Dose: Brandon Roy Returns With today being the NBA's trading deadline and most of the big news for fantasy owners coming with whatever action we see now and between the deadline, this Dose is going to be pretty basic.
Serge Protector
The Thunder and Spurs played a chippy game last night that the Spurs ultimately took 109-105. Serge Ibaka scored 10 points with 15 rebounds and a block, and with the Thunder actively looking for big men he's sell-high candidate in leagues in which that makes sense. DeJuan Blair wasn't in foul trouble last night, but played just 15 minutes with four points, three rebounds, and no blocks. It proves he's still not free from Pop's rotations, but owners shouldn't panic just yet. Just get him on your bench until he gets his act together, and remember that a bit of his inconsistency gets mitigated by Tim Duncan's prescribed rest.
Wittman says 'no'
JaVale McGee was benched for arguing with assistant coach Randy Wittman, and finished with no points, three rebounds, and just 12 minutes played. I'd like to say this is just the case of a team losing and tempers flaring, but there's been too much written about McGee's attitude, and coming off his big All-Star weekend he probably needed an 'adjustment.' If he was a guard or forward I probably wouldn't deal with it, but as a big man I'll be a bit more patient and stash him on my bench. John Wall also tore into his team's heart after the game, and coming from a guy that regularly takes plays off I find that funny, but hey, it's a step in the right direction.
Andray Blatche sprained his ankle and tried to play through it, but we're calling him questionable for the Wizards' next game on Friday. There was also a Trevor Booker sighting, as he scored a career-high 21 points with five rebounds, a steal, and a block in just 18 minutes. The fact he needed a 9-of-10 mark and my own better judgment tells me this is a fluke, though he has had some nice games when the minutes are there.
If a Tweet falls in the woods, does anybody hear it?
Charlie Villanueva 'retweeted' one of his follower's comments calling out coach John Kuester, which is probably the 12th sign of open disrespect he's had shown to him this season. When talking about the likelihood of buying out Rip Hamilton's contract, one writer pointed out that they can fire Kuester for cheaper and increase Hamilton's trade value at the same time. There's no real report there, but a decent idea.
Greg Monroe officially busted out of his slump with a career-high 27 points with 10 rebounds, and he needs to be owned in all leagues going forward, though his lack of blocks does limit his upside in most formats. Tracy McGrady also sprung to life with 16 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, and a block, and Rodney Stuckey also scored 21 points with three treys. Both of them belong in all lineups. Tayshaun Prince suffered a back injury and is now 0-for-12 over his last two games. He could be traded, but Detroit hasn't got any good offers yet, and owners should be hoping for him to stay – as a move to a contender wouldn't be nice.
The team the Pistons lost to, the Pacers, put 6.5 games between the two for the last slot in the East with their 102-101 win on a Brandon Rush dunk with 5.5 seconds left. It was announced that Mike Dunleavy would be out indefinitely with a broken thumb, and Rush stepped into the starting lineup with an uninspiring nine points, four rebounds, and one 3-pointer in a healthy 34 minutes. Rush could end up holding value, but if you're looking for upside rookie Paul George is still the guy to own, though he's not a must-own player by any stretch. George scored 10 points with five boards, one assist, and two steals in 22 minutes, but will be given every opportunity to earn minutes with his play.
Tyler Hansbrough had the standout line of the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and a block, and has been outplaying Josh McRoberts lately, who had 10 points in 16 minutes last night. The two could easily trade off big nights, and word is that the Pacers are hunting a PF by the deadline, but Hansbrough is worth a look with games of 16/5, 17/5, and 12/12 (points/rebounds) entering last night.
Chuck 'D' ends the misery
I was an early adopter of Chuck Hayes and his wily ways when he started making his presence known, so I was sad to get all the add/drop questions about him following his recent slump. He busted out with a Quicken Loans arena record 12 rebounds in one quarter, and finished with 17 boards total to go with 12 points, a steal, and a block while shutting down J.J. Hickson. This is just about the best sell-high line you could get, as I've been saying for the past two weeks to send Chuck D packing in advance of the Rockets' attempts to bring in a big man.
