Fantasy related but good info......
Karma Police
It was the tweet heard around the NBA world on Tuesday night.
"Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It's not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"
These were the words that came out of LeBron James' Twitter feed moments after the Cavs suffered the second-worst loss in their franchise's history, a 55-point drubbing at the hands of the Lakers. The NBA's newest, and perhaps most reviled heel of all time, added to his growing resume of public relations snafus a new bullet-point – gutless bully.
Never mind the obvious ignorance of presuming that God recognizes The King's place in His Kingdom, and struck down upon the Cavs with great vengeance and furious anger those that attempted to re-sign thee.
James had a score to settle with the nerdy, 110-pound weakling with an affinity for
Comic Sans, who had placed upon him the dreaded 'Cleveland Curse' and all of the associated Karma that came with it – even if settling the score came at the expense of his former teammates, coaches, associates, and 'friends.'
And apparently, you will know that his name is the Lord when he attempts to persuade thee.
"I don't think there was no intent at all," the former Cavs star said before Wednesday's game. "I think everyone looks into everything that I say. Everybody looks too far into it. ... It's just how I was feeling at the time. It wasn't even a comment from me. It was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out so."
And here I was thinking that 'contraction' was the gag-reflex your teammates and coaches have every time you open your mouth, LeBron. Boy, am I dumb. And apparently, so are all of us.
Sure, LeBron's sneaker reps, his inept handlers, his agent, the one local media suck-up, and all of his scared NBA colleagues (hello Jalen) who haven't the fortitude to tell him that he is being a buffoon – it's expected that they stroke him. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch. But for His Highness, these explanations are sufficient to brush off those pesky peasants, at least until the Heat's media staff can intervene and threaten to end the interviews if another Twitter question gets asked.
So while he cannot bring himself to respond to Paul Pierce leaving Miami with both a win and a zing, as Pierce tweeted from the tarmac, "It's been a pleasure to bring my talents to south beach now on to Memphis," he has all of the guts in the world when the score is 55-0.
As the story goes, LeBron was right, 'Karma' is a b****.
LeBron James both tweaked his ankle last night and lost to the lowly Clippers just 24 hours after his sermon on 'Karma.' He is questionable for tonight's tilt against the Nuggets. Maybe before the game he will tell us that he didn't know what the word 'God' meant.
Follow the entire Rotoworld NBA crew right here:
@docktora
@mattstroup
@adamlevitan
@aaronbruski
Click Here for the 7 things we learned last night and Wednesday night action….
<!--RW-->
[SIZE=+1]The 7 things we learned last night[/SIZE]
1. The Carmelo Anthony trade is not worth following
I say 'bah' to the so-called sources from the New Jersey area and elsewhere that tried to ram the Carmelo Anthony trade through by using the press on Sunday. A full-scale assault was made on the "inexperience" of the Denver executives, and stories were released saying a trade was imminent. Surely, the Denver brass has a role in how all of this is going down, but the bottom line is that until Carmelo says that he'll accept an extension to New Jersey all of this is a moot point. Yes, fantasy owners need to be abreast of the details for the fact that the entire league may get included in the trade should it happen, but living and dying by every report right now is not recommended. The Knicks have the best 'actionable' offer on the table, with Houston creeping into the mix, and the Nets are the clear favorites if they can get Melo's John Hancock. Focus on the extension, or lack thereof, and you'll know what to do.
2. Monty Williams does not like Marcus Thornton
Entering Wednesday's game Monty Williams said he wasn't even planning on playing Marcus Thornton, but as it would go Marco Belinelli sprained his ankle one minute into the game and his hand was forced. Of course, Thornton was the best player on the court at times and led New Orleans to an overtime win with a season-high 22 points with nine rebounds, two threes, a steal, and plenty of clutch baskets. He scored seven of the Hornets' 11 points in overtime, including two clinching free throws with 8.2 seconds left. In equally unsurprising fashion Williams started Willie Green to start the second half, and will likely do so going forward according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Belinelli was seen riding a stationary bike before he was ruled out for the rest of the game, and unfortunately, my gut is telling me that this isn't the breakout we're all hoping for. No matter how much Chris Paul gushes about him after the game, or how much the Hornets fans love him, or any of the basketball-related reasons he could help the impotent Hornets offense – I fear Monty is dead set against setting him free. I added him in a bunch of leagues based solely on the chance for upside, but I'm not holding my breath that he'll pan out.
