouble. He's a poor defender, so that is going to happen. But the Warriors are ideally going to play Curry 34-40 minutes nightly, depending on how hot he is. With his elite steal, 3-point and free-throw skills, that is more than enough to make Curry a top-10 fantasy player. Stay the course.

<BIG>HOUSTON</BIG>
PG Kyle Lowry
SG Kevin Martin
SF Shane Battier
PF Luis Scola
C Chuck Hayes

As mentioned in the intro, Aaron Brooks still doesn't have his starting job back from Kyle Lowry even though the Rockets have lost nine of their last 14 games. The problem now is that Brooks simply is not shooting the ball well: He has made just 17-of-68 (25.0 percent) of his 3-pointers since coming off the shelf two weeks ago. I suspect that's a chicken-and-egg stat, meaning Brooks would play better with starter's minutes, but Rick Adelman is not showing any intention of finding out. I still think Brooks will eventually move past Lowry, but it's going to take a longer losing streak. Keep Brooks stashed.

Chuck Hayes is the preferred starter for Adelman even when Jordan Hill and Brad Miller are both healthy. A prototypical glue guy, Hayes is an underrated source of defensive stats and rebounds. He's a good bet for 25-30 minutes nightly the rest of the way.

Editor's Note: For weekly projections, daily pickup advice, exclusive columns and much more, check out Rotoworld's Season Pass!

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<BIG>LOS ANGELES LAKERS</BIG>
PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Ron Artest
PF Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum

Lamar Odom's per-minute production since he became a reserve is nothing short of remarkable. He is playing six less minutes a game, but his shot attempts are actually up to 11.3 per game in 14 stints off the bench. The bottom line is that he has been more assertive offensively while playing with the second unit. So, it stands to reason that he can maintain his scoring, but I remain skeptical that his rebounds and defensive numbers will hold with these reduced minutes. I would still consider Odom a sell high.

With Andrew Bynum healthy, Pau Gasol's minutes have returned to normal levels. After averaging 39.5 minutes per game in November, Gasol is down to 35.5 in 12 January games. That has resulted in a drastic hit to his rebound and scoring numbers, taking Pau from a top-5 option to a top-15 fantasy player. Still, there's no reason to sell here. Gasol's percentages are difference-making.

<BIG>MEMPHIS</BIG>
PG Mike Conley
SG Sam Young
SF Rudy Gay
PF Zach Randolph
C Marc Gasol

This rotation has been among the most stable in the league ever since the O.J. Mayo demotion. The black hole of Sam Young, Tony Allen and Xavier Henry should never be trusted while Mayo is going to play 25-27 minutes nightly.

The most encouraging development is the recent play of Marc Gasol. After reaching double figures in rebounds just five times in his first 31 games, he's gotten there four times in his last 13 games. Gasol is also averaging 2.15 blocks over that span. Finally in a groove, the arrow is pointing up.

<BIG>MINNESOTA</BIG>
PG Luke Ridnour
SG Corey Brewer
SF Michael Beasley
PF Kevin Love
C Darko Milicic

Jonny Flynn's horrid play since coming off that hip surgery is a major concern for the Wolves. But it has been a blessing for fantasy owners, as we have not had to deal with a value-killing timeshare. Luke Ridnour is the clear starter that plays 32-35 minutes nightly. Flynn is the clear No. 2 and gets just 12-15 minutes. With Flynn showing no signs of improvement, there's no reason to sell high on Ridnour.

Corey Brewer's promotion to the starting five has to be looked at as a success. He has done exactly what we thought he would do in his last seven starts -- average 2.57 steals per game. The problem is that he has missed practice lately to be with his ailing father in Tennessee and the Wolves are committed to developing Wes Johnson. Consider Brewer a specialist that you are willing to cut bait with at any time.

Darko Milicic continues to impress anytime he isn't nicked up or in foul trouble. The problem is he suffers from those two ailments often. Still, the upside when it comes together for Milicic is too great to sit down. Despite a few clunkers, Darko is averaging 11.1 points, 5.6 boards and 2.0 blocks over his last 11 games.

<BIG>NEW ORLEANS</BIG>
PG Chris Paul
SG Marco Belinelli
SF Trevor Ariza
PF David West
C Emeka Okafor

Marcus Thornton still isn't starting, but he is definitely on the radar. Finally ahead of Quincy Pondexter and Willie Green in the rotation, Thornton has played 21 minutes or more in four straight games. Over that span, he is averaging 14.0 points and 2.0 3-pointers made per game. With Marco Belinelli struggling badly, Thornton's role can only grow and deep leaguers should have already added him.

<BIG>OKLAHOMA CITY</BIG>
PG Russell Westbrook
SG Thabo Sefolosha
SF Kevin Durant
PF Jeff Green
C Nenad Krstic

Coach Scott Brooks has been pressed recently about his starting five. Many want to see Serge Ibaka starting in place of Nenad Krstic and James Harden in there for Sefolosha. Brooks response was simple -- we are winning and I don't want to mess with my player's roles. It's a smart strategy and Brooks does not figure to stray from it no matter how well Ibaka is playing.

So, once again, we need to ignore the fact that Ibaka does not start. Over his last 10 games, Ibaka is averaging 11.4 points, 8.6 boards and 1.6 blocks on 60.7 percent shooting. It is the kind of line almost every owner needs.

Jeff Green had been really struggling with his shot over the last couple weeks, so his 8-for-13 line Monday night is highly encouraging. Green, who averaged 39.5 minutes per game in November and 37.0 in December, may have been wearing down. The All-Star break will do him well.

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<BIG>PHOENIX</BIG>
PG Steve Nash
SG Vince Carter
SF Grant Hill
PF Channing Frye
C Robin Lopez

Coach Alvin Gentry has stayed true to his word, not tinkering with his lineup at all over the last couple weeks. What he has done, however, is have a quick hook with starting center Robin Lopez. Lopez has played 16 minutes or fewer in five straight games, allowing Marcin Gortat to play near-starters minutes. Still, as we saw Monday night, both centers can get lost in the shuffle when the Suns either get behind or play a team that goes small. Gortat is the player to own here as the better rebounder and shot blocker, but be prepared for some clunkers.

Vince Carter's usage since becoming a Sun is highly encouraging. Coach Alvin Gentry is on the record saying he needs Carter to take 15-20 shots per game and the veteran is playing 33 minutes a night since the trade. That's three more than he was playing in Orlando and he's getting three more shots up per game in Phoenix. If you can handle the field goal percentage, Carter is worth starting for his treys and points -- he is playing the role Jason Richardson used to.

<BIG>PORTLAND</BIG>
PG Andre Miller
SG Wesley Matthews
SF Nicolas Batum
PF LaMarcus Aldridge
C Joel Przybilla

The injury to Marcus Camby's knee is reportedly not as severe as originally thought, meaning he should be held in most formats. Joel Przybilla and Dante Cunningham are proving that they can not replace him by any stretch of the imagination, and the Blazers are capable of hanging at the No. 8 seed in the West over the next two weeks. Whatever athleticism Przbilla had has been sapped by knee surgeries as he is no longer a shot-blocking threat. After swatting 1.8 a game as a starter last year, Przybilla had just one in his first two starts this year.

When Rudy Fernandez is making shots, he can put up huge fantasy lines. When his jumper is off, he rides the pine. That makes Fernandez a risky play as a streak shooter. Meanwhile, Nicolas Batum has coach Nate McMillan's faith no matter what. That's because Batum plays defense and is viewed as the prize of the Blazers' organization. Now a lock for 36-plus minutes nightly, Batum is a favorite to be one of the second half's true breakout stars in fantasy.

<BIG>SACRAMENTO</BIG>
PG Beno Udrih
SG Tyreke Evans
SF Omri Casspi
PF Jason Thompson
C DeMarcus Cousins

Paul Westphal's decision to roll with Omri Casspi in place of Francisco Garcia (calf) is interesting. While Donte Greene provided just 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20 starts, Casspi has a skill we can all use: 3-point shooting. In nine starts heading into Monday night, Casspi was attempting 5.8 treys per game and converting at a very solid 38.5 percent clip. Casspi is also rapidly improving as a rebounded. In the last five games which Casspi has gotten 30 minutes or more, he is averaging 9.8 boards a night. Players often lose their starting jobs to injury under Westphal, so Casspi is a candidate to stick. He just needs to produce at a better rate than he did Monday night.

We advised to buy low on Tyreke Evans in this space last time around, and hopefully you were able to do so. With his foot finally looking healthy and a procedure on his plantar fasciitis no longer being considered, Evans is regaining his form. Over his last nine games prior to Monday, the reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 19.4 points, 6.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 steals.

The Kings are not going to let Samuel Dalembert derail DeMarcus Cousins' growth. Dalembert's contract is up after this season and at age 30, he is not part of the future. Cousins has shown raw signs of being an All-Star down the line and will get as many minutes as his attitude/foul trouble allows. The arrow on Cousins is still pointing up.

<BIG>SAN ANTONIO</BIG>
PG Tony Parker
SG Manu Ginobili
SF Richard Jefferson
PF Tim Duncan
C DeJuan Blair

Richard Jefferson has predictably regressed back to the form that made him a liability a year ago. As his jumper has gone wayward, his confidence has been shot. Heading into Monday night, Jefferson was averaging just 7.1 shot attempts per game in 12 January contests. He averaged 9.7 attempts a night in the previous 30 games. If Jefferson is gun shy, he can not help your fantasy team due to a lack of defensive stats, assists or rebounds. Heck, even Jefferson's free-throw percentage is down to 73 percent. Dump him.

DeJaun Blair's minutes are impossible to predict. He has been helped by the absence of Matt Bonner (knee), but Gregg Popovich does not hesitate to have a quick hook with Blair. In the last month, he has played less than 15 minutes four times. He has played more than 30 minutes twice. Without any blocks upside, only deep leaguers should deal with the inconsistency.

<BIG>UTAH</BIG>
PG Deron Williams
SG Raja Bell
SF Gordon Hayward
PF Paul Millsap
C Al Jefferson

After sticking with the same starting five for the first 43 games of the season, coach Jerry Sloan finally made a move on Saturday. With the Jazz riding a three-game losing streak, he inserted Gordon Hayward as a starter at small forward ahead of Andrei Kirilenko. That resulted in a nine-point loss to the 19-25 Sixers. So now, Sloan may be back to the drawing board. His options are going back to AK47, sticking with the unimpressive Hayward, or turning to his best shooter off the bench, C.J. Miles.

I'd expect Kirilenko to eventually get his starting job back. As the best defender of the group (and one of the best in the league), he is best used against the opposition's first unit. He is also a plus-passer, unlike Hayward and Miles. Once the dust on this brutal five-game road trip settles, look for Kirilenko to get back to his usual 31-33 minutes a night. But until that happens, Kirilenko is just a stash in fantasy. Bench players rarely play more than 24-26 minutes for Sloan, and Kirilenko's history as a reserve does not suggest otherwise.

The idea of Miles in the starting five is intriguing. During last year's playoffs, Miles started all 10 games and averaged 14.4 points and 1.5 3-pointers a contest. But Sloan continues to lament Miles' inability to defend, so any promotion would likely be short term.

 

[HacheMan]

Durant Love
Wake up. Work out. Play video games. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Like a mother telling her children to look both ways before crossing the street, NBA megastar Kevin Durant gives those instructions to his basketball brethren, but with one key difference.

He doesn't say a word, nor does he want to.

He doesn't scream into the phone, "show me the money!," or hold hour long specials proclaiming that he's taking his Xbox 360 controller to 'the OK state.'

He rams a career-high tying, NBA season-high tying 47 points down your throat – and later tweets to the world that BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, who earlier scored 43 points in a college game, is "the best scorer in the world."

And then he fires up another game of John Madden before turning in for the night.

The best part about his most recent attempt to deflect the praise is that none of us are surprised. It's old news. We have the same confidence in his ability to say and do all the right things as owners had -- when they selected him No. 1 overall in fantasy drafts around the nation this year.

And guess what? That confidence was rewarded when Durant overtook Chris Paul as the No. 1 player (per game) in 8-cat leagues after last night's performance.

Here's hoping the rest of his colleagues look both ways before crossing the street.

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[SIZE=+1]Wednesday Night Rundown[/SIZE]

Durant Love

It takes quite a game to overshadow the 30 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two 3-pointers that Michael Beasley treated viewers to, but that's what happens when you have 21 ties, 19 lead-changes, a game-tying shot by Jeff Green, a game-winning shot and career-best game by Kevin Durant, a 30/20 game from Kevin Love, and an encyclopedia of big shots and big plays. Here's the fallout:

As mentioned, Durant tied both the NBA season-high and his career-high with 47 points on 15-of-28 shooting (4-of-8 from downtown, 13-of-14 from the foul line). He also set a career-high with 18 rebounds, and added two steals and two blocks for good measure. To get the blemishes out of the way, he snapped a streak of 45 straight made free throws when he missed on a technical foul, he started the game by missing 9-of-14 FGs, and failed to hit a shot late with 12 seconds left with the Thunder down by one point. Blemishes like those would make Cindy Crawford blush.

He finished the game on a 10-of-14 tear, including what would hold up as the game-winning shot in overtime with 29 seconds left. His final 16 points either tied the game or gave the Thunder a lead, and his final bucket was a thing of beauty. His step-back two against Corey Brewer, who defended him admirably, covered about 4-5 feet of ground. It was the second 40/15 game of his career (tied for 2nd among active players, behind Shaquille O'Neal who has 19), and it shuttled him right back to the top of the MVP race.
www.miamiheat.ws
Kevin Love, not to be outdone, had his third 30/20 game of the season, and the first 30/20 game that included three 3-pointers since Kevin Garnett did it in 2003. He pushed his NBA leading double-double streak to 31 straight games and consequently leads the NBA with 40 of them total. It was the 22nd time he has accumulated a double-double in just one half of play, a feat that has happened just 10 times by other players. He went toe-to-toe with Durant down the stretch, and though he missed a shot at the end of regulation that would have won it, he officially made anybody that does not vote for him to play in the All Star a game a complete tool. Sadly, there's a decent chance he doesn't make it. Sigh.

Other news to come out of this game included Jeff Green's second straight big night, as he hit a game-tying shot to send the game into overtime and finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and a three. If the momentum from the last two games doesn't get him out of his funk, I don't know what will. Corey Brewer seemingly was the only thing between Durant and a Kobe-like 82 point game, and finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Unfortunately, it looks like he and rookie Wesley Johnson are going to cancel each other out. Johnson followed up his 19-point effort from Monday with 13 points, five rebounds, two threes, and two steals. Serge Ibaka (four points, four boards, one block) and Darko Milicic (seven points, four boards, one block) were victims of foul trouble and small ball, and Luke Ridnour had a nice game with 12 big points, eight assists, and three steals, but took an ill-advised three late that ultimately decided the game.

In injury news, Kevin Love hit his head late which may be worth watching out for, and Michael Beasley finally looks like he's turning the corner on his ankle injury.

Click here for the rest of the rundown….
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Pop goes the weasel cause the weasel goes 'pop'

There were two pretty significant 'pops' from Wednesday night, the worst of which belonged to Rodney Stuckey, who left his game after saying he heard a 'pop' in his shoulder when running into Carmelo Anthony. He downplayed it after the game and says he's going to try to play Friday in Miami but it sure sounds like he could miss some time. In his absence Will Bynum scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and added four rebounds with four assists. Ben Gordon did not impress when given the chance, though his 15 points might massage the fact. He did not play for the game's last nine minutes, and as usual has left doubts in owners' minds as to whether or not he'll eventually step up. Meanwhile, Tracy McGrady picked up the slack for 14 points, six rebounds, eight assists, a steal, and a three on 4-of-9 shooting, and needs to be owned in most (if not all) leagues for the growing recurrence of these types of nights.

Depending on how long Stuckey will be out, if at all, it still looks like time to pick up Gordon regardless of his lack of initiative last night. Richard Hamilton could conceivably be activated if need be, but one has to think that the decision to keep him out of harm's way was made a while back – and it would be surprising if Rip or the Pistons allowed for him to go in and out of limbo. Add into the mix that McGrady is not a good bet to stay healthy or play heavy minutes all year, and Gordon's stock just went up enough to be worth a prospective add. Then again, if we find out that Stuckey is fairly healthy, he returns to being a borderline player to own, as usual.

Bynum, on the other hand, could be in for an extended look at either PG or SG, depending on how John Kuester wants to play things, and is also worth a short-term add if Stuckey is to miss some time. In other Pistons news, Charlie Villanueva (ankle) returned to action and played just 15 minutes, but did hit three treys on his way to 11 points. Once he's healthy, he could go back to being a nice low-end option, but nobody should be breaking through any walls to grab him.

In a development that has flown mostly under the radar, Greg Monroe has kept his starting job since Ben Wallace (ankle) has returned, and posted a 14-point, seven-rebound, one-steal, two-block line last night. He took a hit in Wallace's first two games back, but we've probably seen the passing of the torch and the future is bright for the youngster. Don't count on him for value on an every-night basis for now, but I could think of worse players to have at the end of your bench.

The other 'pop' belonged to none other than Deron Williams, as he claimed he heard it when he hyper-extended his wrist last night. Of course, he went off for a season-high 39 points on 16-of-24 shooting (16-of-19 on two-point FGs, 0-for-5 on treys) with four rebounds, nine assists, and one steal, so this little 'pop' is going to go largely unnoticed by the fantasy public. Just like I said last week about Eric Gordon's hand injury, I think owners need to be very careful with any future reports about it. We're all familiar with Williams' history in playing through injuries, but wrist injuries can have debilitating effects and if the Jazz have any illusions of competing in the playoffs they may get careful with it. Just sayin.

Paul Millsap was not nearly as kind to owners while playing through his severely sprained thumb, scoring just eight points with three rebounds and four fouls in 19 minutes. Owners would be wise to consider him day-to-day for now, even though like Williams, he is a warrior. Andrei Kirilenko rejoined the starting lineup last night, scoring 10 points with six rebounds and two assists, and despite the fact that the Jazz lost their sixth straight game he'll probably stick there. The fact is that the Jazz were even worse without him there, and their loss to the Spurs last night was actually a step forward. Feel free to keep using him like you have been. Unfortunately for C.J. Miles' owners, his return to the bench sends him back toward being an on-again, off-again scorer, rather than the versatile player he showed he was on Tuesday.

Chuck 'D' is Public Enemy #1

Why? Because the Poster Child Blake Griffin entered the game with exactly 100 dunks and left Wednesday's game with just 101. Why? Because Chuck 'D,' a.k.a. Chuck Hayes, doesn't believe in T.V. ratings, and he refused to let Griffin have his way like he has for most of the year. Yes, Griffin still double-doubled, but the 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting with 11 rebounds is a bit leaner 2x2 than owners are accustomed to. Griffin said after the game that his elbow was "all right," and it was easy to see that he was simply outplayed and outhustled by Hayes, who got the first public recognition for his play since, well, ever. For Season Pass subscribers, though, Tuesday's Pickup of the Day has been on radars for at least a week. Since returning from an ankle injury he has provided low-fifth round value in 8-cat leagues, entering last night's game with averages of eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60% from the field. He has essentially been a poor man's Marc Gasol, and though Marc has been a poor man's version of himself at times this year, both of them have fantasy friendly games because of their versatility. Hayes scored five points with 11 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks last night, and while it broke a streak of five straight games with four or more assists, now is not the time to complain for owners. He's playing great, has the trust of his coach, and his main threat comes in the form of Brad Miller, who can't seem to stay healthy. If Hayes isn't owned in your league, pick him up.