All sorts of Rockets had big nights as they continue to audition folks. Courtney Lee, who was probably on the verge of being traded with the active/inactive confusion entering the game, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in just 18 minutes. Should he get traded along with Shane Battier, folks should keep their eyes on both Chase Budinger and Terrence Williams, the former of which scored a career-high 30 points with five rebounds and four threes. Budinger has long intrigued me for his ability to jump, and my hesitation to use the nickname Albino Air. If I were Albino I would like to see the nickname, but maybe I'm being insensitive. As for Williams, if he hadn't acted like an immature brat the past week complaining about playing time I'd be more excited should these trades pan out, but he fits the profile of a guy that Adelman's going to hold back. Either way, both will be worth a look if the aforementioned occurs.
As for Hickson, he got benched in the fourth quarter for playing uninspired and dumb basketball, making one wonder if he's reading his own press clippings. He had just four points, three rebounds, a block, and hit just 2-of-9 shots before getting yanked. Manny Harris came off the bench for 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three treys in a monster performance, but keep in mind that Mo Williams (a.k.a. Baron Davis) and Daniel Gibson (personal) were out. Also taking advantage of their absences was Anthony Parker, who hit 7-of-10 FGs and four treys for 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists, and while he is still a hot trade candidate – he could be worth a pickup for the short window you'll have to own him in to figure out his value. With Gibson's situation looking less stable by the day, Baron Davis possibly gaining 25 pounds on the flight to Cleveland, and the possibility guys get shuttled out – there's a few things to like.
Ramon Sessions had a normal big game with 20 points, 12 assists, and a rare three, and simply needs to be held until the trade deadline passes. Gibson and Christian Eyenga, the latter of whom scored just six points with not much else in 17 minutes, can probably be dropped for now.
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One man's trash
James Johnson was dealt from Chicago to Toronto for a first round pick, and the Raptors surprised folks by starting him against his old team in his first game. Johnson responded with nine points, five rebounds, and three assists in 26 minutes, showing some athleticism and some upside for fantasy owners. There's no word yet if he'll stick in the starting lineup, as I imagine it's a pretty tough sell to Sonny Weems that his job was ripped out, but Jay Triano isn't exactly known for his attention to those sort of details.
Leandro Barbosa showed up with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and still isn't worth owning yet, but is worth watching as we know he can get it going. Jose Calderon went right at Derrick Rose with six points and 17 assists, while backup Jerryd Bayless failed to score in eight minutes after a big night in his last outing.
Joakim Noah returned to action after thumb surgery and scored seven points with 16 boards and zero blocks in 25 minutes, and needs to be in all lineups going forward. His impact on Carlos Boozer's rebounding totals was evident, as Boozer had just six boards to go with 24 points, and is still a must-start.
Addition by subtraction
Removing Carl Landry from the frontcourt wasn't going to single-handedly prop up the fantasy value of Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson, but the early returns were good as Thompson started and had 17 points with four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks and Sammy had 17 points, nine boards, and two blocks as the Kings upset the Magic. DeMarcus Cousins came away from a matchup with Dwight Howard relatively unscathed, scoring nine points with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Jermaine Taylor had a career-high 21 points with five rebounds and a three, and while he's a more athletic and less polished Tyreke Evans, he's going to have to deal with Marcus Thornton soon. Both are worth a look, but neither are must-own. Beno Udrih predictably saw a bump in value with Evans out, scoring 18 points with 10 assists and three steals.