3. Paul Silas is a fantasy god-send
Can you name the highest scoring backcourt in the NBA since December 27? That's right, Captain Jack and revitalized D.J. Augustin hold the honor, while the Bobcats are 6-2 under new leadership. Augustin outplayed Derrick Rose last night in the Cats' 96-91 win over the Bulls, scoring 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a career-high 12 assists, two threes, and just one turnover. The Bobcats have enjoyed a pretty easy schedule since Silas joined up, and have nine of their next 12 games on the road with Miami, Dallas, and Boston on the schedule following that stretch. Is it time to sell high? I don't think so. Yes, his value is sky high and could take a hit if the Bobcats begin to struggle, but he is virtually unchallenged at his position and the trade-winds have died down. He should be able to perform near this level for the rest of the season as it stands.
Similarly, Tyrus Thomas' owners had to be thrilled with his 17 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 29 minutes. He hit 7-of-14 shots from the field against his old team, and while I'm far from trusting him, the headway he's making is very encouraging. More importantly, the vibe feels good for once in his career. A players' coach is exactly what he needed. Gerald Wallace (ankle) returned to action last night, as well, and looked healthy on his way to 14 points, seven rebounds, a steal, and two blocks. If you own any Bobcats – congratulations for staying away from the ledge.
www.miamiheat.ws
4. Gilbert Arenas is not walking through that door (yet)
Gilbert Arenas played just 14 minutes last night, which wouldn't have hurt owners as bad had the crew of Brandon Bass, J.J. Redick, Jameer Nelson, and Hedo Turkoglu not combined for 8-of-43 shooting and just 21 points in the Magic's overtime loss to the Hornets. There are so many different ways to go with the discussion on this topic, but clearly Stan Van Gundy isn't ready to turn him loose, whether it's his defense, fit within the system, attitude, or all of the above. Drop him if you absolutely have to, but there's still a lot of season left and it's hard to imagine GM Otis Smith taking on that big of a contract only to let him rot on the bench.
5. John Kuester didn't get a Christmas card
I used the word 'buffoon' earlier, and while I can see myself using it aggressively over the next week now, it only came to mind when Tayshaun Prince called his coach one. Yes, when talking about Richard Hamilton's DNP-CD from Wednesday night, Prince called the situation "buffoonery," which is defined by
Webster's Dictionary as behavior that is ridiculous but amusing. We'll see how amused Kuester is what that, and clearly Rip was not amused after the game. With the Carmelo Anthony trade a 50/50 endeavor in the respect that Hamilton lands back with his backcourt buddy Chauncey Billups, which indeed is a rosy scenario, Hamilton is not the rock-solid stash he appeared to be days ago. If he did more than just score and hit threes, I'd be more impassioned about keeping him, but feel free to drop him for a productive player if you must.
6. Don't make Blake Griffin angry
Silly Mario Chalmers decided it was time to man up on Blake Griffin, which deserves credit in a Scrappy-Doo sort of way. The two were assessed double-technical fouls and the Poster Child was overheard shouting 'don't make me angry' repeatedly, before voice-of-reason Baron Davis intervened and kept Griffin from mutilating the fellow. The best part? The subsequent man-dunk and stare-down that can be found here. Griffin finished his 13th straight 20-10 game with 24 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block, which was also good for his 24th straight double-double (and 30th overall). He did leave briefly with some back spasms, which is certainly worth keeping an eye on, but free throw percentage or not he is making his mark on a first-round draft pick next season.
7. Kobe vs. Monta is must-see television
If you're a fan of big shots, degree of difficulty, and a frenetic pace, then the Lakers-Warriors game last night was right up your alley. Monta Ellis played after missing two days of practice with the flu, and didn't leave the game as he racked up 38 points on 15-of-26 shooting with four 3-pointers. He became the first player in NBA history to play all 48 minutes in a game and not get a rebound, but who really cares. Him and Kobe Bryant, who scored 39 points with six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two threes, traded baskets in a tight game that the Lakers ultimately wrestled away late. Kobe said after the game that he thinks Ellis deserves a spot on the All Star team and I would agree, but also wouldn't be surprised to see him snubbed in a crowded field. Interestingly, a news item came through late last night that the Warriors may possibly be amenable to trading him while his value is sky-high, which is just crazy enough to make sense in Warrior-land. This is
miles away from being an actionable piece of news, but something to watch for as the trade deadline nears.
Click Here for Wednesday's highlights and Thursday Night Lights….
<!--RW-->
[SIZE=+1]Game Highlights[/SIZE]
Brandon Rush started and scored 20 points with two threes last night and played good defense, but as somebody on Twitter told Dr. A last night the only person you can trust on the Pacers is Danny Granger. Granger was relatively quiet with 17 points, six assists, a block, and a three, but has been pretty hot lately in the Pacers' new 'small lineup,' which looks like their normal lineup but surely owners don't care about the semantics.