In other Rockets news the time-share between Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks didn't get any easier for Brooks' owners to swallow, as Lowry put up a nice line of 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and two threes, and Brooks hit just 5-of-14 shots (including a three) with four assists. In tweeting with Rockets beat writer Jonathan Feigen, he basically told me that Brooks' play and attitude have kept him on the bench. So yes, he has lost his job, and it's time for owners to deal with that fact. Brooks' effort from last night buys him a stay of execution with me for another night, but if I'm hurting elsewhere on my roster I'm not opposed to dropping him for a player that can help me. Obviously, the hope is that he gets it together or can get traded, as his name has popped up in Sacramento and the Rockets are one of the more active trading teams in the NBA. As for Lowry, keep trotting him out there as a low-end PG play. The ups and downs aren't going away, but he's proving the ups outweigh the downs for now.

Kevin Martin played just 21 minutes last night and there was no word of an injury, as he finished with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, and two threes. This is one of the more drastic examples, but he has been on a pseudo minute-count for about a month, dipping below the 30-minute mark six times during January. In one case he was benched due to a big night from Aaron Brooks, but our guess is that most of these scenarios are simply cases of rest, and if he wasn't playing so well it would be more tempting to raise the red flag. He's always going to be an injury risk, but seeing the pattern for over a month has somehow desensitized me to this sort of thing.

For the Clippers, Randy Foye emerged as the leader to replace Eric Gordon's production, scoring a season-high 20 points with one rebound, one assist, one steal, two threes, and four turnovers to go with a 7-of-17 mark from the field. Is he worth an add? Sure, if anything to see if his motivation to score and prove himself can give the Clippers what Gordon was providing. I'd just offer the disclaimer that he has had hamstring issues all season, and has had confidence and consistency issues his whole career. A best-case scenario for him probably looks a little less posh than last night's numbers. Ryan Gomes and Eric Bledsoe both failed to show up last night, with Gomes scoring seven points and not much else, and Bledsoe having an interesting but mostly uninspiring five points, six assists, three steals, and two blocks in 22 minutes. Just keep an eye on them for now.

Click here for As the Melo Turns and Four Quarters of Fury….
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As the Melo Turns

Thankfully the Carmelo Anthony fiasco quieted down over the last week, but unfortunately owners of Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and a number of others are still on red-alert. The fear is that Melo will be traded to New York, suck up touches and boards, and send guys that were happy and producing to places with big question marks. The short-version of events is that the Knicks still have the best actionable offer on the table, and that's assuming they don't tell Melo to shove it and sign with them as a free agent under the new CBA. He's trying to convince them that he'll sign an extension somewhere else, so he can implore the Knicks to make a deal with Denver that will beat any of the teams' offers that may 'rent' him. That way, he gets his extension, and ultimately the Knicks get their guy without giving up too much. Can the Nets convince Melo to sign and increase the offer? It's doubtful. And yes, Donnie Walsh would rather have him for less during free agency, but I do think that if they want Melo – they'll want a happy Melo and that means doing the extension. I know that all of that sounds like speculation, but the details are gory and they haven't really changed enough to warrant a blow-by-blow. If you hold any Knicks, now is a real good time to start making some $0.90 on the dollar offers as a hedge to the risk that Melo blows your fantasy team up.


[SIZE=+1]Four Quarters of Fury[/SIZE]

First Quarter: Zach Randolph got his career-high 12th double-double in a season with 20 and 16. Anthony Morrow came off the bench for 19 points, four rebounds, and three treys, and is worth a look if you need 3-pointers. Marreese Speights went nuts in just 17 minutes, scoring a season-high 23 points with nine rebounds on 10-of-12 shooting. Don't bite. Like a game of Tecmo Bowl the Sixers ran the same play against the Raptors' zone repeatedly until they figured it out. Amir Johnson scored 15 points with six rebounds, a steal, and three blocks, and is once again worth owning until further notice. Jose Calderon returned (illness) and had eight points, five rebounds, and 13 assists. Get him back in there. DeMar DeRozan has been on fire lately, scoring 29 points with five rebounds and an assist, and has scored 23 or more in 5-of-9 games. I do believe he'll come back to the center a smidge as guys get back, but the upside is there. Paul George replaced Brandon Rush in the rotation, and whether you want to call it Rush's ankle injury or not is your choice. He scored 10 points with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 33 minutes, and he's worth a pickup in deep leagues, but the jury is still out in standard leagues. Danny Granger jacked up shots and dogged it on the court last night, putting up a 6-of-19 shooting line on his way to 27 points, five rebounds, one assist, and three treys. The trade talk surrounding him is heating up, and I can think of a number of reasons to sell him high. Roy Hibbert disappeared with Dwight Howard in the house, but my gut is telling me that both him and Darren Collison will have their leashes lengthened. Jim O'Brien's job just might depend on it.

Second Quarter: J.R. Smith returned from his benching and scored eight points with three rebounds. Yawn. Call me when he heats up. Nene (calf) did not play and he's another guy I'd consider selling, one, for his injury risk, and two because he may force a trade out of Denver. He has things pretty good in the Mile High city. Ty Lawson scored four points last night, and you'd have to be pretty hard-pressed not to find space for him on your roster. Pretty soon Chauncey's parking space will have his name on it, too. Hold onto Al Harrington if you can. Should he find his way into a situation where his jack-it-up mentality is encouraged, he has decent potential. The dominos should start falling soon. The Hawks were horrible last night, which they tend to do without warning. Josh Smith (6-of-20 FGs) took heavy criticism for his shot selection, so hopefully he'll listen to it, since it affects the entire team. It doesn't help that he's dealing with a sore knee, either, but he'll bounce back. He always does. Al Horford played through his ankle injury and is good to go after 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Joe Johnson is also dealing with a sore leg/knee, but his bad game was a function of his environment.

Third Quarter: The Bucks are still a mess, and will always be a mess. Andrew Bogut is dealing with some sort of "energy-sapping" virus that he's going to play through, which begs the question, did he hang out with the Lopez twins this summer? Let's hope not. Carlos Delfino finally starting hitting the shots he's taking, 5-of-11 (all threes) in total, and is worth a look. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that nobody on the Bucks can be trusted. Corey Maggette showed back up with 22 points, while Chris Douglas-Roberts sat back down with four points, four assists, and a minor wrist injury. No thank you to all Bucks not named Bogut or Jennings, the latter of which had his return-date pushed back another week. The Bobcats are shaping up to be one of the better fantasy squads out there. Gerald Wallace told us that his ankle stiffens up at halftime of games, leaving him "75 percent" for the second half. That certainly explains how he hasn't been himself since returning, and combined with that news his 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and a steal put him in clear-cut 'buy low' territory. His ankle and health will always be a concern, but the price is right currently. All of the Cats, including Kwame Brown, made their cases to owners last night. All aboard the Paul Silas Positivity Bus.

Fourth Quarter: Marcin Gortat tied a career-high with 16 points, seven rebounds, and a block, and it's just a matter of time before Alvin Gentry gives up on Robin Lopez. Lopez, who fancies himself a comic book guy and Disney fan, is probably too fragile for Gentry to bench him without ruining him, so Gentry will wait until the last minute to pull the trigger. I'm holding the Hammer wherever I can. Steve Nash had the NBA's first 25-point, 15-rebound line last night. His time-travel commercial is way less creepy than Kevin Durant's. Vince Carter celebrated his 34th birthday with 22 points, six boards, and five treys, and best of all there was a bunch of good news about his knee. This just in, he's old and that knee isn't ever going to be completely healthy. Plug him in and hope for the best.

Overtime: Manu Ginobili had been slumping, but is averaging 23 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in his last two games. I was asked if I would trade away Blake Griffin for him in 8-cat leagues, and sadly, the answer is yes. Trevor Ariza broke out of another funk with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, four steals, and two threes on 7-of-11 FG shooting, and has had a nice 2-3 week stretch by his standards. Chris Paul went for 18 points and 17 assists against the Warriors, and the knee/ankle combination look fine for now. Speaking of ankle injuries, Stephen Curry played through his and scored 20 points with three rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a three, and Keith Smart said he may deal with it all year long. Ya think? Am I panicking? A little, but I can't bring myself to move him right now when his name value is somewhat down and his production is still up.

 

[HacheMan]

Nothing Funny In Portlandia

Thursday night saw the Knicks take down the Heat, the Mavs beat Houston in the battle of Texas, and the Celtics handle the Blazers in a stinker in Portland. Nicolas Batum's knee injury is the big story of the day, and while LeBron James filled the stat sheet, it was anything but pretty.

Waiting on Batum
(UPDATE: MRI Negative, day-to-day - great news)

Batum left last night's game on crutches with a left knee injury and is set to have an MRI this morning in Portland. This one really hurts, as he has been the Rotoworld poster boy for pickups over the last few weeks. He plays for the Blazers and is 6-8, meaning that the odds are not in his favor here, so I'm just hoping the injury doesn't end his season. If it does, it not only means that the Blazers are truly cursed, but that Rudy Fernandez and Dante Cunningham will both be worth a look going forward.

Pierce's Thigh Injury

Paul Pierce left last night's game shortly before it ended with a thigh injury. It doesn't appear to be a big deal, but then again, Doc Rivers doesn't like messing with injuries to his senior citizens. Pierce was a bit iffy coming in with a sprained ankle and owners have to hope that Doc doesn't decide to give him a day off.

Shaquille O'Neal is expected back tonight after missing some games with a hip injury, although I'm not expecting much with Semih Erden and Kendrick Perkins around.
www.miamiheat.ws
Hold the Mayo

Normally, a 10-game suspension (banned substance) to a player like O.J. Mayo would cause panic in fantasyland. But now that he's been relegated to a bench role, owners have been searching and hoping for a good excuse to cut him. Thanks to rocking the DHEA Rashard Lewis style, owners now have a very good reason to drop Mayo. Maybe he'll be traded to a team that actually plans on using him this year, but there's also a chance he sits on the bench in Memphis the rest of the season. Does Mayo's suspension make Tony Allen or Sam Young a must-own player? It does not. But Allen is at least worth a flier in most situations.

Crystal Wrist

Deron Williams is a game-time decision for Friday's meeting with the Wolves due to a wrist injury suffered in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers. We should have an update before game time, so just stay tuned. The Jazz are a mess, losers of six straight games, and a loss at home to the Wolves might end their season. In other words, Deron has to play tonight.

Teammate Paul Millsap's thumb is still an issue, which was clear by his horrid line on Wednesday, and he's now a game-time decision. Raja Bell, who's dealing with a neck/shoulder issue, is also a GTD tonight.

Stomach Full Of Spam

Derrick Rose has a couple stomach ulcers, which make him questionable for tonight against the Magic. He's also got that really sore back and he's another player who could get a night off. He went through shootaround and is leaning toward playing, but it also depends on how he feels at game time.

Stuckey's Shoulder

I really thought Rodney Stuckey's shoulder injury was going to be a big one that would keep him out for weeks when I saw it. Instead he's listed as day-to-day, but will miss tonight's game. Ben Gordon and Austin Daye are going to start getting nice run and it might be time to pick up Daye (again). Ben Wallace will also miss tonight with a personal situation, while Richard Hamilton is out again with the "flu." Again, I'm pretty sure Rip has played his last game for the Pistons as he awaits his massive salary to be traded.

Nene's Calf

Nene is iffy for tonight with his calf injury. He gingerly took part in shootaround this morning and sounds like a game-time decision after missing Wednesday's game. And not that it matters, but Kenyon Martin will play tonight, and then sit out against the Sixers on Saturday. He doesn't play in back-to-back games.

Rush Out

Brandon Rush will miss a couple weeks with a sprained ankle, and while the door for Paul George was already opening, this blows it off the hinges. I like him quite a bit as a flier right now.

Mr. Jennings

The Bucks are still saying that Brandon Jennings could play on Saturday. He's been out with a broken foot and it should be interesting to see how long it takes him to get up to speed. Especially now that Scott Skiles has become more comfortable with Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins. But either way, Jennings is going to be a guy to get back in your lineup once you see him back in uniform.

Speaking of Bucks, it sounds like John Salmons might be back in action tonight after missing five straight games with a hip injury. While this is good news for the owners of Salmons, things are going to get even more crowded in Milwaukee and I have no interest in dealing with anyone not named Andrew Bogut right now. And unfortunately, I've got Corey Maggette in a couple lineups this week, but I'm thinking his train is about to run off the tracks thanks to Salmons and the return of Carlos Delfino.

Hinrich Practices

Kirk Hinrich returned to practice for the Wiz on Thursday and is day-to-day with his arm injury. This is actually good news, as I thought he was going to miss a lot of time with it. But with John Wall and Nick Young dialed in, I would not be in a hurry to rush Hinrich back into your lineup. And he is even a player you could look at cutting.
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Went Into Your Locker And I Smashed Your Glasses

Dwyane Wade wore some orange glasses and went off for 34 points and 16 boards on 16-of-22 shooting last night in a loss to the Knicks. He wasn't quite as good at the line, hitting just 6-of-14 shots and blaming the glasses for it. He also lost the ball out of bounds while fiddling with the glasses, but had a great game nonetheless. It sounds like he'll have to ditch the shades though, as the NBA has a problem with them.

What I had a problem with was LeBron James. I own him in my main league and am playing a guy (Kelin, for you old timers) on an 11-game winning streak, that won't shut his mouth. I had a chance to take a big lead last night, and while LeBron's overall line was pretty fun, that 7-of-24 shooting was a killer in points leagues. I mean, he was outscored by Landry Fields in my league. But it was also frustrating watching him play last night. He was passive until the fourth quarter, missing bunny shots, as well as most others, and then did his best Joe Johnson imitation with his version of Iso-Lebron late in the game. I still can't figure out why he settles for fadeaway jumpers when he has the ability to take 98 percent of the league's players to the rack. Anyway, look for him to bounce back with a better shooting line against the Pistons tonight. I'm just hoping they keep it close enough that LeBron plays in the fourth quarter.

And then there's good old Mike Miller. He was 0-for-3 last night and failed to score, which really didn't surprise me. Miller is a nice player and a solid fantasy option in the right situation. But being planted between LeBron and Wade, who combined to take 46 shots last night, is anything but ideal. And it's not going to get better when Chris Bosh is back from his high ankle sprain. I didn't pick Miller up in any leagues, but got a ton of questions about who to drop in order to get him after his 32-point explosion on Saturday. I still think he's worth a flier, but there's no way he becomes an everyday fantasy starter when the Super Friends are all healthy. There just won't be enough shots to go around.

Hello, My Name Is Landry

Landry Fields, who had been struggling and was being cut in some leagues, blew up last night for 19 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three 3-pointers. Like I said, in most points leagues, he outdid LeBron with that one. Maybe he's getting a second wind and will pick it up for the second half. He had four points, six boards and zero assists in his last game, but his averages are still pretty good across the board. If he was dumped in your league, you should probably grab him.

It was probably not a coincidence that Wilson Chandler had one of his worst games last night with just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting. He's been in single digits in four of his last seven games, although it feels more like a slump than anything else. However, the potential arrival of Carmelo Anthony in New York could spell disaster for him, as well as Fields, so if you're thinking about moving Chandler, do it after he posts a couple solid lines back to back.

Raymond Felton was also terrible, hitting just 1-of-6 shots for six points and seven assists. He's been struggling with his shot and is probably getting tired playing 38 minutes a night. Mike D'Antoni ran Chris Duhon into the ground a couple years ago, and while I have a lot more faith in Felton, he simply has to be wearing down. Which makes what Steve Nash has been able to do over the years even more impressive. I still think Felton is going to bounce back and keep it going though, so this is probably a nice time to try to buy low.

Game News And Notes

Kevin Martin bounced back from an off night and low minutes to score 27 points. He must have just been given a rest on Wednesday, when he played 21 minutes.

Chuck Hayes had 16 points, eight boards and two steals last night as his dream January continues. Pick him up if you need a center. He's simply a much better player than he was a year ago, although I'm not sure what he did to make it happen. I do know that I can actually watch him shoot a free throw this year without it cracking me up.

Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry like confusing us. That's why they both hit just 2-of-10 shots last night and both hit two 3-pointers. Lowry is worth starting, while Brooks is barely worth hanging onto. But if you're waiting for Brooks to start or be a good fantasy option any time soon, don't hold your breath.

Jose Juan Barea has played well in two straight games, but I'm leery of picking him up. By the time you get him in your lineup he'll crawl back into his hole. I'm leaving him on waivers. Tyson Chandler had 21 points, 15 boards and a block last night, and could be a candidate to replace Yao Ming as the starting center in the West. In case you missed it, Yao was voted to start, despite the fact he's played in five basketball games in the last two seasons. Can you say flawed system? Anyway, Pau Gasol and Nene look like the two best choices to replace him, but Chandler's having a great season.

Dirk Nowitzki shot 7-of-16 again and has been pretty awful since returning from a knee injury. If there was ever a time to buy low on a good player, it's right now with Dirk.

Kendrick Perkins came off the bench for 10 points, nine boards and a block in a whopping 21 minutes last night. This was just his second game back from knee surgery and the Celtics played him more minutes than they wanted to. But guess what? He's by far their best option at center and he should be in the starting five sooner than later (Semih Erden started last night). Along with Hayes and Marcin Gortat, Perkins is a hot pickup at center right now.

Kevin Garnett scored just 10 points for the second straight game last night, but you won't hear owners complaining about his Jason Kidd imitation that included nine boards and a season-high nine assists. Actually, these days Kidd's owners wish he'd post a line like that.

Dante Cunningham had nine points, five boards, one assist, three steals and one block on 4-of-8 shooting in 32 minutes last night, while Rudy Fernandez had 11 points, five assists, three steals and two 3-pointers. If the Batum news is bad, these are the guys to target. I'd pick up Rudy first, but if he's gone, Cunningham is definitely worth a look too. He's played 23 or more minutes in five of his last six games and that number is going to top 30 if Batum is out.

 

[HacheMan]

CP3 = MVP
We're just past the halfway mark of the season so how about some fantasy awards?

There is nothing scientific about these awards, as they're basically just rambling thoughts from the mind of Dr. A. I'm sure you'll agree with some, but not all of them. Enjoy.

[SIZE=+1]MVP[/SIZE]

Chris Paul Hornets

I thought about going with Kevin Durant and Chris Paul as co-MVPs, but it's not happening. Despite his knee and ankle concerns, CP3 has played in all 47 games for the Hornets, while Durant has played in 41 out of a possible 45 for the Thunder. Those four missed games equal at least a week, which makes Paul the easy choice for MVP so far. Paul is averaging 16.4 points, 9.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.1 threes while shooting 48.4 from the floor and 89.3 from the line.

Steal of the Draft

Kevin Love Timberwolves

There are a lot of great candidates here, from Raymond Felton, Dorell Wright, DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Martin, to Blake Griffin, Baron Davis and Michael Beasley. It's tough to pass on Felton or Wright here, but I'm going with Love. Be it the 31 straight double-doubles, the Top 5 fantasy ranking, or the ridiculous combination of 21.6 points, 15.7 rebounds and 1.4 threes per game, Love has been a beast and was taken in Rounds 3-5 in almost all leagues. Yes, those other guys were probably taken even lower, but unlike Wright, Love is simply carrying fantasy teams this season. And his numbers would be even bigger had Kurt Rambis not jerked him around early.
www.miamiheat.ws
[SIZE=+1]Waiver Wire Pickup of the Year[/SIZE]

Wesley Matthews Blazers

If Dorell Wright was a waiver-wire grab in your league, he gets the nod over Matthews. Tracy McGrady, Arron Afflalo, Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields, Ryan Anderson, Channing Frye, Beno Udrih, DeMar DeRozan and Nick Young were a few of the great pickups you made this year, but Matthews has been productive from the start and is averaging 16.1 points, 1.3 steals and 1.8 3-pointers on the season. Anderson might end up being the final answer at the end of the year, but up to this point, I'm going with Matthews.

[SIZE=+1]Fantasy Rookie of the Year[/SIZE]

Blake Griffin

Yes, Landry Fields, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins deserve some props, but this one isn't even close. Griffin is a blast to own, plays through injuries and stares down everyone he dunks on. He's averaging 22.6 points and 12.8 boards to go along with 3.5 assists. He's only hitting 60 percent of his free throws and more steals and blocks would be nice, but it's tough to complain about anything he's not doing.