Penalty for annoyance
Hold us all hostage and you get buried at the bottom of Dose, Melo. Carmelo Anthony made his Madison Square Garden debut last night, with full on European style soccer chants of his name and a very Melo-like 10-of-25 shooting mark for 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Knicks beat the Bucks. Amare Stoudemire got his 15th technical foul and is just one tech away from a suspension, which is just plain dumb. Chauncey Billups enjoyed his new digs with 21 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a three, and all three are going to be just fine in terms of fantasy value. Landry Fields played 43 minutes and saw just seven points, six boards, a steal, and an assist, and those easy rebounds aren't going to be so easy anymore it seems. Toney Douglas hit 10-of-12 shots for 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, but since Corey Brewer isn't yet there let's make him do it again before running to the wire for anything but a flier.
John Salmons continued his nice run with 27 points, four boards, seven assists, and a steal in 40 minutes, and while this was against the Knicks, he's playing well enough right now to be in lineups. By now you guys know my thoughts on the Milwaukee crew, which aren't good, but Salmons and Carlos Delfino (14 points, seven boards, three treys) are worth owning. The fear is that Corey Maggette (12 minutes, 13 points) Ersan Ilyasova (eight points, 15 minutes), and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (25 minutes) are going to make life hard on them.
Memphis Nights
Tony Allen and Sam Young both scored 16 points last night, as Allen added two steals and a block, and Young had nine rebounds, two steals, and a three. I've been pimping them both for 3-4 weeks in any format that values defense and percentages, and now they're both sell-high candidates with the chance that Shane Battier or Jason Richardson arrives in Memphis. For their current production they should be owned in any of the aforementioned formats.
Kevin Love tied Moses Malone for the most consecutive double-doubles (44) in the modern era, but may need to get the streak off of his back as he's been struggling, and had just 15 points and 11 boards last night. Wesley Johnson had another setback with owners' trust as he hit just 2-of-7 shots for four points in 24 minutes. It's probably just time to sit back and make him prove himself a la DeJuan Blair. Anthony Randolph was active for last night's game, but didn't play, and Kurt Rambis and David Kahn have both said they don't plan to play him much. Stay away until he cracks the 15-minute mark.
Sloaner
I usually don't feel bad for fans of other teams, especially as a Warriors fan, but you have to feel for Jazz fans these days. In the first game sans Deron Williams, Al Jefferson scored 30 points with eight rebounds, and Paul Millsap had 18 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. Those numbers will come back once Devin Harris arrives, but I do expect them to assert themselves more as Devin learns to fit in. It may not matter, though, as we'll shortly learn if the Jazz blow the team up anymore. A player to watch is C.J. Miles, who hasn't been mentioned in any trade rumors yet, and would benefit if Andrei Kirilenko or Raja Bell gets dealt.
The Mavs were right there to mop them up last night, and had eight guys play 20+ minutes, and playing time is going to be an issue. Stay tuned to see if they can trim some weight at the deadline.
Roy returns
Brandon Roy returned last night on a 15-minute count, and with news he'll be on a back-to-back restriction this ride was over for me before it started. Stash him if you want, but I've got better things to do with my roster spots. Wesley Matthews sprained his ankle last night, but what else is new? We'll watch him but he's been playing through it all year, and scored 22 points with an assortment of stats, but what else is new?
This and that
Jamal Crawford (the one that wasn't traded) bounced out of his slump with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, which you had to know was coming.
Jared Dudley had 17 points and four treys, and is worth keeping an eye on as he's in trade rumors and playing behind the corpse that is Vince Carter. Carter had six points in 16 minutes, and looks more and more droppable by the game.
Chris Kaman played 25 minutes, and looks like he'll take back control of the center spot in Clipperland if he's not traded. He should be owned in most leagues, especially if you need a big man. Just hold onto DeAndre Jordan, but if Kaman isn't traded he's fish food.
Ron Artest had a big game with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, delivering the Lakers a win and himself some much-needed confidence. And no, this isn't a fantasy renaissance.
Kendrick Perkins will miss three games with a strained MCL, and expect Doc Rivers to be as careful as he is with the rest of his guys. He remembers last year's Finals.
