Fantasy related but good info.....
Brooks In, Kev-Mart Out
Extra Pickle, Hold the Melo
Monday had to be one of the busiest non-news days in the history of fantasy hoops. We had a million Carmelo Anthony updates, only to be told near the end of the run that nothing is likely to happen until the trade deadline. I almost got the sense that Henry Abbott was fantasizing he was the Wizard Of Oz and just sitting on his bomb until everyone had unleashed their firecrackers throughout the day. And then I was mad that I wasn't smart enough to say the same thing. Which was that the Nuggets and Melo have little motivation to get a deal done immediately. Melo going to a team as terrible as the Nets still doesn't feel right. Yeah, it's an OK deal for Melo and there's a chance the team could look completely different (and awesome) when playing in Brooklyn in a few years, but then again, there's a chance it won't. In other words, Melo has until late February for another team to swoop in, blow Jersey's offer out of the water and sweep him off his feet. In any case, it now appears that a deal is not likely to happen in the near future, which means we can all stop worrying about whether or not Troy Murphy is going to have fantasy value in the wasteland formerly known as the home of Deee-Troit Basket-Ball!
And while we're talking, just like with the Super Friends all landing in Miami together, make no mistake about it. Melo is likely in constant communication with Chris Paul to make sure they both end up in the same place in 2012. Which is why it really doesn't matter if the Nets are good or not right now. In my opinion, the deciding factor on where Melo goes is how flexible the team will be in order to make sure they can also land Paul and another superstar (Dwight Howard?). Everything else probably doesn't matter to Melo. These guys are playing a different kind of game and money, believe it or not, is no longer the main objective. Creating a super team of friends is. Just my two cents.
Here's what we learned on Monday.
Down Goes Kevin Martin
Kevin Martin stole Melo's headlines around 6:10 p.m. last night, when he was scratched from Monday's game against Boston with a sore wrist. The good news is that X-rays were negative, but the bad news is that he could hardly move his wrist, and that wrist is attached to Kevin Martin. We can't seem to write his name without putting the words injury prone in the same sentence, but hopefully this is just a one-game deal. We should know soon enough and the only thing keeping us off the ledge is that X-rays were negative.
Brad Miller was also out for this one with a sore knee (day-to-day), while Aaron Brooks returned from his sprained ankle. In fact, Brooks started in place of Martin and blew up last night. See more about his performance in Game Notes.
Where's Wallace?
Gerald Wallace missed another game on Monday with his ankle injury, but is hoping to be back on Wednesday. He's not going to be at full strength, but I rolled the dice on him in a couple leagues and am just hoping he plays on Wednesday and makes it through the game in one piece. Nazr Mohammed is hoping to return from his knee injury on Friday.
Iguodala Iffy Tuesday
Andre Iguodala actually practiced and might play on Tuesday against the Pacers. He's not going to be in game shape and I would have benched him in weekly leagues (especially with just two games), but at least he's close to playing again. Is he a good buy-low candidate? I really don't know, but his Achilles injury is a scary thing and the fact he missed seven straight games isn't promising. Maybe he's over it for good, but I think at this point, especially given his struggles when he was 'healthy,' I'd let someone else deal with him the rest of the way.
Tyreke True Game-time Decision
Tyreke Evans is very iffy for tonight with a sprained ankle that kept him out of Sunday's game, and while he's saying he feels better, coach Paul Westphal's last take on the situation was that he wasn't expecting to have Evans available. He's probably a true game-time decision, and I'm just hoping we have update before tonight's lineup deadlines.
Thanks For Nothin'
Dirk Nowitzki may or may not play this week with his knee injury. Rick Carlisle, as usual, was very helpful to fantasy owners when sharing his knowledge with the media. "There aren't going to be any Dirk updates," he said. "We'll let you know when he's going to play. I would welcome another question on another topic." Thanks, Rick. Maybe Dirk will play on Wednesday, and maybe he won't. He says he "hopes" to be back on their four-game road trip which starts on Wednesday, but that obviously tells us about as much as Carlisle shared.
Injury Roundup
Kevin Garnett missed yet another game with his calf injury, which was a mild surprise. All signs over the weekend were pointing to him playing last night, but when he didn't show up at shootaround, things weren't looking good. Now he's shooting for Wednesday, but the best thing to do with KG is leave him benched until you see him play a game, or preferably two.
Kobe Bryant missed Monday's practice with a sore knee but it doesn't sound like a big deal. As usual, unless you see a headline on Rotoworld stating he's doubtful or out, keep rolling him out there.
Monta Ellis missed Monday's practice with the flu, leaving him iffy for Wednesday's game against the Lakers. That's really all we know at this point, and given the fact the Warriors play just two games this week, Monta's not necessarily a must-start player anyway. After running numbers in one of my head-to-head leagues, I realized that by starting both Monta and Kevin Durant (also two games), I was projected to lose 6-2 and get crushed in points scored for the week. So I'm punting points, hit the waiver wire and grabbed Carl Landry for four games and Manny Harris for three in hopes of winning rebounds, threes, blocks, and the two shooting percentages for a 5-3 win. I will get killed in scoring for the week, but it may not matter. I'll let you know how it works out.