[SIZE=+1]Most Improved Player[/SIZE]

Dorell Wright Warriors

This isn't so much a fantasy award, but I needed to find a proper place for Wright. He's averaging nearly 17 points, six boards, three assists, 1.5 steals, nearly a block and a whopping 2.5 3-pointers per game. He's also returning second-round fantasy value, which means the owner in your league who drafted him late, or stole him off waivers, probably has a very good team.

Honorable mentions include LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Raymond Felton, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley, Tyson chandler, Jrue Holiday, D.J. Augustin, Paul Millsap, Arron Afflalo, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, JaVale McGee, J.J. Hickson and DeAndre Jordan.

[SIZE=+1]Fantasy Coach of the Year[/SIZE]

Larry Drew Hawks

Vinny Del Negro, Erik Spoelstra and Mike D'Antoni were in the running here, but I'm going with Drew because of his consistent lineup and rotation. Yeah, I would like to see Jeff Teague get more minutes, but Del Negro's early abuse of Baron Davis (although tough to blame him) and D'Antoni's non-use of Anthony Randolph gave Drew the nod. You know what minutes Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Horford are going to get every night, which is all you can really ask for.

Keep reading for Worst Fantasy Coach and several others.
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[SIZE=+1]Worst Fantasy Coach of the Year[/SIZE]

Tie Avery Johnson Nets, Jim O'Brien Pacers & John Kuester Pistons

Paul Westphal (big men confusion), Byron Scott (J.J. Hickson early), Keith Smart (Stephen Curry's minutes), Rick Adelman (Aaron Brooks), Lionel Hollins (O.J. Mayo), Scott Skiles (rotation & starting lineup flux), Kurt Rambis (early benching of Love), Scott Brooks (Serge Ibaka), Monty Williams (Marcus Thornton) and Gregg Popovich (DeJuan Blair) all received votes, but they don't hold a candle to the Big 3.

Avery Johnson's benching of Terrence Williams and Troy Murphy was spectacular. Jim O'Brien's constant flip-flopping, mistreatment of Hibbert, as well as getting an entire team and city to quit on him is untouchable. And Kuester's incredibly unbalanced lineup and rotation is tough to match. These guys don't appear to be good coaches in real life, and it's probably for the same reasons that they are fantasy nightmares. Make a plan and stick with it already.

[SIZE=+1]Fantasy Bust of the Year[/SIZE]

Brook Lopez

Yes, there are plenty of candidates here. But injuries, I don't think, should make a guy the No. 1 bust. So that takes out Brandon Roy and Chris Kaman. Darren Collison is coming on, Troy Murphy never had a chance in Jersey, Anthony Randolph is obviously a mess in New York, while O.J. Mayo, Mo Williams, Trevor Ariza, Gilbert Arenas and Andris Biedrins aren't doing their owners any favors.

Lopez is healthy. Completely healthy, but just can't seem to grab a rebound. Add in the fact that he was taken in Round 1 in many leagues, and Round 2 in the rest, and his 5.8 rebounds make him a big-time bust. He's still averaging 19 points and 1.5 blocks, but when the guy you took that early in the draft to help you secure rebounds every week is averaging fewer than guards Landry Fields, Dwyane Wade, Dorell Wright and Ariza, it's tough not to rip on him. Samuel Dalembert, playing less than 20 minutes per game, is even outrebounding Lopez this season. He's not the kind of bust that ruined your season like Roy might have, but for a guy who starts and is as big as he is, it just makes no sense. He has one double-double this year. Enough said.

[SIZE=+1]All Fantasy Team[/SIZE]

If a player already won an award above, they're excluded here (Chris Paul).

Point Guard

Tie Derrick Rose Bulls & Deron Williams Jazz

Williams is the better fantasy play (at least when he's not hurt), while Rose probably offers more value based on the fact he was taken later in drafts. Rajon Rondo was the early favorite here, but has since been passed by these two. Raymond Felton is having a big season too, and at least deserves recognition.

Shooting Guard

Monta Ellis Warriors

It's fun to imagine what Ellis would be doing this season if he didn't play alongside Stephen Curry. As it stands, he's still pretty great, averaging 25.8 points, 5.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.6 threes, while shooting 47 percent from the floor. He might even make the real All-Star Team, despite playing for GSW.

Small Forward

Kevin Durant Thunder

Durant's line on Wednesday was magical, as he racked up 47 points and 18 rebounds (both career highs) to go along with four threes, two steals and two blocks. He's averaging close to 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers per game, and it doesn't even feel like he's really even gotten into a groove yet. He should be primed for a big second half.

Power Forward

Amare Stoudemire Knicks

Amare has found new life in New York and is having a monster season, averaging 26 points, nine boards, three assists, a steal and two blocks while hitting 50% from the field and 78% from the line. He might run out of gas or get hurt by the arrival of Carmelo Anthony, but so far, it's been nothing but good vibrations for Amare. If you gambled on him with a first-round pick, well done.

Center

Al Horford Hawks

Pau Gasol could be considered here, but he's playing PF with Andrew Bynum at center. That leaves Horford, Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Howard's FTP and TOs take him out of the hunt, while LA is also more forward than center. Therefore, I'm going with Horford, who is averaging 16 points, 10 boards, 3.5 assists, 0.7 steals and a block per game. He's shooting 57% from the floor and 83% from the line, and is quietly one of the best centers in the game – even though he's really a power forward on any team but the Hawks.

 

[HacheMan]

Way Out Wes
[SIZE=+1]Guards[/SIZE]

Tracy McGrady Pistons - T-Mac has been an incredibly solid player over the last month and should be owned in most leagues at this point. And with Rodney Stuckey's shoulder injury, he could get even better. His minutes have been heavy lately, which makes me worry about him breaking down, but he's worth running out there every day as long as he's healthy. Who would have guessed McGrady would be the most reliable Piston? Thanks, John Kuester. T-Mac is owned in less than 30 percent of ESPN leagues and is averaging 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 threes per game in January.

Arron Afflalo Nuggets - Afflalo is hot, hitting double figures in eight of his last 10 games and has averaged nearly 20 ppg over his last three. He also has 15 threes in his last five games and will occasionally help in boards and assists. He's not much of a thief though, and doesn't block shots. He should also be owned in most leagues already, but might be available in yours.

Brandon Jennings Bucks - Jennings played 11 meaningless minutes on Saturday but his minutes are not going to be limited for long. He's a must-own player, so just make sure he's not floating out there on waivers in your league.
www.miamiheat.ws
Wesley Johnson Timberwolves - Johnson has been better than starter Corey Brewer and has played very well in four straight games, scoring between 13 and 19 points during that stretch. He's hit nine threes in his last four games, and has five steals and three blocks during that streak as well. I'd trust him a lot more if he was starting, but he's playing well enough off the bench to be grabbed in most leagues.

Ben Gordon Pistons - Gordon has benefited from the absence of Rodney Stuckey, starting in his last game and walking away with 21 points and three 3-pointers. John Kuester has probably taken notice that Jim O'Brien has been fired, and it will hopefully inspire him to run more plays for Gordon. He had 15 and 16 points in his previous two games off the bench, and it finally looks like he's ready to start producing.

Anthony Morrow Nets - Morrow has scored 16 or more points in three of his last four games and while he's still coming off the bench, I'm still thinking he'll be starting again before too long. Then again, this is Avery Johnson we're talking about, and the Nets have won four of their last seven with Morrow in a bench role. But they've also lost two straight and it would make sense for Morrow to start soon. Either way, he's hit seven treys in his last four games, but won't help in many other categories outside of scoring and threes.

Others to consider: Paul George, Randy Foye, Tony Allen, Marcus Thornton

George is completely up in the air now that Frank Vogel will be coaching the team with Larry Bird calling the shots, but Bird likes George and will hopefully want to continue developing him for next season. Foye is must-own at this point, especially with Eric Gordon saying he's still in pain and might need some extra time to come back from his wrist injury. Foye had a huge line on Saturday night and should already be owned in most leagues. Allen is going to get a boost over the next couple weeks with O.J. Mayo suspended and is a sneaky source of steals and blocks, while Thornton continues to occasionally impress off the Hornets bench.

[SIZE=+1]Forwards[/SIZE]

Mike Dunleavy Pacers - With Jim O'Brien finally gone (see ya), Dunleavy may be a big winner, along with guys like Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison. Dunleavy has been hot lately too, hitting double figures in six straight, including a 30-point night on Friday. He's also solid in assists, rebounds and steals, and now is a good time to grab him. Let's just hope Bird and Vogel keep rolling with him.

Carlos Delfino, Corey Maggette, John Salmons, Ersan Ilyasova Bucks - I don't really trust any of these players, as they're all going to take turns having big nights. Salmons is still out with a hip injury, but should be back sometime in the near future. Delfino (21 points), Maggette (14) and Ilyasova (14) all started on Saturday and all played well, meaning all three guys are worth owning. Salmons' return, along with Jennings, will further clutter things up here, but a case can be made for all four players to be owned. Just be prepared for some inconsistency along the way.

Austin Daye Pistons - Daye has scored 19, 20 and 11 points in three of his last four games and started Friday with Ben Wallace out for personal reasons. Daye should start again on Sunday and it's possible that he stays in the starting five going forward. Then again, Kuester is the most unpredictable coach in the league, so who knows? But given Daye's strong play recently, along with his ability to rebound and hit threes, I think he's worth holding in most situations.

Omri Casspi Kings - Casspi's starting for the Kings, but hasn't exactly been killing it. He scored 6, 20 and 6 points in his last three, but the minutes, shots and rebounds have been there. As long as he's starting, he's worth owning.

Mike Miller Heat - Miller is finally relevant for the Heat, scoring 32, 0 and 12 in his last three games, and has grabbed 10 boards in two of those. Dwyane Wade is back on Sunday, sending Miller back to the bench. He has six points, eight boards, a couple threes and steals near the end of the game. He's going to struggle to get enough touches to be a must-own player, but will have some big games in Miami, along with some duds.

[SIZE=+1]Centers[/SIZE]

Marcin Gortat Suns - Gortat blew up for 19 points and 17 boards in his last game and has double-doubled in four of his last six, all off the bench. He simply has to become a starter at some point in the next 10 days, and when it happens, he should be a beast. He's a must-own player in all leagues right now.

Roy Hibbert Pacers - Hibbert might have been the biggest winner in the firing of Jim O'Brien, as Larry Bird and the Pacer brass weren't happy with Obie's treatment of the young big man. I think he's going to start playing well again and am glad I held onto him through the dark cloud cast by Obie. If he was dropped in your league, grab him.

Samuel Dalembert Kings - Paul Westphal can't make up his mind, but Dalembert is the flavor of the week after Jason Thompson's minutes were cut recently. JT also has a foot injury and both Dalembert and Carl Landry are going to see a boost if he's out. Dalembert is averaging 17 points, 5.5 boards and a block over his last two games and is another guy who looks like a solid add right now. He is also capable of blocking a ton of shots on any given night, and is especially attractive if you need them.

Chuck Hayes Rockets - Hayes is averaging 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and a block per game in January, hitting 65% of his shots. He was shooting very well from the line earlier in the season, but has hit just 7-of-14 this month. He's playing well enough to be owned in most leagues, as hard as that is to believe.

Kwame Brown Bobcats - Brown is averaging nine points and nine boards in January, but is also averaging just 0.3 steals and 0.4 blocks. He's a serviceable center in deep leagues, but the lack of blocks hurts his value considerably. But it does look like he'll be relevant until further notice, or until the Bobcats trade for a center.

Others to consider: Darko Milicic, Kendrick Perkins, Greg Monroe, Andris Biedrins

I still think Darko should be owned in most leagues and he's looked better lately. He's been healthy and is averaging close to 11 points, six boards and two blocks in January, but is also committing 2.7 TOs this month. His shooting has been much better though, as he's at 51% for January. Perkins is back, but so is Shaq, making it tough for Perkins to become 'the man' in the middle. He's had 2, 7 and 10 points in his three games this season and will never be a great fantasy option for his offense. But the blocks and boards should be coming. Monroe has averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 boards, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks in January making him worth a look. Biedrins has been left for dead in many leagues, and for good reason, but finally woke up for 10 points, 12 boards, a steal and a block in his last game. Let's see what he does against the Celtics today before declaring him back. It's pretty rare to see this many solid center options available on waivers this late in the season. Happy hunting.

 

[HacheMan]

Hibbert's Hop
An in-season coaching change can often have dramatic implications on rotations and strategy. We saw it in Charlotte with Paul Silas, who has turned D.J. Augustin into a top-40 fantasy player with a "hands off" style. We are already seeing it in Indiana, where Jim O'Brien's head-scratching decisions and public criticisms of his players got him fired.

NBA coaches are constantly tinkering, toying and yanking around with rotations. The effect this has on minutes played and statistical production is where we come in.

Each week in this space, I'll explore the rotations of half the league's teams while attempting to get inside coaches' heads and rotations. The idea is not to tell you what Kevin Durant and LeBron James are going to do -- it's to decipher how much production we can get out of fringe players. Last week, I hit the West. Let's start this week off with those new-look Pacers.

* Note that lineups listed reflect the starters in the team's previous game. Stats are through Monday's games unless otherwise noted.

<BIG>INDIANA</BIG>
PG Darren Collison
SG Mike Dunleavy
SF Danny Granger
PF Josh McRoberts
C Roy Hibbert

Interim coach Frank Vogel had just one practice and one shootaround to make adjustments before Monday night's game against the Raptors. That was more than enough time to make an impact. Vogel chose to start Josh McRoberts at the fluid power forward spot and hinted that he likes Tyler Hansbrough as his low-post scorer off the bench. Hansbrough checked in for McBob with about five minutes left in the first quarter Monday, a rotation that makes sense. When it was said and done, McRoberts played 32 minutes while Hansbrough got just 15. That will be more even on most nights, but since neither have any blocks upside, I'm staying away in standard formats.

The other glaring adjustment was a focus on Roy Hibbert. Instead of receiving the ball at the elbow, the Pacers got the ball to the big man deep on the block. It resulted in 24 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. Note that in Hibbert's previous 12 games, he averaged 8.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. On Monday, he had 24 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Yes, most of that came against Andrea Bargnani, who very well may be the worst post defender in the NBA. But it's not a fluke that this breakout happened immediately following O'Brien's dismissal.

It's clear that one of the main reasons Jim O'Brien is gone is because of how he handled Hibbert. Vogel is already committed to relying on Hibbert in a big way. Before Monday, Hibbert had played 30-plus minutes just once in his last 12 games. Fans were chanting "double-double" as the clock wound down and Vogel could be audibly heard encouraging Hibbert even when the big man made mistakes.

As for Danny Granger, there is no real change. O'Brien was already playing Granger almost 37 minutes a night and encouraged his scorer to shoot 3-pointers at will. Vogel will do the same thing. Darren Collison has an up arrow because he won't be looking over his shoulder at O'Brien. The promising young point guard is now locked into a true starter's role and will be able to play more freely.

The Brandon Rush/Paul George/Mike Dunleavy situation is not all that exciting. George can definitely play and will be very good down the line, but he is not good bet to get 30 minutes a night at any point this season. Rush found himself in O'Brien's doghouse but is a better overall player than Dunleavy. Still, Dunleavy is too established to simply be phased out. It's a mess that I'd rather not deal with unless I'm in a deep league.

<BIG>ATLANTA</BIG>
PG Mike Bibby
SG Joe Johnson
SF Maurice Evans
PF Josh Smith
C Al Horford

Two weeks ago, I mentioned how Marvin Williams' return combined with a natural regression in shooting percentage is trouble for Jamal Crawford. Over his last eight games, Crawford is averaging just 13.1 points on 35-of-100 (35.0 percent) shooting. He will get hot again, but for now must be considered a mere 3-point specialist.

Before Marvin Williams went Mike Tyson on Shawne Williams, his back looked pretty good -- good enough to start when the Hawks choose to go small. Still, Williams does not get plays run for him and is a poor bet to play more than 27-29 minutes nightly. In 29 starts this season, he has averaged 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds with no defensive stats. We can do better.

<BIG>BOSTON</BIG>
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Shaquille O'Neal

Kendrick Perkins' impressive return just seven months removed from an ACL tear throws a wrench into the big man rotation. It allows Shaquille O'Neal to rest on back-to-backs and sit out whenever he feels a nagging injury. It also cramps Glen Davis' minutes.

In the four games that Perkins has played this season, Davis is averaging 22.2 minutes. For the season, he is up at 30 a night. And this comes with Jermaine O'Neal (knee) sidelined. Barring another injury to Kevin Garnett or a setback for Perkins, Davis should only be used in the deepest of formats.
www.miamiheat.ws
As for Perkins himself, I am not too excited. Last year, Perkins was completely healthy and did not have Shaq or Jermaine to fend off. He started 78 games and still averaged a meager 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Perkins minutes are already ramped up around 27 quickly, but he remains a long shot to equal those numbers from last season.

Editor's Note: Draft a hoops team just for tonight and win real cash in SnapDraft!

<BIG>CHARLOTTE</BIG>
PG D.J. Augustin
SG Stephen Jackson
SF Gerald Wallace
PF Boris Diaw
C Kwame Brown

This rotation has become as rock solid as it gets under Paul Silas. Since Larry Brown stepped down on Dec. 22, the Bobcats have gone 11-7 (entering Monday) -- and the starting five is clearly locked in for the long haul. With no real questions about roles, note some January numbers in the 15 games entering Monday night:

D.J. Augustin: 17.9 points, 7.3 assists, 1.9 treys, 0.9 steals.
Kwame Brown: 9.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, 56.2 percent from field.

We can confidently say that these numbers will hold over the final two-plus months.

<BIG>CHICAGO</BIG>
PG Derrick Rose
SG Keith Bogans
SF Luol Deng
PF Carlos Boozer
C Kurt Thomas

Joakim Noah (hand) will be back sometime around the Feb. 18 All-Star game. Considering the injury was to Noah's hand and not his legs, he should be in fine physical condition -- and ready to play 34-plus minutes right out of the gate. Taj Gibson already is waiver-wire fodder and Kurt Thomas will be joining him very shortly as well.

Once Noah returns, Luol Deng's minutes figure to drop. He won't be needed at power forward anymore and badly needs a break. Deng is currently playing 39.2 minutes a night, trailing only Monta Ellis, Rudy Gay, Kevin Durant and Dorell Wright in that category.

Editor's Note: For weekly projections, daily pickup advice, exclusive columns and much more, check out Rotoworld's Season Pass!

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<BIG>CLEVELAND</BIG>
PG Ramon Sessions
SG Manny Harris
SF Christian Eyenga
PF Antawn Jamison
C J.J. Hickson

Mo Williams' hip injury may very well be serious, but I can guarantee you he isn't rushing back. The Cavs have lost a jaw-dropping 21 straight games and Williams wants no part of this team. He will be a prime candidate to get traded, the question is simply if anyone wants his bloated contract. Consider Williams a hold through the Feb. 24 trading deadline.

The debate between Daniel Gibson and Manny Harris really should not be a debate at all. But without Williams, the Cavs have no backup point guard. Additionally, Gibson's string of nagging injuries has marred any momentum he had gained. Gibson will still play 28-30 minutes nightly off the bench and bang a ton of treys, but his upside is now capped by Harris. The arrow is down here outside of a 3-point specialist.

<BIG>DETROIT</BIG>
PG Tracy McGrady
SG Ben Gordon
SF Tayshaun Prince
PF Chris Wilcox
C Greg Monroe

Ben Gordon's situation is difficult to decipher, mostly because it all revolves around him making shots. When Richard Hamilton was first benched back on Dec. 19, Gordon was presented with a starting opportunity for 10 straight games. But he went cold, averaging just 11.5 points on 43-of-112 (38.3 percent) shooting. That resulted in a trip back to the pine as coach John Kuester went to a backcourt of Tracy McGrady and Rodney Stuckey.