With the trade of Derrick Favors to Utah, Kris Humphries projects to be the starting PF for Nets. Pick him up.
Serge Protector
The Thunder and Spurs played a chippy game last night that the Spurs ultimately took 109-105. Serge Ibaka scored 10 points with 15 rebounds and a block, and with the Thunder actively looking for big men he's sell-high candidate in leagues in which that makes sense. DeJuan Blair wasn't in foul trouble last night, but played just 15 minutes with four points, three rebounds, and no blocks. It proves he's still not free from Pop's rotations, but owners shouldn't panic just yet. Just get him on your bench until he gets his act together, and remember that a bit of his inconsistency gets mitigated by Tim Duncan's prescribed rest.
Wittman says 'no'
JaVale McGee was benched for arguing with assistant coach Randy Wittman, and finished with no points, three rebounds, and just 12 minutes played. I'd like to say this is just the case of a team losing and tempers flaring, but there's been too much written about McGee's attitude, and coming off his big All-Star weekend he probably needed an 'adjustment.' If he was a guard or forward I probably wouldn't deal with it, but as a big man I'll be a bit more patient and stash him on my bench. John Wall also tore into his team's heart after the game, and coming from a guy that regularly takes plays off I find that funny, but hey, it's a step in the right direction.
Andray Blatche sprained his ankle and tried to play through it, but we're calling him questionable for the Wizards' next game on Friday. There was also a Trevor Booker sighting, as he scored a career-high 21 points with five rebounds, a steal, and a block in just 18 minutes. The fact he needed a 9-of-10 mark and my own better judgment tells me this is a fluke, though he has had some nice games when the minutes are there.
If a Tweet falls in the woods, does anybody hear it?
Charlie Villanueva 'retweeted' one of his follower's comments calling out coach John Kuester, which is probably the 12th sign of open disrespect he's had shown to him this season. When talking about the likelihood of buying out Rip Hamilton's contract, one writer pointed out that they can fire Kuester for cheaper and increase Hamilton's trade value at the same time. There's no real report there, but a decent idea.
Greg Monroe officially busted out of his slump with a career-high 27 points with 10 rebounds, and he needs to be owned in all leagues going forward, though his lack of blocks does limit his upside in most formats. Tracy McGrady also sprung to life with 16 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, and a block, and Rodney Stuckey also scored 21 points with three treys. Both of them belong in all lineups. Tayshaun Prince suffered a back injury and is now 0-for-12 over his last two games. He could be traded, but Detroit hasn't got any good offers yet, and owners should be hoping for him to stay – as a move to a contender wouldn't be nice.
The team the Pistons lost to, the Pacers, put 6.5 games between the two for the last slot in the East with their 102-101 win on a Brandon Rush dunk with 5.5 seconds left. It was announced that Mike Dunleavy would be out indefinitely with a broken thumb, and Rush stepped into the starting lineup with an uninspiring nine points, four rebounds, and one 3-pointer in a healthy 34 minutes. Rush could end up holding value, but if you're looking for upside rookie Paul George is still the guy to own, though he's not a must-own player by any stretch. George scored 10 points with five boards, one assist, and two steals in 22 minutes, but will be given every opportunity to earn minutes with his play.
Tyler Hansbrough had the standout line of the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and a block, and has been outplaying Josh McRoberts lately, who had 10 points in 16 minutes last night. The two could easily trade off big nights, and word is that the Pacers are hunting a PF by the deadline, but Hansbrough is worth a look with games of 16/5, 17/5, and 12/12 (points/rebounds) entering last night.
Chuck 'D' ends the misery
I was an early adopter of Chuck Hayes and his wily ways when he started making his presence known, so I was sad to get all the add/drop questions about him following his recent slump. He busted out with a Quicken Loans arena record 12 rebounds in one quarter, and finished with 17 boards total to go with 12 points, a steal, and a block while shutting down J.J. Hickson. This is just about the best sell-high line you could get, as I've been saying for the past two weeks to send Chuck D packing in advance of the Rockets' attempts to bring in a big man.