The most interesting news out of Pacer-land, however, is the ongoing mental rollercoaster that is Roy Hibbert, who was broken by Jim O'Brien about three weeks ago. Hibbert may not be the most mentally tough guy to enter the league, but I haven't seen a player so mixed up in a while. He is seeing a sports psychologist, and I can't help but visualize Obie and Larry Bird grumbling about it over a six-pack. Hibbert has taken baby steps in the last two games, hitting a big shot late on Tuesday while nearing double-doubles in both. Buying low on him would take a decent leap of faith, but depending on the offer could make some sense right now.
Leandro Barbosa has been a nice low-end option for a couple of weeks now, and by the looks of things will get the opportunity to keep his hot streak going in spite of the return of Andrea Bargnani, and most recently Sonny Weems (back). He scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting (including a three) with four rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 30 minutes off the bench. He should be owned in all leagues at least until he cools off.
Josh Smith struggled last night and also tweaked his ankle, hitting just 3-of-15 shots from the field to finish with nine points, nine boards, four assists, and two steals. He played through the ankle issue, and we're not really all that concerned. Like always, he needs to be mindful of his 3-point shooting, which does more to take away his aggressiveness than the otherwise nice percentage (38%) would suggest. If there's an owner in your league that is worried about him, be ready to take that problem off their hands. Frontcourt mate Al Horford also suffered a minor ankle injury, but like with Smith's ankle we're not that worried.
Jamal Crawford took over in the Hawks' 104-101 win over the Raps with a season-high 36 points on 12-of-23 shooting (4-of-11 from deep) with three rebounds and two assists, and continued to prove that he is a solid fantasy option whenever a Hawks' key guy goes out. And while we wouldn't peg Marvin Williams' (back) absence as being a huge hole to fill, Crawford seems to approach teammates' absences like an NFL running back. Give him a little bit of daylight and he's gone. He's not going to disappear by any means when Williams returns, but his numbers will take a small hit. Plan accordingly.
Briefly, the Hawks-Bucks game that was postponed on Tuesday will be replayed on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET. That will bump both teams up from 3-game weeks to 4-game weeks at a critical time in the fantasy season.
Tracy McGrady started Wednesday's 107-99 loss to the Grizzlies at point guard with Rodney Stuckey moving over to shooting guard, which of course was John Kuester's stated reason for benching Rip. Regardless, Stuckey has long-thought to possibly be a better fit at SG than PG, and with T-Mac running the offense so well one could see this coming. McGrady scored 16 points with six rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block in 36 minutes, and if they stay with the current configuration that could start to be a familiar line. Stuckey still handled the ball, although he struggled switching gears into PG mode by driving with his head down, but still managed 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Like with McGrady, that's a good representation of what to expect if this plan sticks, minus the rebounds.
Other storylines out of Detroit included Greg Monroe's fourth straight double-double and Ben Gordon's explosion in the fourth quarter. Monroe scored 14 points with 11 rebounds, two steals, and a block, and I've probably added him and dropped him a total of 10 times in all of my leagues, which is by no means a knock on him. He has been on the two steps forward, one step back plan, but for now he should be owned in all leagues for his current production and his upside, and hopefully Big Ben's (ankle) return doesn't hurt him too badly. As for Gordon, he was scoreless until the 2-minute mark of the third quarter, and then went on to score 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting (including four threes) with four assists. With Rip and Tayshaun Prince being persona non-grata, picking him up just feels right even though there's a decent amount of risk that he'll be inconsistent.
Dwight Howard had his fourth 20-20 game of the year with 29 points, 20 rebounds, one steal, and two blocks, but also got his 12th technical foul and missed two key free throws late. In a close overtime it proved to be the difference, but again, it wouldn't be surprised to see the league rescind this one, too. He does appear to be a target for refs this year, but then again, for his level of whining he deserves it. Impressively, the man he got a technical for shoving, Emeka Okafor, did a good job heads-up against Howard with 18 points and 14 rebounds. He's quietly having a nice year.
The Knicks-Jazz game was a shootout, and ultimately the Knicks' tired legs couldn't keep up with the fresh Jazz after playing three games in four nights. Raymond Felton reportedly struggled with his 'high-ankle sprain,' which is miles away from what it sounds like, scoring 23 points with seven rebounds and 11 assists.
The real story here for the Knicks, though, were the season-best scoring efforts out of bench players Shawne Williams and Bill Walker. Williams, in particular, was on fire and didn't miss on seven 3-point attempts in the second half, scoring 25 points with two rebounds and a steal. Walker also added 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting (including three treys) with one rebound and one steal. Williams is the player to own between the two right now, but while both should be watched as Toney Douglas (four minutes last night) struggles with his shoulder injury, neither are worth an add outside of very deep leagues right now.
And speaking of shoulders, Amare Stoudemire tweaked his but stayed in the game. He scored 22 points with just three rebounds, five assists, a block, and a three in 27 foul-plagued minutes, and while the rebounding numbers are a bit of a red flag owners shouldn't be too concerned.