Gordon's back-to-back big games have come with Stuckey (shoulder) out. It's also worth noting that the Pistons have lost both those games -- Gordon scored 35 points against the Knicks Sunday but Detroit lost by 18 points. Look for Stuckey to regain the starting job once healthy, leaving Gordon in a sixth man role again. He is worth a stash while we wait for an inevitable Tracy McGrady injury, but today is a good sell-high point on Gordon.

Kuester's handling of Austin Daye is maddening. Every time the youngster gets real minutes, he produces big shots. And with the Pistons at 17-31, Kuester should be playing all his young players through their inevitable mistakes. It's clear Kuester fears for his job -- and rightfully so. It appears only a coaching change will give Daye reliable minutes.

Quick note on Greg Monroe: He is locked in as the starter ahead of Ben Wallace, but that does not mean he is not affected by Wallace's presence. In the last three games that Wallace has played, Monroe has averaged 27.3 minutes. In the last eight games Wallace has not played, Monroe has averaged 34.8 minutes.

<BIG>MIAMI</BIG>
PG Mario Chalmers
SG Dwyane Wade
SF LeBron James
PF Chris Bosh
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Finally back at full strength, the Big Three is ready to sap the fantasy life out of all their teammates. If Mike Miller were on the Warriors, he would be a top-30 fantasy player. On the Heat, he is a weak play. Coming into Monday, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade combined to take 50.8 shots per game. The Heat take just 77.1 shots per game as a team. Don't get tempted by random big games from Miller, James Jones, Eddie House, Zydrunas Ilgauskus or Joel Anthony.

Mario Chalmers promotion into the permanent starter's role is interesting, but all his value is tied up in 3-point shots. On the Heat, he does not get enough of those looks to be a factor. Like the previously mentioned players, he'll have a big night here or there but is not worth chasing those stats.

<BIG>MILWAUKEE</BIG>
PG Keyon Dooling
SG Carlos Delfino
SF Corey Maggette
PF Ersan Ilyasova
C Andrew Bogut

Brandon Jennings (foot) is looking really healthy and will resume starting shortly -- probably as soon as Wednesday against the Suns. He's a lock for 36-plus minutes every night, making Keyon Dooling a safe drop.

The constant injuries to the Bucks swingmen make this rotation unsettled. It's clear that John Salmons will start when healthy, but no one knows exactly when that will be. Meanwhile, Carlos Delfino is finally back and playing big minutes. It will be a battle between him and Corey Maggette for burn, with Maggette likely owning the early edge. Take a "wait and see" approach with both while keeping in mind that Delfino's has a very fantasy-friendly game.

Even if Drew Gooden can ever get his foot right, it's obvious that Ersan Ilyasova is the man for the power forward spot. He started all 16 games in January and came into Monday night averaging 11.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals. There is much more upside than that for the glue guy thanks to his 3-point range.

<BIG>NEW JERSEY</BIG>
PG Devin Harris
SG Stephen Graham
SF Travis Outlaw
PF Derrick Favors
C Brook Lopez

Although Anthony Morrow is clearly one of the Nets' best five players, he is still coming off the bench. Coach Avery Johnson is hinting that could role stick as he needs Morrow's shooting with the second unit. Already a fringe player when playing starter's minutes, Morrow is now really borderline. Even when he was playing 35 minutes a night earlier this season, the sharpshooter was averaging 1.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 0.2 blocks. He is a simple 3-point specialist.

The Derrick Favors vs. Kris Humphries situation is not going to change. The Nets are committed to developing Favors and will continue to start him. Just note that entering Monday, Favors was playing 20.8 minutes since his promotion 14 games ago. Over that same span, Hunphries was playing 26.5 minutes. I would certainly rather own Humphries, but neither is very appetizing.

No, I am not buying Travis Outlaw's monster game Monday night. In his previous 15 games, he averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds on 37.9 percent shooting. That's the real Travis Outlaw.

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<BIG>NEW YORK</BIG>
PG Raymond Felton
SG Landry Fields
SF Danilo Gallinari
PF Amare Stoudemire
C Ronny Turiaf

Timofey Mozgov's breakout game Sunday (23 points, 14 rebounds, 39.8 minutes) has the fantasy world buzzing. Consider me a non-believer. First of all, the Knicks played that game without Wilson Chandler (calf) and Shawne Williams (suspension). Prior to Sunday, Mozgov had recorded a DNP-CD in 15 of his last 17 games, with his two appearances coming in absolute garbage time. And perhaps most importantly, Mozgov was up against the Pistons without top post defender and rebounder Ben Wallace.

Yes, the Knicks are desperate for a true center to take some wear and tear off Amare Stoudemire. But they were just as desperate when the season started, and that is why Mozgov started nine of the first 11 games. In those nine games, however, Mozgov faceplanted: 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 14.5 minutes. The DNP-CDs quickly ensued. I'd expect a similar series of events this time around -- Mike D'Antoni gives Mozgov chance, Mozgov struggles, Mozgov falls back out of rotation.

Wilson Chandler's recent struggles can be attributed to nagging injuries (calf, wrist) and incessant trade rumors that he admits bother him. It could end up costing Chandler his starting job, but I think the breakout swingman will eventually get back on track. He fits the system too well and is too talented not to get 30 minutes nightly. Do not sell low.

<BIG>ORLANDO</BIG>
PG Jameer Nelson
SG Jason Richardson
SF Hedo Turkoglu
PF Brandon Bass
C Dwight Howard

At this point, we can no longer say that Ryan Anderson is just hot. We can say that he is a legit player despite Monday's clunker. Being used in the old Rashard Lewis role as a stretch four, Anderson came into Monday averaging 15.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 3-pointers and 1.0 blocks per night in 15 January games. The most interesting part is that Anderson has done it all as a reserve, playing a meager 24.9 minutes a game.

Will Anderson start at power forward over Brandon Bass at some point? It's possible. Coach Stan Van Gundy is not shy about making changes to his lineups and loves to play "four around one" with Dwight Howard. But we can't ignore the fact that Anderson has topped 30 minutes just once in his last 20 games. Van Gundy needs Bass' defensive presence out there often.

So we're left with 24-29 minutes nightly for Anderson, whether he is starting or not. It's not ideal, but his unique skill set combining blocks, boards and treys means we are not selling high. And if something were to happen to Bass, the sky is the limit. UPDATE: In Monday's game, Brandon Bass went down with an ankle sprain. He is day-to-day, but it looked pretty bad. Anderson will be looking at 30-35 minutes as long as Bass is out.

The Magic may be regretting their acquisition of Gilbert Arenas. He is not coming close to threatening Jameer Nelson and performed poorly on Friday when needed for extended duty. With just 21.8 minutes per game since the trade, Arenas can be dropped.

<BIG>PHILADELPHIA</BIG>
PG Jrue Holiday
SG Jodie Meeks
SF Andre Iguodala
PF Elton Brand
C Spencer Hawes

Coach Doug Collins loves to talk about how his best five players do not start for him. It has been a glaring fact of late. Over the last 14 games, Jodie Meeks has averaged 23.1 minutes a night while Lou Williams has been up at 26.3. Similarly, Spencer Hawes Is playing just 17.4 minutes versus 28.1 for Thaddeus Young. This is one of the few bench situations in the league where we can count on reliable production from two players.

Rookie Evan Turner's improvement has been noticeable to the naked eye. Then again, when you start at zero it’s easy to improve. After playing just 19.8 minutes a night in December -- and picking up two DNP-CDs along the way -- he earned 25.4 minutes in January. The problem is that Turner averaged just 8.4 points,4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the month. His versatility will lead to some random nice lines, but his offensive game is still far too raw to even be average at the NBA level. Leave the No. 2 overall pick on waivers.

There will be plenty of talk about Andre Iguodala getting traded as the deadline approaches, but I don't see it happening now. The Sixers finally have some buzz and badly want to make the playoffs. No matter what the fans think, selling Iguodala for expiring contracts will not help and other teams will not offer real talent for Iguodala at his current salary. He is a good bet for 35-37 minutes nightly as a Sixer for the rest of the season.

<BIG>TORONTO</BIG>
PG Jose Calderon
SG DeMar DeRozan
SF Sonny Weems
PF Amir Johnson
C Andrea Bargnani

The laundry list of injuries to the Raptors has turned this rotation into a mess. Sonny Weems has a chance to lock down the starting small forward job with Linas Kleiza (knee) out, but Weems still appears bothered by that back ailment. Without much 3-point upside, Weems is not worth tracking.

It's very obvious that Jerryd Bayless is not a threat to Jose Calderon. Coach Jay Triano raves about Calderon, and with good reason. In 28 starts entering Monday, Calderon is averaging 11.5 points, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 3-pointers on 49.1 percent shooting. Those are top-40 fantasy numbers easily.

Reggie Evans (foot) is targeting Feb. 17 for his return, meaning the end of whatever value Amir Johnson and Ed Davis had. Look for Evans to eventually get his starting job back, likely leaving Johnson as the odd man out. Davis needs to get minutes as a big part of the Raptors' future. The bottom line is that all three of these guys will cancel each other out.

<BIG>WASHINGTON</BIG>
PG John Wall
SG Nick Young
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Trevor Booker
C Andray Blatche

The only reason JaVale McGee didn't start on Monday night was because he missed five days of work due to the flu. Look for him to start on Tuesday, send Trevor Booker back to the bench and play his usual 27-30 minutes a night.

Without an injury to John Wall or Nick Young, we can no longer rely on Kirk Hinrich. When coming off the bench this season, he is playing just 23.3 minutes per game. It's just not enough, even for a player with an extremely fantasy-friendly game like Hinrich.

Rashard Lewis is still declining badly, but extended minutes in Washington have revived his fantasy value -- he’s playing 36.5 minutes a night as a Wizard despite soreness in his knees. Owners should be praying that he doesn't get moved again at the trading deadline as Lewis will provide mid-range value the rest of the way for the dreadful Wizards. Hold him.

 

[HacheMan]

Walking In Utah - Barely
Monday night featured seven games and more injury concerns for several superstars, including new ones for Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap, Andrew Bogut and Brandon Bass. And in more a positive take, the Pacers and Roy Hibbert are ready for a rebirth, while Danny Granger, Andray Blatche and Gerald Wallace continue to wallow in a funk. And after a slow Monday night, things really crawl on Tuesday with just four games on the docket.

Be sure to stick around to the end to see my rankings of 20 Free Agents in what I like to call Biggie Smalls.

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

All That Jazz

Andrei Kirilenko left in fourth quarter with what could be a severe left ankle sprain. I'm the only one calling it that, but it was bad enough to require X-rays (negative) and a walking boot, and leaves him very iffy for Wednesday's game. I'm hoping for positive news tomorrow, as he's the engine driving one of my teams this week. What hurts even more is he was on fire coming in, mainly due to the absence of Deron Williams, and had 13 points, 11 boards, three assists, two steals, three blocks and a three last night. And to no one's surprise, he missed Tuesday's practice.

Deron Williams missed his third straight game with a left wrist injury and was wearing a soft cast during the game. He hoped to test it today but sat out practice instead. He's still pretty iffy for Wednesday.
www.therx.ws
Paul Millsap dislocated the pinkie finger on his left hand and had it wrapped in ice for the remainder of the first quarter, but remarkably started the second quarter and finished with a double-double in a tough Jazz win. Go ahead and put him down for Rick Kamla's Warrior of the Week for Monday's fantasy show. He's a game-time decision for Wednesday, and while the fact he played through it last night is very encouraging, he's going to be in a ton of pain today and tomorrow. He's also got a swollen and bruised right thumb, but that seems to be a much smaller problem at this point.

Good News On Gordon?

Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith gave a very promising report during last night's Clippers game that suggested Gordon was on track to return to the lineup sooner than later, causing many of us to get excited. But the report may not have had much basis and I'm hearing that instead of day-to-day, he's really still on track to be out a few more weeks. Either way, owners of Gordon should simply keep him benched until further notice, expect him to miss significant time and hope that me makes an early return. Randy Foye had another 20-point game and should be owned in all leagues for now.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

Andrew Bogut, whom the Boom Goes the Dynamite kid calls Andrew Bo-Got, went down with a right knee injury very late in Monday's game and is set to have an MRI. X-Rays were negative and he had a nice game, but this injury is a little scary. "Hopefully it's just a knee bruise. It's swollen up already," Bogut said. Add this to the problems Bogut has dealt with all season, and it's pretty amazing that he leads the league in blocks at 2.8 per game.

John Salmons has missed eight straight games with a hip injury but finally sounds like he could be back on Wednesday. All that's going to do is turn the Milwaukee rotation into a true cluster-you-know-what, and Salmons is a guy I'm not even trying to own right now.

King of Pain

Jason Thompson is out tonight for the Kings with a sprained right ankle and mentioned on Twitter that he was already bummed about the time he's going to miss. This clears the way for Samuel Dalembert to start alongside DeMarcus Cousins, and I'm expecting a big week from Sammy D. But beyond the next few games, it's tough to tell what Paul Westphal will do next.

Knick Knacks

Amare Stoudemire got Tuesday off from practice in order to rest and recover after being banged up in his last game, but sounds like a go for Wednesday. The Knicks should get Wilson Chandler (calf) and Shawne Williams (suspension) back on Wednesday night.

Great Salt Lakes

Andrew Bynum's knee pain doesn't sound like it will keep him out of Tuesday's game against the Rockets and the good news is it's his left knee, and not the one he had surgically repaired, that is giving him problems. Leave him in your lineup.

Bass-O-Matic? Not so much

Brandon Bass dropped with a sprained left ankle last night and I'm guessing he misses time with this one. He had to basically be carried to the locker room where X-rays turned out negative. Ryan Anderson's minutes and production have been a little funky in two of his last three games, including last night, but if Bass is going to miss a few games, Anderson should be a beast, and could even start. And what a great opportunity to revisit this gem.

Portlandia

Nicolas Batum is expected to return from his scary knee injury tonight and should be in most lineups until further notice. It sounded like he was seriously injured the night he went down, but it turned out to be a false alarm – something Portland could use a lot more of these days. Have you seen Portlandia yet?

Marcus Camby sounds like he's on track to return from his knee injury at some point in the near future, but it might not be this week.

Okafor Out

Emeka Okafor (left oblique strain) will be out one to three weeks, meaning his consecutive games streak will end at 306. Don't rush out to grab Jason Smith or David Andersen, as they should only offer value in very deep leagues.

Piston Pain

Ben Wallace was back at practice from a personal leave on Tuesday, which could be bad news for red-hot Greg Monroe. Rodney Stuckey still isn't doing much with his shoulder injury, ruled himself out for Wednesday and could miss the whole week. However, he also says he's feeling better, so we'll see what the weekend brings.

Keep reading for What We Learned On Monday
<!--RW-->
[SIZE=+1]What We Learned Monday[/SIZE]

Technically Speaking

Dwight Howard picked up a very dumb technical foul late last night, that I saw referred to somewhere as "selfish," which is a good way to describe it. That make 14 for Howard, which means he's only two away from the magic one-game suspension that will come from his 16th. This one won't be rescinded, meaning he's got to make it through 33 more games with only one tech. Good luck with that one, Superman.

The Bucks Stop Here

Carlos Delfino barely showed up, Ersan Ilyasova can't miss, Corey Maggette is streaking, Brandon Jennings is on a minutes count, Andrew Bogut has a bum knee, Keyon Dooling is still clinging to a little value and the Bucks rotation is as messy as ever.

All of these guys, along with John Salmons once he's back from his hip injury, are going to cancel each other out every other night. Clearly Delfino, Ilyasova, Maggette, Jennings and Bogut have fantasy value, but if you choose to roll with any of them, expect plenty of headaches along the way. Delfino looked like a must-start player this week and had just four points on 2-of-9 shooting. Good luck choosing your spots with these guys if you own them. As for Jennings, it sounds like his minutes cap might be over and he could be back in the starting five on Wednesday.

Free At Last

The Pacers crushed the Raptors last night with Roy Hibbert going off for 24 points, 11 boards, two steals and two blocks. Yes, it came against Andrea Bargnani, but coach Frank Vogel was shouting encouragement to Roy throughout the game and he was running around like a kid on Christmas after the game. Much like when Al Jefferson was shipped out of Minnesota, things are coming up roses for Hibbert again and the Pacers are going to go to him.

Danny Granger was awful again, hitting just 3-of-15 shots, and I don't know what it's going to take for him to get back on track. I'm trying to trade him for Tyreke Evans, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. Darren Collison was also giddy after the game and rookie Paul George filled the stat sheet with 16 points, four rebounds, a steal, two blocks and a 3-pointer. He also earned his new coach's trust by playing meaningful minutes with the game on the line, and he could end up negatively impacting Mike Dunleavy's minutes going forward. I think he'll get 30 minutes a game on nights when he's feeling it, and 20 minutes on the other ones. I also think he's worth owning in most leagues that have 12 teams or more.

Tyler Hansbrough returned from his walking pneumonia and had 14 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes, while starter Josh McRoberts played 33 minutes for four points and six rebounds. I don't know how long McBob will keep the starting job, but I do know that Hansbrough is getting ready to make some noise. I like him as a pickup in most leagues, along with George, depending on your needs.

Chairman of the Board?

Mike Miller had another double-double last night and has done so in three of his last five games. I have no idea how he's getting to the glass with such ease, but he is. Like most of the Bucks, I think Miller's worth owning and is even startable, but you have got to be ready for some really quiet nights to go along with the good ones. And speaking of quiet nights, Chris Bosh had just 10 points and seven boards as the Heat crushed the Cavs.

Crash In A Funk

Gerald Wallace was not a good basketball player again last night and I don't know what his problem is. He took just seven shots and scored seven points, which marks his unlucky third straight seven-point game. He's scored seven or six points in four of his last six and things can't get much worse for Wallace. The good news is there is no way he keeps this up the rest of the way and he should only get better from here, as long as there's not some unknown injury, and now is the perfect time to swoop in and make a deal to land Wallace.

Blatche's Bad Double-double

A quick look at Andray Blatche's double-double last night and owners were probably pleased with his 16 points, 13 boards and a block, but he hit just 4-of-17 shots after hitting 4-of-12 in his previous game. Like Danny Granger, Blatche is standing out there firing up ill-advised bombs instead of working the post and playing like a big man. I have a feeling Flip Saunders is about to get in Blatche's face about his shot selection and expect it to improve in the upcoming week. We'll see.

Teammate JaVale McGee was back from the flu last night, coming off the bench and then quickly picked up two fouls, as usual. His early foul trouble has become a major fantasy headache, as few players are as inconsistent as McGee. Luckily, I also own Hibbert in most of the leagues that I have McGee in, and am planning on benching JaValevator until further notice. His 6-block double-double games are fun, but he disappears on too many nights to be counted on in fantasy.

Quick Hits

Mike Conley had his first 20-10 game with 26 points, 11 assists and four threes.
Devin Harris had a career-high 18 assists last night.
Brook Lopez had four rebounds to go along with 27 points.
Kenyon Martin quietly returned, but will likely sit on Friday or Saturday.
Travis Outlaw had a nice game for Nets, but don't trust him.
Anthony Morrow scored 18 and is worth picking up.
Manny Harris scored 20 for the Cavs, but is headed out of the starting 5.
Yi Jianlian double-doubled for the Wiz, but don't get too excited.
Jason Kidd turned a 3-of-8 shooting night into a fantasy goldmine.
Dirk Nowitzki proved he hasn't forgotten how to shoot a basketball.
Tyson Chandler had 18 & 18 despite tweaking an ankle.
Kwame Brown might be turning back into Kwame Brown.
D.J. Augustin isn't slowing down.
DeAndre Jordan had 16 & 7 with 5 blocks, and Dunk of the night
Blake Griffin is still a Beast

Free Agent Frenzy

I'm getting a ton of questions about who to pick up, so here's how I rank the hot players right now.