Michael Beasley missed Monday's practice after playing just 12 minutes on Sunday due to a sprained ankle and hip injury. My guess is he's ready to go for the Spurs, but that's only because he's a warrior and doesn't want to miss the game. He's banged up, but it would be surprising to see him miss tonight's game. If he does, he's probably really hurt.
Grant Hill's knee is sore but it sounds like he's going to play tonight. He missed most of Sunday's game with the injury.
Josh Howard will be out another week to 10 days with his sore knee and I don't see any point in counting on anything from him in fantasy this season. He's been one of the most unreliable players we've seen in the last five years and hasn't been right since he came out and said that he smokes weed during the offseason a few years ago. Maybe David Stern got a hold of his stash and put a voodoo whammy of some sort on it (or in it), because Howard hasn't had any luck since.
Andrew Bogut (illness) and Drew Gooden (foot) could both play against the Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday, if the game happens. Bogut sounds like a lock, while Gooden will probably be worked back into the mix slowly.
Keep reading for a weather update from ATL and Game Notes.
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ATL MIA?
The Hawks-Bucks game is in a bit of jeopardy due to weather, but from what I understand, since the Bucks are already in the ATL and the Hawks and officials should be able to get to the arena, the game should go on as scheduled – with or without fans. In case you missed it, Atlanta was hit by a pretty hefty snowstorm and hasn't really begun to dig its way out. It would have been considered an average snowfall in Indy or Milwaukee, and no one would have missed a beat, but in Georgia, five inches and lingering cold temperatures are going to cause problems through the weekend. The sun, and not salt trucks and plows, is what takes care of these problems in the South, but temperatures are going to stay around freezing for a few days. And I'll let you come up with your own jokes about what the attendance might look at tonight.
Fresh Faces
In case you missed it, Christian Eyenga is the new starting small forward for the Cavaliers. Actually, 'was' is more like it, as Eyenga was in a walking boot for a sprained ankle on Monday, leaving him doubtful for tonight against the Lakers. My guess is Joey Graham would start in his place, while Manny Harris, who has been ON FIRE, would also see a boost in Eyenga's absence.
As for Harris, I think he's worth grabbing until we see what happens, but once Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson are back from their injuries, it's hard to imagine Harris holding real value. But I grabbed him and started him in a couple leagues this week and I'm guessing I'm not alone. Come on, Manny!
Game Notes
Cats Take Grizzlies
Tyrus Thomas somehow fouled out in 17 minutes on Monday, but still had eight boards, a steal and four blocks in a win over Memphis. Come on, Ty. So close, yet so far, as usual. Gerald Wallace is due back Wednesday, but the Cats are still banged up, so Thomas should continue to get plenty of run, if he can keep his hands to himself. Kwame Brown had eight points, six boards and a block, and will likely hold some value the rest of the way. Nazr Mohammed is due back on Friday though, which is going to make it tough for any sane person to put Kwame into a starting fantasy lineup. And D.J. Augustin continues to look rejuvenated with Paul Silas pulling the strings, going for 18 points, nine dimes and two threes in the win over Memphis.
O.J. Mayo hit 1-of-8 shots for four points last night. Yuck. Meanwhile, Tony Allen got another start for Xavier Henry and had 12 points, five steals and two blocks. The Grizzlies aren't happy about Henry's knee problem keeping him out of games, as they seem to think he should be playing through it. Allen may have solidified himself in the starting lineup and should probably be picked up if he's available in your league.
Rockets Stun Celtics In Boston
Aaron Brooks started at shooting guard for injured Kevin Martin and blew up for 24 points, five dimes and five 3-pointers, which was his best performance in a long time. Maybe Martin's wrist will be slow to heal and Brooks will start a few more games at SG, but it doesn't sound likely right now. And while I'd like to believe Brooks will replace Lowry at point guard soon, I'm not really convinced of that either. The bottom line is that Brooks needs to be owned in all leagues, but should probably be benched until he ends up with a permanent starting job, or stays healthy and starts producing off the bench. Lowry had 17 points and eight dimes on the night, which was also a nice line. Rick Adelman is probably more confused than anything right now, especially since his team beat the Celtics in Boston without their best player.
Marquis Daniels blew up for season highs of 19 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting in the loss to Houston. Sometimes a guy just gets hot and that appears to be what happened here. Glen Davis had 12 points and five boards, but is about to take a KG-sized hit when Garnett returns.
Pistons Fall To Bulls
Greg Monroe double-doubled for the third straight game on Monday with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Wallace left after two minutes with an ankle injury, forcing John Kuester to stick with the young gun. I started Monroe in a couple leagues this week, but it was a gamble. But Kuester may have finally come to the realization it's time to play the kids. Austin Daye had 14 points in the first half with two threes, but didn't do anything in the second half. Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Prince and Tracy McGrady all got nice run again, as usual, but weren't impressive in the loss to the Bulls. Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey oddly saw very limited minutes, and struggled as a result. If you're wondering why CV stinks all of a sudden? I picked him up recently. For those of you scoring at home, he caught fire the same day I said on Twitter "Cut Charlie V today and it felt really good." I bet both Stuckey and CV get it going and get more minutes the rest of the week.
Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 29 points, five boards and seven dimes, while Carlos Boozer added 27 points and 11 boards, and Luol Deng had 17 points, eight boards and four assists in the win. As usual. Taj Gibson underwhelmed with eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. Drop him for a hot free agent if you haven't already.