All sorts of Rockets had big nights as they continue to audition folks. Courtney Lee, who was probably on the verge of being traded with the active/inactive confusion entering the game, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in just 18 minutes. Should he get traded along with Shane Battier, folks should keep their eyes on both Chase Budinger and Terrence Williams, the former of which scored a career-high 30 points with five rebounds and four threes. Budinger has long intrigued me for his ability to jump, and my hesitation to use the nickname Albino Air. If I were Albino I would like to see the nickname, but maybe I'm being insensitive. As for Williams, if he hadn't acted like an immature brat the past week complaining about playing time I'd be more excited should these trades pan out, but he fits the profile of a guy that Adelman's going to hold back. Either way, both will be worth a look if the aforementioned occurs.
As for Hickson, he got benched in the fourth quarter for playing uninspired and dumb basketball, making one wonder if he's reading his own press clippings. He had just four points, three rebounds, a block, and hit just 2-of-9 shots before getting yanked. Manny Harris came off the bench for 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three treys in a monster performance, but keep in mind that Mo Williams (a.k.a. Baron Davis) and Daniel Gibson (personal) were out. Also taking advantage of their absences was Anthony Parker, who hit 7-of-10 FGs and four treys for 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists, and while he is still a hot trade candidate – he could be worth a pickup for the short window you'll have to own him in to figure out his value. With Gibson's situation looking less stable by the day, Baron Davis possibly gaining 25 pounds on the flight to Cleveland, and the possibility guys get shuttled out – there's a few things to like.
Ramon Sessions had a normal big game with 20 points, 12 assists, and a rare three, and simply needs to be held until the trade deadline passes. Gibson and Christian Eyenga, the latter of whom scored just six points with not much else in 17 minutes, can probably be dropped for now.
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One man's trash
James Johnson was dealt from Chicago to Toronto for a first round pick, and the Raptors surprised folks by starting him against his old team in his first game. Johnson responded with nine points, five rebounds, and three assists in 26 minutes, showing some athleticism and some upside for fantasy owners. There's no word yet if he'll stick in the starting lineup, as I imagine it's a pretty tough sell to Sonny Weems that his job was ripped out, but Jay Triano isn't exactly known for his attention to those sort of details.
Leandro Barbosa showed up with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and still isn't worth owning yet, but is worth watching as we know he can get it going. Jose Calderon went right at Derrick Rose with six points and 17 assists, while backup Jerryd Bayless failed to score in eight minutes after a big night in his last outing.
Joakim Noah returned to action after thumb surgery and scored seven points with 16 boards and zero blocks in 25 minutes, and needs to be in all lineups going forward. His impact on Carlos Boozer's rebounding totals was evident, as Boozer had just six boards to go with 24 points, and is still a must-start.
Addition by subtraction
Removing Carl Landry from the frontcourt wasn't going to single-handedly prop up the fantasy value of Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson, but the early returns were good as Thompson started and had 17 points with four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks and Sammy had 17 points, nine boards, and two blocks as the Kings upset the Magic. DeMarcus Cousins came away from a matchup with Dwight Howard relatively unscathed, scoring nine points with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Jermaine Taylor had a career-high 21 points with five rebounds and a three, and while he's a more athletic and less polished Tyreke Evans, he's going to have to deal with Marcus Thornton soon. Both are worth a look, but neither are must-own. Beno Udrih predictably saw a bump in value with Evans out, scoring 18 points with 10 assists and three steals.