Biggies

1. Roy Hibbert
2. Marcin Gortat
3. J.J. Hickson
4. Samuel Dalembert
5. Amir Johnson
6. Greg Monroe
7. Tyler Hansbrough
8. Chuck Hayes
9. Josh McRoberts
10. Kwame Brown

Smalls

1. Randy Foye
2. Ben Gordon
3. Paul George
4. Mike Miller
5. Anthony Morrow
6. Wesley Johnson
7. Daniel Gibson
8. Gilbert Arenas
9. C.J. Miles
10. Marcus Thornton

 

[HacheMan]

Odom's Up, Bynum's Down
Just four games, some huge lines, a lack of in-game injuries and Snowtorious B.I.G. were the highlights from a slow Tuesday. Well, and the fact that Andrew Bynum didn't play. Here's what you missed.

[SIZE=+1]Rockets Fall To Lakers in OT, despite no Andrew Bynum[/SIZE]

Andrew Bynum missed Tuesday's OT win against the Rockets with a bone bruise in his left knee, which is good news because that's not the one he had surgery on last summer. But some bad news for owners of Bynum included that he was out, and that Phil Jackson hinted he could miss multiple games with the injury. However, after the game Bynum told the media that he was playing on Thursday. So, Phil says he might not play, but Bynum says he's a go. Consider him a game-time decision and watch for updates throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday.

As I said on Twitter last night, for owners of Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, waking up to find that Bynum is out is like grabbing a coat out of your closet and finding a $20 bill in the pocket. Odom, as Ernie Johnson said last night, went all Barbara Walters with 20 points and 20 boards, while Gasol chipped in with 26 points, 16 boards and four blocks. If you own those guys, you'll be just as interested as Bynum's owners as to whether or not he's a go for Thursday.

For the Rockets, Kevin Martin scored 30 points with four threes, as he continues to defy the odds and stay healthy. Kyle Lowry started again, but had an off-night, hitting just 3-of-11 shots for six points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal in 34 minutes. Aaron Brooks jacked up a bunch of threes, hitting 7-of-19 shots total and 2-of-10 from downtown to finish with 16 points and eight assists in 31 minutes off the bench. These two are officially in a timeshare and this could be a sign that Brooks is going to fight his way back to fantasy respectability. Again, both guards are worth owning, but neither is a must-start fantasy play at this point.

Luis Scola posted a solid double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds, but didn't have a steal or block. His rebounding has been shaky, so this was a great way to start off the week. Chuck Hayes did it again with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 44 minutes. And as an added bonus for his new owners, Jordan Hill left with a sprained ankle and did not return, meaning even more minutes for Hayes if Hill is going to miss time. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop on Hayes, but the guy clearly deserves to be owned in many leagues.

I ranked all the hot waiver-wire guards and big men at the end of Tuesday's Dose, so check it out if you missed it. I caught a little Twitter heat, or 'Twheat' for not having more faith in Hayes in the rankings, but I still find it hard to believe he'll be doing this a month from now. But obviously, I've been wrong before.

[SIZE=+1]Easy L.A. – Blazers stun Spurs[/SIZE]

LaMarcus Aldridge has been very hot ever since Brandon Roy went down and blew up for a career high 40 points on 16-of-23 shooting with 11 rebounds, three steals and a block. We'll find out Thursday night if he's going to Dallas for the All-Star Game or not, but it's become pretty clear that he should be there instead of either Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki. Aldridge is having a fantastic season and might go down as the steal of fantasy drafts this year.

Nicolas Batum returned from his knee injury, but hit just 2-of-8 shots for eight points, six rebounds and a steal. This is probably a good time to buy low on him, so make some offers if you're like me and think he's going to be strong the rest of the way. Wesley Matthews added 21 points and a three on 8-of-16 shooting without much else, while Andre Miller chipped in with 18 points and nine assists in the win.

For the Spurs, DeJuan Blair had 14 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and a block in the loss, but pardon me if I'm not jumping for joy. He's as inconsistent as they come and will probably stay that way as long as Duncan is healthy. This makes two straight 14 & 12 double-doubles for Blair, but he scored just 4, 4 and 7 points in his previous three games.

[SIZE=+1]Hornets Take Out Wizards[/SIZE]

Jason Smith started for injured Emeka Okafor (oblique strain) in Tuesday's win over the Wizards and scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting with five rebounds, no assists or blocks, and two steals in 25 minutes in a win over the Wizards. I knew Smith had this game in him, but didn't think we'd see it last night. Okafor is going to miss at least a week, and maybe three, so Smith might be a sneaky add if the other Waiver Wire Centers are not available in your league.

For the Wiz, who are now 0-25 on the road this season, Nick Young stayed hot, hitting 9-of-18 shots to score a game-high 30 points with four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 39 minutes. John Wall hit just 2-of-10 shots from the field on Tuesday (without a three), scoring four points with six rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 37 minutes. I still think Wall is going to stay healthy and have a big second half, making him a great buy-low target after tonight. And the same can be said for Rashard Lewis, who fouled out after 28 minutes on Tuesday, finishing with four points on 2-of-6 shooting. JaVale McGee came off the bench again, despite returning from the flu on Monday, and scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting with three rebounds, no assists and one block in 19 minutes. I am all for owning McGee, but with all the low-end, quality centers heating up right now, McGee should probably be on your bench until he gets it going again. Andray Blatche shot it much better last night, hitting 10-of-17 shots for 21 points, nine boards, two steals and a block. Hopefully this is a sign he'll shoot it better than he has been going forward.

[SIZE=+1]Celtics Hold Off Kings[/SIZE]

Kendrick Perkins played 24 minutes off the bench in Tuesday's win over Kings and scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with 10 rebounds, one assist and no steals or blocks. Perkins is a guy who can be grabbed in many leagues, but this is probably about his ceiling, except he should block some shots regularly. Shaquille O'Neal played 16 minutes and had just three points on 1-of-3 shooting with four rebounds and a block. He's old and probably very tired.

For the Kings, Samuel Dalembert blocked five shots in a start at center and added four points on 2-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds, one assist and two steals in 38 minutes. It's hard to complain about the boards and blocks, as he appears to be a must-own player for now, while he should score more on nights that he's starting. DeMarcus Cousins started at power forward alongside Sammy D and scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting (including a three) with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in 39 minutes. Cousins is having a terrific rookie season, although he may not win a Rookie of the Month award as long as Blake Griffin is healthy.

Donte Greene scored 15 points off the Kings' bench, hitting 6-of-11 shots from the field (including a three) with two rebounds, one assist and one block in 21 minutes. Omri Casspi (8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 3-pointers) is still the guy you want to own here. Carl Landry disappeared on Tuesday, despite the absence of Jason Thompson (ankle), scoring three points with two rebounds and a block in just 16 minutes. He'll be better than this on most nights, but for now, it's all about big men Sammy D and Cousins in Sacramento.
www.miamiheat.ws
[SIZE=+1]Planes, Trains and Automobiles[/SIZE]

The Raptors, who are scheduled to play in Atlanta on Wednesday, tried to get out of Indianapolis for several hours on Tuesday, but to no avail thanks to the ice storm sweeping the Midwest. This puts tonight's game in serious jeopardy, as Indy, and its airport, are covered in ice. This could be the second postponement for the Hawks this season, as well as a terrible blow to owners of Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Jamal Crawford, not to mention the fantasy stars on Toronto.

And this is not the only game in jeopardy due to SnOMG. IND @ CLE, PHI @ NJ, CHA @ DET, DAL @ NY, NO @ OKC and MEM @ MIN all have the potential to be postponed, although none have been as of yet. Watch for weather news regarding these games throughout the day at Rotoworld.

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

Bucks beat writer Gery Woelfel tweeted late Tuesday that Andrew Bogut (knee) appears to be "OK," and wrote that he "could be a game-time decision" for Wednesday's game against the Suns. While that's clearly not all that helpful to fantasy owners, it doesn't sound like his MRI turned up any serious problem with his knee. Maybe we'll get a better update on Wednesday, but since it's Milwaukee, we're not holding our breath.

Daniel Gibson (quadriceps) hopes to return to action on Wednesday against the Pacers, but his status is still very questionable.

Marcus Camby may or may not travel with the Blazers for their upcoming three-game road trip, but is not expected to play. Keep him benched until further notice.

Marvin Williams, who is out again on Wednesday due to a two-game suspension, will move back into the starting lineup for the Hawks upon his return, making him worth a look in deeper leagues.

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

John Salmons – Close to returning from hip injury for Bucks, but iffy for Wed.
Taj Gibson – Practiced Monday, should be back tonight from ankle sprain.
Mo Williams – (Hernia) Could return at AS Break, but I'm not convinced he'll play for Cavs again.
Eric Gordon – (Wrist) Likely sidelined several more weeks, meaning Randy Foye is nearly must-own.
Andrei Kirilenko – Sat out practice with sprained ankle, very iffy for tonight.
Paul Millsap – Skipped practice with dislocated pinkie, game-time decision for tonight.
Deron Williams – Skipped practice and is also very iffy for tonight with lingering wrist injury.
Jason Thompson – Could miss several games with sprained ankle.
Francisco Garcia – Nearing return, but I'm not stashing him for now with Casspi starting.
Wilson Chandler – Probable tonight despite calf injury, so watch for updates.
Shawne Williams – Will return from suspension tonight. Return of WC & SW hurts Timofey Mozgov.
Brandon Bass – Ankle injury sounds severe, so good news for Ryan Anderson's owners.
Al Harrington – Foot injury could sideline him all week. Can be cut if necessary.
Brandon Rush – Should miss about 10 more days with sprained ankle. Cut candidate.
Rodney Stuckey – Won't play tonight with shoulder injury, could miss weekend too.
Richard Hamilton – "Probable" for tonight after flu, but that doesn't guarantee he'll play.
Ben Wallace – Returned to practice from personal leave, bad news for Greg Monroe.
Jason Maxiell – Likely out tonight with back injury for Pistons.
Wesley Johnson – Missed Monday's practice with knee injury, but has been hot for Wolves.

 

[HacheMan]

Pay This Man His Money
If you woke up this week and became alarmed to realize that it was suddenly February, you should be similarly alarmed that it's already Week 15 of the NBA season. I have no idea how any of that happened so quickly, but I believe it has something to do with time moving faster as we get older, and many people (myself not included) wasting too many waking hours playing Angry Birds.

Now that we've established that time is of the essence, let us waste no more of it and begin:

[SIZE=+1]Trendspotting[/SIZE]

Three on the Rise:

Paul George: I could have easily put Roy Hibbert here after seeing him average 18.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 2.0 bpg in his first two games sans Jim O'Brien, but George warrants a closer look given that the might still be available in your league. The No. 10 overall pick was actually already emerging prior to Obie's dismissal, and has now posted 13.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.7 bpg and 1.2 threes in his last six games. Those aren't earth-shaking numbers, but as avid Stew reader James R. points out, it's a decent statistical facsimile of Francisco Garcia, which makes George worth a look in most leagues.

Corey Maggette: This isn't a trend that developed in the past week, as Maggette has actually been rolling for a while now (18.5 ppg in his last 11 games). But I bring this up to address the concern over the Bucks' wing rotation becoming crowded between Maggette, Delfino and John Salmons. True, it is crowded, but there are still 96 minutes per game to divide up between those three, and Maggette, quite simply, is a player who finds a way to score when healthy. He has averaged 16.8 ppg or better in every season since 2002-03, and now that he's finding his groove I don't see the second half of this season playing out any differently.

Earl Watson: It's unclear exactly how long Deron Williams (wrist) will be out, but Watson (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 8.0 apg in his last four starts) has emerged as a near-mandatory handcuff for Williams, and a viable option for owners seeking a short-term boost in assists.

Follow me on Twitter: @MattStroup

Three on the Plummet:

Raymond Felton: He has performed like a top-10 option for much of the season, but lately appears to be running directly into the D'Antoni Overusage Barrier (D'AOB), a well-known obstacle for point guards subjected to too many minutes under the Knicks coach. In his last 10 games, Felton is averaging 12.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 8.7 apg, 1.5 spg and 0.9 threes on 33.3 percent shooting. He obviously still has value and won't shoot it this badly throughout the second half, but a return to the glory days of November and December (when he posted a sublime 18.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 9.2 apg, 2.0 spg and 1.8 threes on 44.5 percent shooting) is probably not happening.

Wilson Chandler: He has become something of a forgotten individual while sidelined due to a calf injury, but in my opinion that makes Chandler a great buy-low consideration right now. It's true that he had been slumping before getting hurt, but I don't see an extremely brittle Ronny Turiaf or an inconsistent Timofey Mozgov as legitimate threats to his playing time. Chandler is reportedly on track to return Friday, and should return with solid value as a points/threes/rebounds/blocks aficionado before long.

Mario Chalmers: If you added him when he won the starting PG job, you should move on. Despite averaging 27 minutes in his last four, Chalmers' production during that time has been downright ghastly: just 6.8 ppg and 2.3 apg. Goodbye.

[SIZE=+1]Three Random but Hopefully Useful Observations[/SIZE]

1. It's fun to rip Joe Johnson's contract, but let's not overlook his production of late. As a Hawks fan I find it both amusing and miserable to note that Johnson will be making $25 million in 2049 every time I see him drive the lane for an uninspiring eight-foot floater, but his stats over the last month read like those of a player at least somewhat deserving of a grotesque salary: 26.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.0 threes on 51.9 percent shooting from the field. Granted, he's doing nothing in terms of defensive stats (0.6 spg and 0.0 bpg the last month), but his recent run is enough to place him No. 18 overall in Basketball Monster's eight-category rankings since Jan. 2.

2. Boris Diaw: Insufferable, but still somewhat undroppable. Somehow still out of shape more than halfway into the season, Diaw (which, interestingly enough, sits very close to the word "diet" in terms of keyboard placement) is plodding along with 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 4.0 apg in his last three games. On the surface that makes him seem droppable, but as soon as you cut him he's going to go off for a vintage good Boris line just to spite you. The wisest move is to wait until a few of his better games have taken place and then move him as part of a package deal – because he alone won't net you much in a trade.

3. This week's semi-mandatory paragraph on Blake Griffin: First of all, I would like to note that if you take free throws out of the equation and include turnovers as a category, Griffin is the No. 14 overall player in Basketball Monster's rankings. (Side note: Dwight Howard ranks No. 1 in that scenario.) Also, speaking of Griffin's free throw shooting, he was repeatedly examining his right elbow during his 4-for-13 night on Wednesday and had some uncharacteristically awkward misses. I'm not saying this is a major long-term concern, but that elbow – which from my vantage point appeared to be pretty swollen – may have been the key culprit in that bad free throw game. (Also, given that Griffin dropped a 32-13-7 line in that game it's hard to be too upset overall.)

[SIZE=+1]10 Quick-Hitting Statements of Fact and/or Opinion[/SIZE]

1) The Raptors may be wretched, but Amir Johnson is thriving in the midst of the the losing streak, averaging 17.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.2 spg and 1.6 bpg on 63.6 percent shooting in his last five games.

2) After a quiet month as a shot-blocker, Josh Smith is back at 2.0 bpg in his last five.

3) Definitely worth noting that Tyler Hansbrough has posted 13.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg in his first two games back from pneumonia, but his zero steals and zero blocks over those two games highlights his shortcomings as a fantasy option.

4) Deeper league alert: Christian Eyenga posted a 12-4-5 line with two steals, two blocks and a three on Wednesday and has averaged 10.0 ppg, 0.8 spg, 1.8 bpg and 0.8 threes in his last five games.

5) While we're talking Cavs, it's nice that Manny Harris has posted 19.7 ppg and 2.0 threes in his last three, but that fun is likely over once Daniel Gibson (quad) returns.

6) Terribly disappointed by that 2-for-11, four-point stinker on Wednesday from Wesley Johnson, but given that he came in averaging 16.3 ppg and 2.3 threes in his previous four games, I'm giving him at least one more game before cutting him.

7) Marcin Gortat's last eight games: 15.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 64.4 percent shooting. Whether starting or coming off the bench, he's a must-start player until further notice.

8) It's nice to see Mike Miller rebounding (9.0 rpg in his last five), but he's averaging just 6.0 shot attempts, 8.0 points (and 2.0 threes) the past two games with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh all healthy. He has some value as a threes/rebounds specialist, but expect him to be maddeningly sub par in scoring as long as Miami's core is healthy.

Editor's note: For exclusive articles, chats, projections and more, check out the Rotoworld NBA Season Pass.

9) Since you asked, the answer is yes, I am concerned about Baron Davis' back injury. It's good that he was able to finish the game on Wednesday, but my worry is that we haven't heard the last of this thing resurfacing.

10) Kyle Lowry is still showing no signs of disappearing, but Aaron Brooks has posted a useful 15.0 ppg, 5.0 apg and 2.0 threes off the bench in his last two games and is easily capable of sustaining that production going forward.

 

[HacheMan]

Wednesday's Wounded
Chris Paul has been an enigma this year. Whereas he had previously enjoyed a Kevin Durant-like image, his summer of trade demands and hanging out with LeBron James took away some of that goodwill. And with rising stars Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, and Rajon Rondo nipping at his heels, he has lost ground in the 'best PG in the NBA debate.'

In fantasy, however, he has quietly been a top performer all year long, despite many NBA observers saying in hushed tones that he doesn't look quite right, usually as a bullet point in the middle of game notes. The concern has been his left knee, which underwent surgery last season to repair a torn meniscus, but ultimately ended in one of two meniscuses getting removed. The result? He is halfway to where Brandon Roy is currently, ineligible for microfracture surgery in the area that the meniscus was removed, with a bone-on-bone situation in half of his knee.
www.miamiheat.ws
Fast forward to this season, and I need more fingers to be able to count the number of times I've seen Paul limping. Knowing his desire to win at all costs, I've hoped he's simply luring his opponents into false-confidence, while refusing to give credence to the early signs of 'old-man game.' Not him, not now. Of course, the maladies all go away, often within minutes. On Tuesday it was a shin injury, and last night he was carried off the floor with an ankle injury, leaving owners reaching for what we call in one of my leagues – the Triple-P (Pepto, Pabst, and Peppermint Schnapps – for child-like adults only).

True to form he returned to game action, and dropped 15 points, five assists, a three, and two steals in 32 minutes. The Hornets don't play until Saturday, and while it's too early to say, it's hard to believe he won't tip-off against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Here at Rotoworld, we've treated his injury risk with kid gloves. After all, sending owners into a panic over the No. 1 player in fantasy basketball at times is not something we take lightly. I just offer owners this one piece of advice – think about it. Don't bury your head in the sand and hope it all works out. Start making plans now, figure out what you are comfortable getting in return for a player of his caliber, and make sure it's a lot. Again, I'm not saying that you must trade him, but sometimes a hedge against a risk is worth the cost to insure that you don't find yourself holding a total loss.

For real-time news and analysis, you can follow me on Twitter right here.

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

Last we saw Deron Williams in action he was going off for a season-high 39 points last Wednesday, and of course by now you know that his wrist injury was more serious than previously reported. Frankly I'm not surprised, as I warned owners last week at about this time to consider the possibilities that it is serious, and the current state of affairs is that he can't shoot the ball past 12 feet. My best advice for owners is to be skeptical when MRI results get delivered by P.R. departments more than 24 hours after the test is taken, as was the case last week. Why? Because it sometimes means there's a level of spin involved, perhaps to sell more tickets, keep opponents off-balanced, or whatever. Who knows, maybe that's why Carlos Boozer was seemingly one game from returning his entire time in Utah. Either way, owners are stuck with the waiting game for now, and while there is no 'structural' damage apparently, there is also no timetable for his return. Just hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and Earl Watson should be owned in all leagues for his short-term value, as he posted 11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals last night.

Trevor Ariza had the most serious injury from last night, suffering a sprained ankle that is being called "severe." There should be a report today giving an indication of how severe it is, but owners should be braced for at least a week, if not more. Rookie Quincy Pondexter replaced him in the lineup and scored 10 points with four rebounds, two steals, and a three in 33 minutes, and has a bit of a sleeper quality to him, but isn't somebody to rush out and grab in most leagues just yet. As for Marcus Thornton, he played just 10 minutes last night, and while he may get a few more minutes and touches he's still to be left alone in most formats. Across the locker room, Emeka Okafor (oblique) admitted he is likely out until after the All Star break, but replacement center Jason Smith turned back into a pumpkin last night with just six points and four rebounds. Smith, David Andersen, and Aaron Gray figure to cancel each other out here. Meanwhile, Chris Paul's owners may want to think about adding Jarrett Jack as a handcuff if they have dead weight, and certainly if any bad news comes out of the Hive.