Deron Williams was his normal dominant self with 24 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists, two steals, and a three, while Raja Bell showed up with 18 points to solidify his spot in the starting lineup. C.J. Miles got back on track with 24 points and Andrei Kirilenko is back to being starting lineup material for owners, scoring 14 points with six rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks. I've been railing on this for over a week now, but once his back concerns have been gone for a couple of weeks he's a guy I'm looking to move for exactly that reason.
Russell Westbrook got hot and scored 23 points with eight rebounds, 13 assists, and two steals, but the main takeaways from Wednesday's 118-112 win over the Rockets were the various bumps and bruises for his teammates. Kevin Durant, who scored 30 points with six rebounds, two assists, and four threes, may have suffered a groin contusion, but it doesn't sound serious at this time. Jeff Green, who scored 16 points, left the game for eight minutes after taking a shot to the head from Luis Scola, but that doesn't fully explain his second game this season without any rebounds. Beat writer Darnell Mayberry said he looked good all night, so I'm cautiously optimistic that Green's recent slump has a chance of ending, so hang in there and stay the course. Lastly, James Harden had the fingers on his shooting hand evaluated before the game and that may have contributed to his 0-for-3 FG shooting mark, which he supplemented with a perfect 8-of-8 mark from the foul line to finish with eight points, three rebounds, and one assist. Scott Brooks called for more defense from his squad, and unfortunately that doesn't bode well for Harden's low-end fantasy value, nor did Thabo Sefolosha's career-high tying 13 rebounds that went with six points, three assists, one steal, and three blocks in 35 minutes.
The Rockets started both Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks together again with Kevin Martin out, and both played reasonably well. Lowry had 18 points, three rebounds, and four assists, while Brooks had 17 points with no rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Rick Adelman will have a tough decision on his hands when Martin returns about who to start and who to bench, and it could seriously go either way. A lot will come down to how guys like Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams can handle their assignments, since Lowry is capable of playing SG. Should either guy falter, then Adelman would conceivably turn to Lowry off the bench for his ability to backup both guard spots. Lee scored a season-high 19 points with four rebounds and three assists last night, while Williams played just five minutes, for what it's worth.
Devin Harris scored 15 points and had a career-high 15 assists last night in the Nets' 118-109 overtime loss to the Suns. He's a must-start right now and with the Melo trade a mess right now owners would be wise to avoid jumping to conclusions with him, aside from his ever-present injury risk. Steve Nash went off for 23 points, seven rebounds, 16 assists on the other side, and also passed Mark Price for the NBA career FT% record (90.4%) while hitting his 41st straight freebie. Vince Carter had his first 20-point game since December 4, scoring 23 points with five rebounds and not much else, and Channing Frye kept things rolling with 21 points, seven rebounds, a steal, a block, and two threes. Frye looks well-positioned for the time-being, so enjoy.
Eric Gordon had another big night with 26 points, five rebounds, and six assists, and is quietly having a great year in both fantasy and reality. DeAndre Jordan struggled with just five points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block, but late breaking news last night pegged Chris Kaman as being questionable for the Clippers' road trip starting February 4-23. As one writer put it, Kaman would have to buy a ticket to get into Staples Center right now.
Baron Davis threw down a vintage dunk and, as mentioned, acted as peacemaker on his way to a season-high 20 points, five rebounds, nine assists, a block, and a three. It's funny how things work out – a superstar (Griffin) and a solid team guy (Gordon) take the reins and the culture changes, and now Davis looks like he's buying in, trying hard, and all of a sudden his value is on the rise. It's going to be tempting to hold onto that after all that owners have been through, but I'm still selling here knowing that the odds are in my favor.
Lost in all of the Kobe-Monta madness last night, Dorell Wright treated his owners to a 27-point, seven-rebound, four-assist, three-steal, two-block night that included five 3-pointers on 11-of-24 shooting. It's the stuff fantasy championships are made of.
[SIZE=+1]Thursday Night Lights[/SIZE]
We've got the Wizards vs. the Wolves in a regional TV matchup, the Magic vs. the Thunder in the early TNT game, and the Heat vs. the Nuggets in the late game. Andray Blatche (shoulder) is doubtful for the Wizards and Al Thornton looks like the starter if he can't go. For the Wolves, Michael Beasley (ankle) says he is questionable but Kurt Rambis says he's doubtful. After tweaking it in three straight games, I'm thinking coach wins here. The Thunder are dealing with all the aforementioned bumps and bruises while the Magic come in relatively healthy. As for the late-game, LeBron James' ankle and mouth will give Kenny and Charles plenty to talk about and the Nuggets come into the game healthier than they have all year. See you guys on Twitter for all of the festivities.