Penalty for annoyance
Hold us all hostage and you get buried at the bottom of Dose, Melo. Carmelo Anthony made his Madison Square Garden debut last night, with full on European style soccer chants of his name and a very Melo-like 10-of-25 shooting mark for 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Knicks beat the Bucks. Amare Stoudemire got his 15th technical foul and is just one tech away from a suspension, which is just plain dumb. Chauncey Billups enjoyed his new digs with 21 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a three, and all three are going to be just fine in terms of fantasy value. Landry Fields played 43 minutes and saw just seven points, six boards, a steal, and an assist, and those easy rebounds aren't going to be so easy anymore it seems. Toney Douglas hit 10-of-12 shots for 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, but since Corey Brewer isn't yet there let's make him do it again before running to the wire for anything but a flier.
John Salmons continued his nice run with 27 points, four boards, seven assists, and a steal in 40 minutes, and while this was against the Knicks, he's playing well enough right now to be in lineups. By now you guys know my thoughts on the Milwaukee crew, which aren't good, but Salmons and Carlos Delfino (14 points, seven boards, three treys) are worth owning. The fear is that Corey Maggette (12 minutes, 13 points) Ersan Ilyasova (eight points, 15 minutes), and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (25 minutes) are going to make life hard on them.
Memphis Nights
Tony Allen and Sam Young both scored 16 points last night, as Allen added two steals and a block, and Young had nine rebounds, two steals, and a three. I've been pimping them both for 3-4 weeks in any format that values defense and percentages, and now they're both sell-high candidates with the chance that Shane Battier or Jason Richardson arrives in Memphis. For their current production they should be owned in any of the aforementioned formats.
Kevin Love tied Moses Malone for the most consecutive double-doubles (44) in the modern era, but may need to get the streak off of his back as he's been struggling, and had just 15 points and 11 boards last night. Wesley Johnson had another setback with owners' trust as he hit just 2-of-7 shots for four points in 24 minutes. It's probably just time to sit back and make him prove himself a la DeJuan Blair. Anthony Randolph was active for last night's game, but didn't play, and Kurt Rambis and David Kahn have both said they don't plan to play him much. Stay away until he cracks the 15-minute mark.
Sloaner
I usually don't feel bad for fans of other teams, especially as a Warriors fan, but you have to feel for Jazz fans these days. In the first game sans Deron Williams, Al Jefferson scored 30 points with eight rebounds, and Paul Millsap had 18 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. Those numbers will come back once Devin Harris arrives, but I do expect them to assert themselves more as Devin learns to fit in. It may not matter, though, as we'll shortly learn if the Jazz blow the team up anymore. A player to watch is C.J. Miles, who hasn't been mentioned in any trade rumors yet, and would benefit if Andrei Kirilenko or Raja Bell gets dealt.
The Mavs were right there to mop them up last night, and had eight guys play 20+ minutes, and playing time is going to be an issue. Stay tuned to see if they can trim some weight at the deadline.
Roy returns
Brandon Roy returned last night on a 15-minute count, and with news he'll be on a back-to-back restriction this ride was over for me before it started. Stash him if you want, but I've got better things to do with my roster spots. Wesley Matthews sprained his ankle last night, but what else is new? We'll watch him but he's been playing through it all year, and scored 22 points with an assortment of stats, but what else is new?
This and that
Jamal Crawford (the one that wasn't traded) bounced out of his slump with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, which you had to know was coming.
Jared Dudley had 17 points and four treys, and is worth keeping an eye on as he's in trade rumors and playing behind the corpse that is Vince Carter. Carter had six points in 16 minutes, and looks more and more droppable by the game.
Chris Kaman played 25 minutes, and looks like he'll take back control of the center spot in Clipperland if he's not traded. He should be owned in most leagues, especially if you need a big man. Just hold onto DeAndre Jordan, but if Kaman isn't traded he's fish food.
Ron Artest had a big game with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, delivering the Lakers a win and himself some much-needed confidence. And no, this isn't a fantasy renaissance.
Kendrick Perkins will miss three games with a strained MCL, and expect Doc Rivers to be as careful as he is with the rest of his guys. He remembers last year's Finals.
With the trade of Derrick Favors to Utah, Kris Humphries projects to be the starting PF for Nets. Pick him up.