Rivaling Ariza's injury in terms of pure visual disturbance was Wesley Matthew's ankle injury last night, which looked like what we like to call 'a monther.' Like Paul he was carried to the locker room, and just like Paul he returned to start the second half. Before you know it he was back out again in just 19 seconds after knocking knees with Chauncey Billups, and returned to finally finish with 19 points, four boards, two assists, three steals, and three 3-pointers. He said after the game that he's been dealing with the ankle for a while, heard "pops," and doesn't plan on missing any time. Wow. Owners can cautiously hope that he can gut this out, but the takeaway here is that Nicolas Batum should be owned in all leagues, and Rudy Fernandez should be watched like a hawk. Rudy has been struggling mightily lately, and been dealing with a back injury of his own, but could be thrust into action if the Blazers curse takes anymore victims. And on that note, Nate McMillan said that Marcus Camby (knee) is "weeks" away from returning, which is a bit less rosy than Camby saying he's "close."

Baron Davis reminded owners last night who he was, leaving the game for about a six-minute span in the second half due to back pain he picked up after banging around for a rebound in the first quarter. My take on Baron has been mostly the same since the Eric Gordon (wrist) news came down – sell him while the going is good. Sure, prior to last night everything was humming along, but passing along a known injury risk when his touches/production were sure to be up seems like a safe play to me. Should this back injury come and go without much fanfare, consider moving him after a big night.

Speaking of Gordon, a couple of reports emerged that he was "day-to-day" and that he would travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. While a few in the know privately questioned if he had turned the corner, Gordon cleared matters up when he said last night that his timetable "is about the same," which was 3-4 weeks from Jan. 25. Obviously, Randy Foye should continue be owned until it's clear that Gordon is ready to return to action.

Raymond Felton, who has literally shot himself out of an All Star berth over the last month, gave owners insight as to why that's occurring. Apparently he has suffered from an ankle injury for the last six weeks. On one hand that's good news, giving him an excuse for the falloff, but a little advance notice might have helped him with both owners and the All Star voting crowd.

Nenad Krstic left Wednesday's game in a walking boot, but before Serge Ibaka's owners travel back in time to tell Ibaka that one day he'll be playing with Kevin Durant, I'll rain on your parade by telling you the boot was precautionary. He will have an MRI today, and while Ibaka (eight points, 12 boards, six blocks last night) should probably be owned for the off-chance that he can win over Scott Brooks during any missed time by Krstic – we may be looking at the same old situation two weeks from now. Ibaka looks like a great Post-Hype All Star for next season.

Andrei Kirilenko continues to frustrate owners with the timing of his injury, and hinted that he may not be able to play in Friday's game. Given his frailty, owners should already be tabbing alternatives, and C.J. Miles (18 points, four rebounds, four assists, one three last night) will continue to be the guy to pick up the slack in his place. Meanwhile, Paul Millsap became a lock for Rick Kamla's Warrior of the Week by playing through his left pinkie and right thumb injuries, and scored 20 points with 11 rebounds, a steal, and three blocks.

Click here for Four Quarters of Fury….
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[SIZE=+1]Four Quarters of Fury[/SIZE]

First Quarter: Amir Johnson started living up to some of the hype, scoring 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting with 14 rebounds, a steal, and a block. Hopefully Reggie Evans doesn't ruin his fun. Andrea Bargnani was benched for a portion of the fourth quarter last night – it's nothing to worry about, but his inefficient play is. Joe Johnson scored a season-high 37 points, and along with Tyreke Evans are two guys I like to reclaim the respect they had on draft day. Josh Smith (knee) and Al Horford (ankle) are still playing through their respective ailments, which don't appear to be a concern. Sweet Lou Williams scored 26 points last night and deserves to be owned in most leagues until he cools off. Jrue Holiday got the first triple-double of his career last night, scoring 11 points with 10 boards and 11 assists. Maybe he'll live up to that hype after all.

Second Quarter: The Cavs lost their 22nd straight game last night and go to tie the NBA record on Friday night against Memphis. I know many folks will point to LeBron James' exit as the reason why, but this team was competing for the No. 8 seed until they turned in their man cards that fateful Thursday night. Anybody that uses the resulting wreckage as justification that Cleveland couldn't surround him with talent is missing the point. Meanwhile, Daniel Gibson will return either Friday or Saturday it looks like, and he should be owned in all leagues unless he has another injury-related setback. He will go unchallenged for minutes when healthy, and has proven to be a go-to guy for them for most of the year. Opinions vary here, but he could emerge as a focal point. Starting SF Christian Eyenga is turning some heads, and scored 12 points with four rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks, and a three. He comes with no guarantees but makes for a nice flier-type pickup right now. Anthony Parker (back) came off the bench for 17 points and a full stat line, and while he will return to the starting lineup at some point he is still on a minute limit. He's also drawing interest from the Bulls in some rumors, which is another reason that Eyenga looks good right now. Ramon Sessions scored a season-high 25 points with nine assists, and with Mo Williams still a ways off in his recovery is a must-own and must-start. Wrapping up the Cavs update, Manny Harris started and scored 19 points with eight boards, and will be useful at least until Gibson returns.

Halftime: New Pacers coach Frank Vogel says he isn't recognized in public, but he may become a favorite with fantasy owners after unshackling Roy Hibbert and Co. He dropped another friendly nugget last night when he said that he was going to rely on his PGs much more, that he wants to run pick-and-rolls in the half court set, enter the ball into the post to Hibbert, and run Danny Granger off screens. I immediately issued a 'buy now' order on Collison, as it seems like a foregone conclusion that his scoring and assist totals increase over the second half. My belief is that while most owners are optimistic about Collison's chances under Vogel, they might not have the conviction that I do after learning this news. Something that appears like an even-value offer right now will in all likelihood be a steal at the end of the year.

Third Quarter: Dirk Nowitzki slammed the buy-low window shut last night with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 11 rebounds, despite not yet looking to be at full speed. Timofey Mozgoz, or as Doc likes to call him TinaFey, looked more like the latter last night with just four points and one rebound in 16 minutes. Toney Douglas came through with 22 points and three treys off the bench, which was needed after Landry Fields and Raymond Felton combined for a 6-of-25 mark from the field. Fields still grabbed nine boards, however. Danilo Gallinari had a big night with 27 points, and has now scored 20 or more points in 4-of-6 games. Wilson Chandler (calf) was a late scratch, but is expected to play Friday. Stay tuned. Stephen Jackson returned to the scene of the Malice at the Palace, and while mock-crying to the adoring crowd he also added a season-high 39 points to his resume. No beer was thrown. Kwame Brown double-doubled for the fifth time in 11 games, while Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw continued to struggle under Paul Silas, especially Diaw. Diaw had no points, four boards, and nine assists, and is creeping toward drop territory if he doesn't get his act together. Wallace, while frustrating, is still likely to bounce back. Ben Gordon started again and scored 20 points, but the real test will be when Rodney Stuckey (shoulder) returns. Tracy McGrady struggled badly on defense lately last night, so there may be a sliver of hope that Stuckey returns to PG, which would benefit Gordon quite a bit.

Fourth Quarter: Kevin Durant put up his NBA leading 5th 40-point game, scoring 43 points on 14-of-19 shooting with five treys, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. He also rescued a puppy from a burning house, or so the legend goes. Sam Young started for the Grizzlies and made some noise, scoring 18 points with four rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block on 9-of-16 shooting in 40 minutes. Those numbers look nice, but I'm not biting just yet. Zach Randolph silenced Kevin Love just in time for the All Star voting, holding the fragrant one to just 10 points and 10 rebounds, barely keeping his double-double streak intact at 34. Darko Milicic struggled mightily and will likely bounce back, so keep an eye out for him if he gets dropped after a three-point, two-rebound, no-block effort. Jonny Flynn started for Luke Ridnour (personal), and scored 11 points with four rebounds, five assists, and two steals, but the offense bogged down and he didn't have a breakthrough moment. It's Rid's job until further notice. Milwaukee got their hats handed to them last night and haven't won in Phoenix since Al Bundy debuted on Fox. Brandon Jennings played up to a 24-minute limit, John Salmons (hip) returned, Andrew Bogut (knee) did not play, Drew Gooden (foot) announced he would be out 4-6 weeks, and only Jennings and Bogut are must-own players. Marcin Gortat, on the other hand, is a must-own player and topped 16 points for the fourth straight game with a 19-point, 11-rebound, one-steal, two-block line. I'm firmly convinced the only reason he isn't starting is that Robin Lopez may lose the little confidence he has if he gets benched. Vince Carter played just 21 minutes last night and killed owners with a two-point night, which may have been the result of the blowout, his balky knee, ineffectiveness, or all of the above.

Overtime: The last game of the night featured two of the league's most exciting players, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin. They didn't disappoint. Rose scored 32 points with 11 assists, and Griffin logged his 40th double-double of the year with 32 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and a block on 14-of-26 shooting. While neither result is surprising, I would bet my massive Rotoworld salary that this is.


[SIZE=+1]Thursday Night Lights[/SIZE]

We get All Star reserve announcements to nitpick over for the next 24-48 hours, the Heat head into the Amway Center, the Spurs go into Staples Center, and the Bucks limp into Oracle Arena. Brandon Bass (ankle) is out and we'll get to see if Stan Van Gundy starts Ryan Anderson or Hedo Turkoglu at PF. Either way, Anderson is set to do damage in fantasy leagues. J.J. Redick (shoulder) is expected to play and resume his 26-28 minutes off the bench. Andrew Bynum (knee) said that he's going to play, but owners will still want to check on him after Phil Jackson wasn't so sure a couple of days ago. Andrew Bogut (knee) is a poor fit to play against the Warriors' up-and-down style, just as he was when he didn't suit up against the Suns last night. Bogut, Brandon Jennings (foot, potential minute-count), and Keyon Dooling (food poisoning) are all iffy plays, and as usual, the reporting out of Milwaukee is bound to be dicey. All in all, we're in for a nice night of fantasy hoops.

 

[HacheMan]

LeBron Gets Medieval On Magic
[SIZE=+1]Thursday's Game Recaps[/SIZE]

LeBron Blows Up In Win Over Magic

LeBron James blew up for a season-high 51 points to go along with 11 rebounds, eight assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers on 17-of-25 shooting in a tough win over the Magic on Thursday. He couldn't be stopped early and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to go for 50-11-8. And despite that crazy line, I'm still losing to Ryan Knaus in my main league.

Dwyane Wade had 15 points in 35 minutes, but suffered a lower back injury in the win. He says he'll play tonight, but he was in pain and this should be considered an actual injury. I'm thinking he'll play tonight, but am also going to call him a game-time decision, as I think it will all depend on how he feels when he wakes up tonight.

Chris Bosh was quiet again with just 13 points and six rebounds, while Mike Miller crashed the glass for 11 rebounds, but scored just five points. Miller has been a beast on the boards and while he's not a must-start every week, he does look like a player who should be owned in most leagues.

Jameer Nelson took advantage of the point guard-challenged Heat with 22 points, six boards, six dimes and two threes for his best line in recent memory. Maybe he'll do it again against the Wizards tonight. Speaking of the Magic vs. the Wiz, watch out for Dwight Howard tonight. He should have a huge line against JaVale McGee and company. Ryan Anderson picked up two early fouls and played just 17 minutes last night, hitting 3-of-10 shots (all threes) for nine points and six rebounds. Seventeen minutes? Foul trouble or not, early shooting woes or not, this is maddening. Hopefully he bounces back tonight, as owners need him to put up some massive numbers while Brandon Bass is out for the next week or so, me included.

Monta Bounces Back, Leads GSW Over Bucks

Monta Ellis broke out of a slump, despite a slow start, and hit 10-of-22 shots and a three for 24 points, five boards, six dimes and a steal in Thursday's win. He was on fantasy benches given the slump and the two-game week, but came through. Stephen Curry's seven turnovers landed him on Keith Smart's bench more than I would have liked to see, but he still finished with 16 points, five boards, five assists, a steal, block and two 3-pointers on 6-of-11 shooting. Hate all you want, but the kid is still a fantasy beast. Andris Biedrins had six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for his third straight solid game and he looks like a nice pickup now that he's remembered how to play basketball again.

Ersan Ilyasova made another start at center for the Bucks in place of injured Andrew Bogut, who remains day-to-day with his knee injury. Ilyasova stayed hot with 23 points, 13 boards, a steal, block and 3-pointer in the loss. I can't believe he's stayed this hot for this long, but he's averaging 19 points and 11 boards in two February games, after averaging 12 points, seven boards and a steal in January, shooting a whopping 52 percent. I still think he's going to cool off and go into a slump any day now, but I will also admit that I've picked in him up in a few leagues where he was available.

Carlos Delfino went off for 20 points, eight boards, five assists, five steals and two 3-pointers in 45 minutes last night, and I'm starting to feel like I was wrong about him. I'm not admitting defeat just yet, but if this is not a mirage and Scott Skiles plans on giving him 40 minutes a night, he's simply a must-own player. Yes, as of now, I missed the boat on Delfino, but he still plays for the Bucks.

John Salmons and Brandon Jennings are back, but are struggling mightily. Jennings is still on a minutes count and has hit just 8-of-32 shots since returning from foot surgery. Salmons is completely useless right now, but Jennings should be held in all leagues. I would not start Jennings until he puts up a couple nice lines in a row and plays more than 24 minutes in a game.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute started again for Bogut and blew up for a season-high 15 points to go along with a career-high 19 rebounds. He also had five assists and two steals in 41 minutes, and I was sad to find that I didn't start him in my 30-team league. But despite his heroics, a 30-team league is still about the only one he should be owned in. As for Andrew Bogut, he's now missed two straight games with his knee injury and remains very iffy for Saturday. Hopefully we'll have some information before that game, but as you guys know, we're relying on the people in Milwaukee who cover the Bucks, so I'm not holding my breath.

McDyess Tips In Game-Winner For Spurs

Antonio McDyess hit just 3-of-10 shots, but tipped in the game-winning shot over Lamar Odom to beat the Lakers on Thursday. Dyess finished with eight points, eight boards and five assists in the win. Richard Jefferson somehow scored 18 points with four 3-pointers, but isn't trustworthy in fantasy, while Tony Parker added 21 points, but just two assists. DeJuan Blair crawled back under a rock, while Tim Duncan hit just 3-of-12 shots for eight points and eight boards on a day he was controversially named an All-Star. Blair has probably been picked up and dropped more than any other fantasy player this season, as he keeps teasing us with double-doubles, and then disappears like he did last night, when he had six points, four boards and zero blocks.

For the Lakers, Andrew Bynum returned from his sore knee and had a nice line. Get him back in your lineup if he's on your bench, but don't be surprised if he misses another game or two before the break. Kobe Bryant just missed a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, which was actually disappointing after he had six boards and six assists in the first quarter.

[SIZE=+1]All-Star Stuff[/SIZE]

The reserves were announced on Thursday and there are several controversial stories about who is in and who is out.

For the East, the reserves are Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Chris Bosh.

I would have gone with Raymond Felton over Allen and Josh Smith over Bosh. Smith is possibly a homer call on my part, but Felton's first-half numbers shout out loud that he should have been on the team.

The West reserves are Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Russell Westbrook, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams.

Duncan is not having a very good season, while Kevin Love is having an historic one. Duncan over Love was a travesty in my book, the Wolves record be damned. I also would have gone with LaMarcus Aldridge over Dirk. Dirk and Duncan have been there enough and it's time for some new blood, especially given Dirk's recent struggles, injury and the fact he's running like a 40-year-old man. Early word is that Steve Nash will replace Yao Ming on the roster, and if Love doesn't end up on this team as an injury replacement for someone, I'm not going to be happy. That is all.

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

Deron Williams (wrist) admitted Wednesday night that he "can't shoot the basketball past 12 feet, and it hurts a lot when I do that." That's going to leave him very iffy for Friday against the Nuggets and it would be surprising to see him play. The guys who cover the Jazz are great about feeding us info and opinions, so I'm guessing we'll know something before game time. If he's out, look for Earl Watson to have another nice game.

Andrei Kirilenko sounds like he's planning on sitting against tonight with his ankle injury, which really bums me out. Kirilenko was the glue that was going to hold my six-man team together in League Freak, but that plan looks to have blown up in my face. Hopefully you're not in the same boat. Gordon Hayward would likely start again, but C.J. Miles is the obvious fantasy play.

Trevor Ariza is set to miss several games and possibly two weeks with his ankle sprain. Right now, Quincy Pondexter looks like the starter and might be a sneaky short-term pick up, while the Hornets are going to sign Sasha Pavlovic, who would probably split time with Pondexter. And yes, that means Marcus Thornton sees no benefit from Ariza's injury as Monty Williams continues to taunt us. Chris Paul is expected to play on Saturday with his newly sprained ankle, while Emeka Okafor will miss a couple weeks with a strained oblique.

Luke Ridnour didn't travel with the Wolves to Toronto for tonight's game for personal reasons, and while it's possible he could show up, it doesn't seem likely. This means Jonny Flynn is worth another spot start tonight, as long as Ridnour doesn't show up.

Wilson Chandler says he will play through his calf injury tonight after practicing Thursday. He was a late scratch in his last one, but it does sound like he's a go this time. .

Eric Gordon said his injured wrist feels about the same it did a few days ago, which is not great news. Yes, he's on the road trip with the Clippers, but that thing is a whopping 11 games! It sounds like he's still at least a week away, so just leave him benched unless we get some good news. I have no idea why the Clips are insisting he's day-to-day, but maybe Gordon really is in better shape than everyone else is saying. Then again, Gordon said "I'm not rushing into just being out there and playing…I have to let it heal as much as possible and we'll see."

Baron Davis' back is feeling better, but he remains questionable/game-time decision for tonight at Atlanta. Watch for updates today.

Wesley Matthews should play tonight at Indiana after suffering a couple injuries (ankle, knee) on Wednesday, but then again, we haven't received a new update on him since that night. Watch for updates today. Marcus Camby won't play this week, and could miss several more games with his knee injury.

Marvin Williams is expected to start for the Hawks tonight in his return from a two-game suspension, and is a possible low-end fantasy option again.

Mo Williams (hip) could start on-court running as soon as Thursday, but is expected to miss at least another week as he recovers from a hip injury. That means Ramon Sessions should have another solid week of value left in him. Also keep a close eye on Christian Eyenga tonight for the Cavs. He had a very nice line in his previous game and is getting a ton of minutes as the starting small forward. If he plays well again tonight at Memphis, he probably becomes a must-own player. Daniel Gibson is also planning to return tonight, but it sound like Anthony Parker, who had very nice game on Wednesday, will be the starting SG going forward.

Coach Rick Carlisle said that Peja Stojakovic (knee) is tentatively expected to make his Mavericks debut Monday against the Cavs. Given the fact that Carlisle has been starting Brian Cardinal, my guess is Peja is going to start when healthy. Shawn Marion should be throwing a fit, but probably doesn't even care at this point, but I look for Peja to be more injured than anything else the rest of the way. Just keep an eye on him once he starts playing.

Nenad Krstic is set for an MRI on his right foot Thursday. I'm going to guess he's going to miss some games and this is precisely the break the owners of Serge Ibaka have been waiting for. If he's available in your league, now's the time to grab him.

Rodney Stuckey (shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Friday's game against the Nets, which is not surprising given how bad his shoulder injury looked when he went down. The T-Mac & Ben Gordon show will run for another night, at least.

Linas Kleiza underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Wednesday and is out for the season for the Raptors. Sonny Weems looks locked in as the starter, but he's a low-end fantasy option for now. Leandro Barbosa is expected back tonight from a hamstring injury and could be thrust into heavy action early as Jerryd Bayless is likely out with a knee injury. He's worth a pick up if you need a guard.

Jason Thompson is questionable tonight against the Spurs with an ankle injury. When he returns it will be interesting to see if Paul Westphal sticks with Samuel Dalembert in the starting five over JT, but my guess is he will.

[SIZE=+1]Guster, Wild Flag, Sebadoh[/SIZE]

You may have seen my fantasy hoops interview with Guster's drummer, Brian Rosenworcel, back in February. If you missed it, it's right here. Anyway, they're playing in the ATL tonight and I'm taking the whole crew (wife and a slew of kids) to see them tonight. Great guys, great pop band and you should check them out if you're into that sort of thing. We saw them for the first time back in 1999 and my wife quickly declared them her favorite band.

I also have plans to see Janet Weiss' new band, Wild Flag, later this month, and have an upcoming date with Sebadoh as well. Enjoy the 12-game schedule tonight, as Aaron Bruski will be filling in for me on a busy Friday.

 

[HacheMan]

DeJuan Ready To Heat Up?
LeBron James and Danny Granger combined for 4.3 fantasy points for my team on Sunday, leading me to yet another loss. When you're getting 4.3 out of your studs on Sunday, you're not going to win many games. Landry Fields had 5.1 on his own, while Amare Stoudemire racked up close to nine points by himself today. This is not my year in a couple leagues. The teams are nice on paper, but when you can't win with Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Josh Smith in a six-man lineup, it's not your year.

LeBron was complaining during a timeout on Sunday about wrapping it up so he could get to his Super Bowl party on time. LeBron, next time I hope you don't let a basketball game get in the way of your party. Thanks again for the 5-for-14 shooting, 10 points and six turnovers. And just like LeBron, I have a SB part to attend, but I'm actually going to get my job done first. I've had some requests for a deeper look at the waiver wire, and I tried to go there today. I hope your teams fared better than mine did this week. Sorry for my bad mood.

If you want to experience more of my grumpiness on a regular basis, just follow me on Twitter.

[SIZE=+1]Guards[/SIZE]

Landry Fields Knicks

Fields racked up his 11th double-double of the season today, while Brook Lopez still has accomplished the feat just once. Fields had a huge line across the board on Sunday and while he's a bit inconsistent, should still be owned in almost all leagues. In fact, I only list him here in case he was recently dropped in yours.

Paul George Pacers

George had another nice line on Sunday and while he's not exactly a must-own player, he has provided value over the last couple weeks. He had 14 points, six boards and a couple steals on Sunday, and came in averaging 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 threes in two February games. He's averaging 25 minutes per game over his last eight and I still like the idea of grabbing him in most leagues.

Christian Eyenga Cavaliers

Eyenga has been Rotoworld's hot pickup for a week or so now and he has been playing well. In his three February games he's averaging 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, nearly two blocks and a 3-pointer per game. He's the starting small forward for the Cavs, but qualifies at both guard positions in many leagues. What more do you need to know?

Anthony Morrow Nets

Morrow is starting for the Nets now and should rack up points and threes in bunches. He won't do much else and is somewhat inconsistent, but should still be owned in most leagues.

Lou Williams Sixers

Sweet Lou is still quietly getting it done and is one of the more reliable shooting guards in the league. He's been consistent all year, but is hot right now, averaging 17.5 points, a steal, a block and 1.5 threes in his two February games.

Richard Hamilton Pistons

We had a rare Richard Hamilton sighting on Saturday as the Pistons try to prove to the rest of the league that he can still play. He actually looked pretty good, but I think he's only worth a pickup in deeper, or points-based leagues. I'm also wondering if John Kuester played him only after he heard Rip say that he didn't think he'd every play for Detroit again. Either way, he's a roll of the dice and an overrated fantasy player even when things are going well.

Jose Juan Barea Mavericks

JJB has been hot again lately, averaging 16 points and two 3-pointers over his last three games. I have no idea how long he'll keep it going, but chances are this is just another one-hit wonder performance for him. And if/when Roddy Beaubois ever shows up, JJB will be useless. Think about grabbing him in a deep league, but be ready to cut bait as soon as his run comes to an end.

Dahntay Jones Pacers

Jones was completely out of the rotation for the Pacers until Jim O'Brien got the axe. In his previous three games heading into Sunday, Jones played 10, 11 and 14 minutes. In Sunday's blowout, he played 20 minutes and hit 7-of-10 shots for 16 points. Again, not a guy most of you will want to pick up, but he's trending up and could be a nice deep-league grab.

Droppables: Manny Harris, Gilbert Arenas, Ty Lawson, Reggie Williams, Mario Chalmers.

Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker are going to ruin Harris, Arenas' knee appears to still be a big concern, while Lawson is only going to be worth it if Chauncey Billups is traded. Which is probably a long shot.

Keep reading for Forwards and Centers.
<!--RW-->
[SIZE=+1]Forwards[/SIZE]

Amir Johnson & Greg Monroe should already be owned in all leagues.

Nicolas Batum Blazers

Batum caught fire on Saturday, hitting 6-of-8 shots and five 3-pointers for 21 points and seven rebounds. He disappeared for a couple games but is back in a groove after a knee injury. I also think he'll average a block, a steal and a 3-pointer in the month of February.

C.J. Miles Jazz

Miles isn't starting, but like Lou Williams, is one of the more reliable bench players in the league. He'll mainly be a source of points and 3-pointers, and could be available in your league after Saturday's 2-for-11 performance.

Sam Young Grizzlies

Young's a forward playing shooting guard for the Grizzlies. In fact, he's not only playing, but is starting in place of Tony Allen (and suspended O.J. Mayo). It doesn't feel like Young does much besides score, but his February numbers are quite impressive. In three games, he's averaging nearly 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block and is shooting 53 percent. He struggled in his last game, but had scored in double figures in five straight before that one. He might have earned the starting job for the rest of the season and the Grizzlies play four times in the upcoming week.

And I just went to grab him in the league that has me in a such a bad mood and The Bearded Clams already snagged him.

Ryan Gomes Clippers

I'm not sold on owning Gomes but, as usual, he deserves a look in deeper leagues. If you need 10 points, five boards and a three, he's your guy.

Austin Daye Pistons

Daye has perked up again lately, averaging nearly 10 points, four boards, a block and two threes in February. We say it every month, but Kuester needs to turn him loose for good. As usual, he looks like a quality deep-league add.

Sonny Weems Raptors

With Linas Kleiza out for the year, Weems should start the rest of the way at small forward for the Raps. He's averaging 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in February and should continue to get 30 minutes per game as a starter. If he stumbles, Julian Wright could emerge as a worthy pickup, while Leandro Barbosa is another guy you need to take a look at in Toronto.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Bucks

I'm not going to pick the Prince up, but he deserves a mention after his huge line of 15 points and 19 boards on Friday. Of course, he backed that up with 4 & 5 in the next one, as Andrew Bogut returned to action.

Ike Diogu Clippers

Diogu came into Sunday's game averaging 11 points, 6.5 boards and a block in his last two games, and had four points and four boards on Sunday. If you're in a real deep league and are desperate for a big man, he's getting enough minutes to be given a look.

Droppable: Glen Davis, Taj Gibson, Kenyon Martin, Troy Murphy, Anthony Randolph

[SIZE=+1]Centers[/SIZE]

Chuck Hayes Rockets

Hayes should be owned in most leagues by now, but if he's not, grab him. He had 15 points, seven boards, a steal and a block in his last unlikely big game.

Andris Biedrins Warriors

Biedrins is hot (for him) right now, averaging nearly eight points, 10 boards and two blocks over his last four games. Pick him up, now that he has a pulse.

Samuel Dalembert Kings

It was a highly disappointing week for Sammy D, but he at least had those five blocks in his first game of the week. After scoring 16 and 18 points back-to-back, he's had 4 & 0 in his last two, but also collected 15 boards and five blocks in those two games. I still think he's going to be worth owning going forward, although the return of Jason Thompson isn't going to help his cause.

Kwame Brown Bobcats

Kwame is slowly turning back into Kwame, as he's probably getting tired. He had just six points and four boards on Friday, but bounced back with 10 & 9 on Saturday. He's still worth owning in many leagues, but I'm still waiting for him to fade.

DeJuan Blair Spurs

Blair is either a monster double-double or four points and five boards. But as the Spurs begin to coast to the playoffs, look for him to get more run. He looks like a decent add, but you'll have to pick your spots on playing him. And there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to when he'll play well. If you have figured that one out, hit me on Twitter and I'll retweet it if it's a good take.

Droppable: DeAndre Jordan

I'm not a huge fan of dropping Jordan, but he's in a nasty slump right now and one of the other guys on this list might be a better player to roll with right now.

 

[HacheMan]

Brooks Suspended by HOU
Games Played

2 Games: Hawks
3 Games: Celtics, Bulls, Rockets, Heat, Nets, Knicks, Thunder, Blazers, Jazz and Wizards.

Every other team has four games this week.

Ant-Rand & Murphy

I spoke with some people who are very tuned into what's going on in Minnesota on Saturday and it initially sounded like there was a good chance Anthony Randolph would be traded to the Timberwolves. However, a short time later, the deal died. Randolph is going to probably be traded before the trade deadline, but his two best chances to succeed were miserable failures in New York and Golden State. I honestly don't know where he could go where he'd get a chance to start, and it's really looking like a wasted season for him.

Troy Murphy might be in the same boat, but has a better chance at success than Randolph does. I haven't wasted my time holding either player this season, which I am thankful for. But with the trade deadline approaching, now seems like a good time to stash Murphy if he's available in your league. Just don't expect him to automatically become a fantasy force if and when he's finally dealt.

Who's Hot

Elton Brand, Amir Johnson, Antawn Jamison, Christian Eyenga, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert, Richard Jefferson, Danilo Gallinari, Jeff Green, Lou Williams, Nicolas Batum, Jose Calderon and Landry Fields are all coming off a solid week and should probably be in starting lineups while they're hot.

Who's Not

Jrue Holiday, D.J. Augustin, DeAndre Jordan, John Wall, Shawn Marion, Andre Miller and Aaron Brooks are all cold right now, and should be started at your own risk. I'm going to run with DJA and Holiday again this week for four games, but I'd happily bench them if I had better options at point guard.

Waiver Wired

In case you haven't seen it yet, you can check out this week's Waiver Wired by clicking here.

Injury News and Notes

Rockets

Aaron Brooks has been suspended for tonight's game by the Rockets after leaving the court early in Saturday's win over the Grizzlies. Brooks is unhappy with being benched and finally snapped on Saturday. This could mean that Kyle Lowry is now a lock to start for the rest of the season, and also leaves Brooks standing with coach Rick Adelman and his teammates. If you own Brooks, try to hang on for another week and see how this plays out, but I wouldn't put him into your lineup until further notice. Lowry now looks like a must-start player again this week, or at least for Monday night.

Bulls

Joakim Noah is set to return from thumb surgery just after the All-Star break and he should be owned in all leagues at this point.

Cavs

Mo Williams is getting closer to returning from a hip injury, but should miss most of the upcoming week. That means Ramon Sessions should be good to go for another week, but he's going to be tough to rely on once Williams is back.

Celtics

Marquis Daniels went down on Sunday with a scary injury and will miss at least a month with a bruised spinal cord. After seeing him go down, motionless, the fact he's not severely injured is fantastic. Delonte West hopes to be back as soon as the All-Star break is over, and will probably get some extra run with Daniels out. But as long as Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen are healthy.

Clippers

Eric Gordon is still out with a wrist injury and his return date is completely up in the air. There have been mixed reports as to when he'll be back in action, my guess is he won't play again this week. Hopefully I'm wrong, but there's a pretty decent chance he'll be out until the break.

Hawks

Al Horford missed Saturday's game and is dealing with a back injury, but should play on Tuesday. The problem is the Hawks play just two games this week, making Horford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford shaky fantasy plays. Smith had a monster line on Saturday and Horford's absence was a big reason.

Hornets

Trevor Ariza doesn't sound likely to play this week with his ankle injury, meaning Quincy Pondexter should continue to start. His minutes weren't great in his last game and he's by no means a sure bet for fantasy use. But in a deep league, he might be worth a look as a short-term fix.

Emeka Okafor isn't likely to play until after the All-Star break and that means Jason Smith, who missed Saturday due to an illness, should get several more starts. He had a big game in his first start with 20 points and five boards, but didn't do much in his next one. I'm not a big fan of using him in fantasy leagues, despite the opportunity he has. David West is probably the player with the most to gain from Okafor's absence.

Jazz

Andrei Kirilenko missed his last three games with a sprained ankle but is hoping to play tonight against the Kings. He's going to be a game-time decision, but owners who were burned by Kirilenko last week are going to have a tough time throwing him back into the mix. I'm benching him in weekly leagues, despite the four-game week.

Kings

DeMarcus Cousins hurt his finger on Friday, but I haven't heard a word about it since. Ignore his finger and keep him in your lineup. Jason Thompson is expected back from a sprained ankle tonight and should start over Samuel Dalembert, who struggled while starting last week. Dalembert had been playing well off the bench before Thompson went down, but remains a pretty shaky fantasy starter if he's not in the first unit for the Kings. Thompson, Carl Landry and Dalembert have all had their moments this season, and it's impossible to figure out which one is going to be worth owning from week to week. I think Thompson might be worth owning again, but I'd be very reluctant to put him into lineups right now.

Magic

Brandon Bass is healing quickly from his sprained ankle and could play this Friday. That's going to hurt Ryan Anderson, but he should be a safe start for another week. And given how well he was playing off the bench before Bass went down, Anderson is a keeper. His minutes have been strange lately, but I still think he's worth starting in most leagues.

Mavs

Peja Stojakovic is expected to make his debut for the Mavericks tonight against the Cavaliers, and could even be in the starting lineup. He's worth a look, but I can't see him staying healthy enough to be worth the risk in most leagues. But if you need a 3-point specialist, he might be worth the trouble.

Roddy Beaubois is nearing his season debut after foot surgery, but still doesn't have a target date set. And I'm starting to think that even when he does return, he's not likely to have as big of a role as many owners are hoping for. He had so much promise before the season started, but that promise takes a hit with each game he misses.

Nets

Damion James is expected to start for the Nets once he returns from a foot injury, as he'll replace Travis Outlaw in the staring unit. He's been shooting it terribly this season and is not a must-own player, but could be a nice grab in deeper leagues. He's expected back some time before the All-Star break.

Nuggets

Chris Andersen is still dealing with his sore knee and can't seem to get healthy this season. Kenyon Martin is in the same boat for the Nuggets, but actually played in back-to-back games over the weekend. It feels like both players are going to be in and out of the lineup the rest of the way. Ty Lawson missed Saturday's game with a sore knee. He shouldn't be in starting lineups anyway, but is still a guy who could see an explosion in value if Chauncey Billups is traded.

Pistons

Rodney Stuckey missed the whole week with his shoulder injury and remains day-to-day. He should be getting closer to playing, but leave him on your bench until you see him play again.

Raptors

Leandro Barbosa is hoping to play on Tuesday after missing close to a month with a hamstring injury. I like Barbosa as a pick up right now and he could see a big role when he's back for the Raps. Reggie Evans is also nearing a return, and I'm just hoping he doesn't end up hurting Amir Johnson's value. I don't think the Raptors would actually give Evans his starting job back now that their season is essentially over, but you never know.

Timberwolves

Luke Ridnour is still out with a family matter and is not expected to play on Monday night. We still don't know what the problem is, but it must be fairly serious, as this would make his fourth straight missed game. Keep him benched until we get better news.

Blazers

Marcus Camby is hoping to practice on Tuesday after missing a couple weeks with a knee injury. It's possible he could play on Friday against the Raptors, but I'm not touching him this week.

 

[HacheMan]

Dose: Forecast for Melo & 50
There were only eight games on Monday night, but there was more than enough news to keep us busy. Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller and Kevin Martin all blew up, Brandon Roy is plotting a return, while guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Nene, Stephen Jackson, Michael Beasley and Chauncey Billups all had various issues last night.

I am digging the new look of Rotoworld.com, and I'm sure a couple weeks from now we won't even remember how it used to look. If you're curious as to what we were thinking, check this out.

More Melo-drama

Melo made headlines again yesterday for missing shootaround for 'personal reasons,' causing everyone to think he'd been traded. Then, just for kicks, he took over in a loss to the Rockets and finished with a career-high tying 50 points on 16-of-24 shooting, and hit 16-of-18 free throws, a couple threes and added 11 rebounds and three blocks for good measure. Look, we all know Melo isn't likely to play for the Nuggets next season and that the Knicks appear to be his final destination. But whether it happens this week, in two weeks or over the summer is anyone's guess. Just keep rolling him out there and pay attention when talks appear to become serious. But there's still a decent chance he'll finish the year in Denver.
www.miamiheat.ws
Aldridge On Career-High Binge, Andre Miller the Villain

LaMarcus Aldridge seemingly sets a new career high every few days now, and did so again last night with 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting and added eight rebounds, and two blocks in a tough win over the Bulls. There's still plenty of time for him to be added to the All-Star team the way guys are falling right and left, and he certainly deserves to be there from a numbers standpoint.

His teammate, Andre Miller, who has quickly joined LeBron James as one of the league's best villains for his treatment and comments about Blake Griffin, blew up for 27 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and a block on 7-of-11 shooting and even hit all 13 of his free throws. He probably will perform better with a chip on his shoulder, so this new role as one of Darth Vader's storm troopers should suit him.

Man Love

Kevin Love tied Kevin Garnett with his 37th straight double-double with 27 points and 17 rebounds last night, and is poised to break the T-Wolves' team record tonight at Houston – unless Chuck Hayes decides to do something about it.

Mini-Mart

Kevin Martin had 37 points, four more 3-pointers, seven assists and three steals again last night, as his big season continues. We were scared away from him by injury concerns, which proved to be a mistake this year.

Roy & Peja Back?

Brandon Roy is expected to return this weekend for the Blazers, while Peja Stojakovic started for the Mavs last night and had eight points, five rebounds and a 3-pointer on 3-of-9 shooting. I look at these guys in similar ways. They're not healthy, they're going to try to help their teams and return to form, and the odds are not in their favor to have much success. Both players are probably worth a flier if still available in your league, but I'm not expecting too much from either one of them. I don't own either player in 11 leagues.

The Wrists Aren't All Right

Eric Gordon is having a couple other specialists look at his wrist, which is probably not great news. That means it's still a problem and still not feeling better, and while surgery has been ruled out once, it's still possible he could need it. Just keep him benched for now.

Dirk Nowitzki hurt his right wrist last night but X-Rays were negative. He had just 12 points and six rebounds, and owners have to hope this doesn't linger.

Deron Williams played through his wrist injury and had a nice game with 21 points, nine dimes and solid shooting, but it was clear his wrist was in serious pain throughout the game. He's determined to keep playing through it, but it could be a nerve-wracking ride for his owners.

The Kids Are All Right

Christian Eyenga and Sam Young became hot pickups on Sunday and Monday as we were pushing them pretty hard, and both players answered the call last night. Eyenga had 15 points, four boards and a 3-pointer, while Young had a career-high 22 points along with two 3-pointers, three rebounds and two steals. And he's not even supposed to be hitting threes! Both players are worth a look in nearly every league at this point.

Injury Roundup

Chauncey Billups went down with a left knee strain last night and will have an MRI on Tuesday. While it doesn't sound all that serious (yet), Ty Lawson had 19 points, six boards and five assists, and, as usual, should be picked up in all leagues again. And even if Billups is healthy, he's still a candidate to be traded, meaning it's time to hold onto Lawson through the trade deadline.

Hedo Turkoglu says his right knee is in a lot of pain and that he might have to get it looked at. And that's not usually great news.

Nene missed last night's game with the flu, meaning Al Harrington started in his place. As usual, Harrington failed to walk through the open door and hit just 4-of-12 shots for 10 points. Nene shouldn't be out for long.

Darko Milicic left with a hip flexor last night and simply can't stay healthy. Injuries have really ruined his year and if you've had enough, set him free. Michael Beasley tweaked his left ankle injury again and it now sounds like he's prepared to take some time off. He could probably use a week to fully heal, and if Darko's also out, guys like Corey Brewer, Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster, Anthony Tolliver and Nikola Pekovic could all see a boost.

Luke Ridnour missed his fourth straight game last night due to complications surrounding the birth of his twins, but Jonny Flynn hasn't exactly put his stamp on the starting job. It's still Ridnour's whenever he returns.

Keep reading for game news and notes.
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[SIZE=+1]Game News and Notes[/SIZE]

Stephen Jackson got ejected from last night's game early with a couple more technical fouls and his antics may be growing thin on management. Maybe he's trying to get himself traded, or maybe he's just going crazy. Either way, he probably needs to calm down. And if you believe Spike Lee (and why wouldn't you?), the same can be said for Kevin Garnett.

Aaron Brooks served his one-game suspension last night, but it's unclear if he's going to return to the mix anytime soon or not. There are also rumors that he's going to be traded to the Knicks. If you own Brooks, just put him on the bench for now. Kyle Lowry struggled, hitting just 1-of-9 shots, but still finished with 11 points, five assists and four steals. Lowry remains a must-own player the rest of the way.

Slump Busters

Gerald Wallace had 19 points, 16 boards, a steal and a block.
Andrei Kirilenko (ankle) returned w/ 10 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, a steal and 3 blocks.
Shawn Marion had 17 points and 10 boards for Dallas.
Jason Thompson (ankle) started and had 14 points and three blocks.
J.J. Hickson had 26 points and 12 boards, as Cavs lost 25th straight game.
Chuck Hayes double-doubled again w/ 12 points, 10 boards, a steal and block.
Rudy Fernandez scored 18 with 2 threes and 2 steals.
Channing Frye had 19 points, 5 3-pointers, 11 rebounds and a block.
Reggie Williams had 19 points and 5 rebounds, but it was fluky.

In A Funk

D.J. Augustin had just nine points and four assists in 26 minutes, while Shaun Livingston had a season-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Am I mildly concerned? Yes. But Augustin should bounce back soon, so keep rolling with him. The fact Livingston is even playing NBA basketball is one of the great comeback stories of all time, but I still don't think he's ready to take over for DJA.

Kwame Brown hit just 1-of-9 shots for four points, but did add 12 rebounds and two blocks in last night's shocking win over the Celtics, and is still worth owning in most leagues.

Wesley Matthews hit just 3-of-12 shots last night for six points, but played 46 minutes. He appears to somehow still be healthy, but deferred to the big lines of teammates Aldridge and Miller.

Jose Juan Barea had nine points and seven assists last night, and things will only get worse when Roddy Beaubois makes his debut. JJB is worth a look, but is far too inconsistent to start in most leagues.

Carl Landry got just eight minutes for the Kings last night, as Thompson started, and Samuel Dalembert got enough run off the bench for nine points, 11 boards and a block. DeMarcus Cousins was big again with 25 points and 14 boards, meaning everyone but Landry, for now, can be used in fantasy. On a side note, Tyreke Evans reportedly got into it with Paul Westphal after scoring 21 points, but it doesn't sound like a big deal as of now.

Daniel Gibson hit just 1-of-5 shots last night for the Cavs and is a mess. He's sort of like a healthy Roddy B, just ruining fantasy lives and taking names while underachieving at a monumental pace. Maybe he'll get it going, but I'm no longer sure that he's a must-own, or that he's ever going to return to form this year.

C.J. Miles his just 6-for-27 in his last three games after scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting last night. Raja Bell is probably the guy to blame, as he's averaging 17 ppg over his last three games. I'd rather have Eyenga or Young at this point.

Marcin Gortat had just eight points and nine boards last night against the Warriors, as the fantasy world still waits for him to get a starting gig. Don't cut him.

Dorell Wright was just 3-of-13, Monta Ellis was 5-of-17 and Andris Biedrins had two points and three rebounds in just 17 minutes last night. That was one poor effort from everyone involved, but I'm not giving up on Biedrins yet. He had played pretty well in his previous four games and the Suns have a way of rendering opposing centers useless.

 

[HacheMan]

Timmy in Trouble
NBA teams don't care about stats or minutes played. The good ones -- and good players -- simply care about winning. So take a look at this statline and guess who the player is: 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks in 29.1 minutes per night. If you guessed "beefed up Kris Humphries," you are wrong. If you guessed Tim Duncan, you are well aware of the future Hall of Famer's reduced role. And the bad news for owners is that it's only going to get worse.

Coaches are constantly tinkering, toying and yanking around with rotations. Sometimes it has to do with injuries. In other instances, it's a result of ineffective play from a certain player or team goals. The effect this has on minutes played and thus statistical production is where we come in.

Each week in this space, I'll explore the rotations of half the league's teams while attempting to get inside coaches' heads. The idea is not to tell you what Kevin Durant and LeBron James are going to do -- it's to decipher how much production we can get out of fringe players. Last week, I hit the East. Let's start this week off with the Spurs, where Gregg Popovich will soon be looking toward the playoffs.

* Note that lineups listed reflect the starters in the team's last game. Stats are through Monday's games unless otherwise noted.

<BIG>SAN ANTONIO</BIG>
PG Tony Parker
SG Manu Ginobili
SF Richard Jefferson
PF Tim Duncan
C DeJuan Blair

Tim Duncan played just under 13 minutes on Friday due to simple rest. With the Spurs seven games clear of the Mavs for the top seed in the West and just 32 games to play, look for much more rest down the stretch. Owners should be trying to sell high on name value at all costs, especially if you are in a head-to-head playoff league. Duncan is a threat to sit out the final week of the season and play sparingly on back-to-backs. Already playing just 29.1 minutes nightly, any more time off will be devastating.

The biggest benefactor of Duncan resting is DeJuan Blair. Blair has played 30 or more minutes six times this season. In those games, he is averaging 14.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

Don't chase Tiago Splitter's stats from Friday. Matt Bonner (knee) is nearing a return and Splitter has played five minutes or less in 10 of the last 16 games. That offensive outburst was a fluke. … Richard Jefferson is out of his slump and back up around 32-34 minutes nightly. Owners could do worse for a 3-point specialist, but his 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.4 assists make me stay away.
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<BIG>DALLAS</BIG>
PG Jason Kidd
SG DeShawn Stevenson
SF Peja Stojakovic
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Tyson Chandler

As expected, Peja Stojakovic's debut came in a starting role. He'll stay there, as coach Rick Carlisle is adamant about bringing both Jason Terry and Shawn Marion off the bench. Heck, he even started Brian "The Janitor" Cardinal at small forward last week before Peja was ready.

However, Stojakovic will be nothing more than a 3-point specialist. Even once 100 percent, the starting small forward in this scheme will not come close to 30 minutes. And as a shell of himself, Peja's numbers are capped. Even when Stojakovic started 55 games and played 32 minutes a night a year ago for the Hornets, he averaged just 13.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Considering Rodrigue Beabois has not played since October, he sure is garnering a lot of hype. I am not buying it. Players coming off layoffs as long as this often need weeks to get up to speed and it's not like Roddy B was an established star anyway. He certainly has a ton of talent, but I do not think he will start over DeShawn Stevenson at any point this season. I would much rather be stashing Chris Kaman, Mo Williams, Ty Lawson etc.

Editor's Note: Draft a hoops team just for tonight and win real cash in SnapDraft!

<BIG>DENVER</BIG>
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Arron Afflalo
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Kenyon Martin
C Al Harrington

Now just over two weeks away from the deadline, Carmelo Anthony remains a good bet to be traded. The Nuggets have seen what has happened to the Cavs and Raptors when they lost their superstars and can not afford to get nothing in return. Chauncey Billups may very go along with him, so Ty Lawson remains a must-stash to me. The upside with Lawson starting (17.0 points, 6.0 assists, 1.6 treys, 1.0 steals in five starts this year) is too high to give up on. UPDATE: Billups left Monday night's game with a knee strain and did not return. You should not need any more reasons to add Lawson.

Meanwhile, Kenyon Martin (knee) has finally been cleared to play in back-to-back games. It makes him worth owning in very deep formats, but realize that there is no upside here. Martin no longer has any explosion and is averaging just 1.3 blocks per 36 minutes. He will play more like 24 most nights and gets no plays run for him on offense.

<BIG>GOLDEN STATE</BIG>
PG Stephen Curry
SG Monta Ellis
SF Dorell Wright
PF David Lee
C Andris Biedrins

The Warriors have tightened their rotation of late, giving Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and Dorell Wright around 40 minutes nightly. All three are young, fresh and can handle the workload. There is no real reason to think any will wear down.

Andris Biedrins was put on notice by coach Keith Smart a couple weeks ago: Either play better, or Ekpe Udoh is going to get the nod at center. Biedrins promptly responded with three straight double-figure rebounding games and his first double-double in two months.

Biedrins is safe for 27-29 minutes right now and considering his meager value on the fantasy trade market, you might as well ride this out. The odds of Biedrins regressing are strong, but not strong enough to warrant getting pennies on the dollar. Ideally, the Warriors want to bring the raw Udoh along as slow as possible.

<BIG>HOUSTON</BIG>
PG Kyle Lowry
SG Kevin Martin
SF Shane Battier
PF Luis Scola
C Chuck Hayes

It's hard to blame Aaron Brooks for being disgruntled. He is in the final year of his contract and lost his starting job due to injury. Yes, Brooks is playing bad -- but if he had his usual minutes and was playing with the first unit, he would likely be playing at last year's level.

So Brooks is angry that he is playing 21.8 minutes a night over the last six weeks and the situation reached a head Saturday night. The 3-point bomber was removed from the game late and simply walked off the court, resulting in a one-game suspension from the team.

Yes, the way Brooks is being treated is costing him millions. But by acting unprofessionally, he is now an extremely poor bet to ever get his starting job back. Coach Rick Adelman said Monday night that he doesn't know if Brooks will even get back in the rotation. Perhaps the Rockets have no plans to re-sign Brooks and therefore are giving Lowry much-needed experience. If so, a trade of Brooks could very well be in the works. Try to hold Brooks through the deadline -- if nothing happens then, he is safe to drop.

Brad Miller's return will not really affect Chuck Hayes' minutes. Hayes is simply playing at a high level. Entering Monday, he had earned 40-plus minutes in three straight games with hard work on the glass and on defense. Start 'em and expect contributions in blocks, steals and rebounds.

Editor's Note: For weekly projections, daily pickup advice, exclusive columns and much more, check out Rotoworld's Season Pass!

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<BIG>LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS</BIG>
PG Baron Davis
SG Randy Foye
SF Ryan Gomes
PF Blake Griffin
C DeAndre Jordan

Randy Foye has performed much better as a starter than I thought he would. After failed stints while starting in both Minnesota and Washington, he is showing an improved 3-point stroke since Eric Gordon (wrist) went down. In seven starts, Foye is playing 35.6 minutes per game while averaging 16.1 points on 35.9 percent 3-point shooting. Note, however, that the Clippers are 2-5 with Foye starting. In the 17 games before that, the Clips were 12-5. It’s not a coincidence. Foye will be droppable once Gordon returns -- likely right after the All-Star break.

DeAndre Jordan is dealing with a touch of the flu, which may partially explain his limited minutes of late. His job still should be safe with Chris Kaman (ankle) still lacking a timetable for his return. Note that Jordan is blocking 2.5 shots per 36 minutes. He's impossible to sit.

<BIG>LOS ANGELES LAKERS</BIG>
PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Ron Artest
PF Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum

Ron Artest's trade request is laughable. He, of course, thinks he should have a bigger role. The truth is that his current 28.2 minutes are too many. Artest is incapable of getting his own shot off and is a mediocre 3-point shooter at best. The Lakers figure to marginalize his role even more once Matt Barnes gets healthy.

Meanwhile, Andrew Bynum's latest knee issue proved to be a mere scare. But we saw how much his presence affects Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. In the one game Bynum missed, Odom had 20/20/4 and Gasol had 26/16/0. For the third straight edition of this column, I am recommending a sell on Odom.

Kobe Bryant is playing just 33.8 minutes this year after playing 38.8 a year ago. He should be much fresher for the stretch run this time around.

<BIG>MEMPHIS</BIG>
PG Mike Conley
SG Sam Young
SF Rudy Gay
PF Zach Randolph
C Marc Gasol

The most interesting part of the O.J. Mayo is suspension is that Sam Young has solidified the starting SG job over Tony Allen. Always a solid glue guy, defender and leader, Young is showing significant offensive skills. Over his last seven games, Young is averaging 14.0 points. The lack of treys (.04) and rebounds (2.0) over that span makes him extremely low-end, but deep leaguers could do worse. Young projects to keep the job for the rest of the season.

<BIG>MINNESOTA</BIG>
PG Jonny Flynn
SG Corey Brewer
SF Michael Beasley
PF Kevin Love
C Darko Milicic

Luke Ridnour's wife delivered twins and one has had some complications. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of life, but Jonny Flynn has not played well enough to steal Ridnour’s job during the starter's four-game absence. Heading into Monday, Flynn was averaging 10.0 points, 5.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds in his three starts. Hip injury aside, the Wolves should be concerned that Ridnour is simply the better player. Look for Ridnour to regain his starting gig and play around 30 minutes once he is ready. Flynn is only deserving of 18-20 per night.

The Wes Johnson/Corey Brewer split has the look of a dreaded even timeshare. Whoever gets hot with their shot is going to play more and each has the chance to throw up a clunker nightly. The only hope here is that Brewer ends up traded away at the deadline, paving the way for Johnson to log big minutes. Deep leaguers can stash Johnson and wait. UPDATE: Michael Beasley went down with another ankle injury Monday night. Look for Johnson and Brewer to now start together, making both decent spot-stars. Beasley was attempting 17.3 shots per night that will now be spread around.

Darko Milicic is so soft it's embarrassing. On Monday night, he got nicked on the hand and grimaced for a few minutes. He got a shot in the face and looked like a little boy that got his lunch money stolen. In between there, he played defense with his hands, picked up two fouls as he usually does and went to the bench. Then the Wolves announced that he was done for the night with a hip injury. It's just a familiar, frustrating script for Darko. Still, the Wolves are committed to him financially and will give him a chance to play 30 minutes nightly. Owners should be willing to deal with the headaches thanks to the blocks.

<BIG>NEW ORLEANS</BIG>
PG Chris Paul
SG Marco Belinelli
SF Quincy Pondexter
PF David West
C Aaron Gray

It's rare that significant injuries to two starters yield no fantasy excitement. Somehow, Trevor Ariza (ankle) and Emeka Okafor (oblique) fall into that rare instance. Marcus Thornton barely got off the bench when Marco Belinelli got hurt a couple weeks back and is not seeing a bump in minutes with Ariza out. The duo of Aaron Gray and Jason Smith simply is not good enough for either one to play starter's minutes or put up usable numbers.

<BIG>OKLAHOMA CITY</BIG>
PG Russell Westbrook
SG Thabo Sefolosha
SF Kevin Durant
PF Jeff Green
C Nenad Krstic

Coach Scott Brooks was once again pressed this weekend about possibly inserting Serge Ibaka into his starting five over Nenad Krstic. His answer was simply that it is not happening. He's a huge believer in roles and the Thunder are 33-17 with everyone knowing exactly what the rotation will look like. So Krstic will stay a starter and play his 20 minutes, while Ibaka will come off the bench for his 26.

Furthermore, owners should not be alarmed at some strangely low minute totals for Ibaka over the last couple weeks. Some of that had to do with matchups, and other times it had to do with Ibaka showing a lack of energy. He has gotten the message and is back to his usual role.

Here are James Harden's numbers from his three starts last week: 6.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg. I'm still not sold on him as an average NBA starter and he is no threat to Thabo Sefolosha. Even deep league owners can do better.

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<BIG>PHOENIX</BIG>
PG Steve Nash
SG Vince Carter
SF Grant Hill
PF Channing Frye
C Robin Lopez

Coach Alvin Gentry has been as steady as they come with his rotation. This starting lineup has been the same (outside of injury) for 15 straight games, producing a 9-5 record heading into Monday night. The roles are set: Channing Frye is going to play an absurd 36-38 minutes nightly and be a fantasy monster. Steve Nash, Vince Carter and Grant Hill will all play 30-plus minutes.

The only question is the Robin Lopez vs. Marcin Gortat split. Note that in the 10 games prior to Monday, Lopez was averaging 15.0 minutes a game while Gortat was up at 26.4. During that span, Gortat is averaging 13.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Ignore the fact that Gortat is coming off the bench and be comfortable starting him.

<BIG>PORTLAND</BIG>
PG Andre Miller
SG Wesley Matthews
SF Nicolas Batum
PF LaMarcus Aldridge
C Joel Przybilla

The news that Brandon Roy plans on returning to action this week is monstrous. The dual knee scopes were not long-term fixes for Roy, but should provide real temporary relief. Think of it as a cleanout procedure for your car's engine -- it will run better for a little bit. Look for Roy to come off the bench for a week or two before getting his starting gig back. I'd expect Wes Matthews, Roy and Nicolas Batum to all play about 30 minutes a game once Roy is up to speed -- with Batum most likely to come off the bench.

Unlike other injury stashes such Chris Kaman and Mo Williams, Roy is actually a top-25 player when healthy. He almost certainly won't regain that form, but the point is that the upside here is huge. Even in a completely hobbled state earlier this season, Roy averaged 16.6 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 treys. He should be healthier now and belongs on all teams in all formats.

Marcus Camby (knee) says he is going to practice on Tuesday, which would put him on track to return against the Raptors on Friday. If that happens, he will quickly ramp up to 30-plus minutes a night. Joel Przybilla and Dante Cunningham have proven to be liabilities on the court and will not be trusted for anything more than spot minutes.

The Blazers are rumored to be working the phones hard ahead of the trading deadline, but the fact remains that they entered Monday as the eighth seed in the West. It would be hard to see them selling off their veteran talent while in playoff contention. Don't make any preventative moves like adding Patrick Mills just yet.

<BIG>SACRAMENTO</BIG>
PG Beno Udrih
SG Tyreke Evans
SF Omri Casspi
PF Jason Thompson
C DeMarcus Cousins

The twin towers lineup of DeMarcus Cousins at power forward and Sam Dalembert at center was interesting, but coach Paul Westphal is not into it. He thinks Jason Thompson plays better as a starter, so there you have it. On most nights, Thompson and Sammy D will cancel each other out.

Omri Casspi has not exactly lit the world on fire since Francisco Garcia (calf) went down, but he may have done enough to retain the starting gig. Heading into Monday night, Casspi was averaging 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 treys as a starter. More importantly, the Kings had won three of their last six games prior to Monday, including a win over the Lakers and a narrow loss to the Celtics. Westphal never hesitates to "Pipp" his players, meaning Garcia is in real danger of losing his job due to injury. Casspi is a decent specialist in deep leagues and is a good bet to hold the gig for the rest of the year.

<BIG>UTAH</BIG>
PG Deron Williams
SG Raja Bell
SF Andrei Kirilenko
PF Paul Millsap
C Al Jefferson

After a brief "mixing it up" at the small forward spot, look for Andrei Kirilenko to hold the job for the rest of the season. Gordon Hayward is nowhere near ready to play and C.J. Miles' defense (or lack thereof) infuriates coach Jerry Sloan. Now over his ankle injury, AK47 is a good bet for 31-33 minutes nightly. Note that as a starter, Kirilenko averages 1.3 steals, 1.2 blocks and 0.6 3-pointers. He is as underrated as they come.

Most owners that picked up C.J. Miles while Kirilenko was out can go ahead and cut bait. While playing 23-25 minutes, he will be a weak 3-point/steals specialist. Miles as a reserve this season before Monday: 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 treys, 23.4 minutes.