Fantasy related but good info....
Matrix Reloaded?
Here's what we learned on Thursday and Friday morning. LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Ryan Anderson and Gerald Wallace are all making headlines.
Dwight's Magic act
Dwight Howard went into beast mode against Nenad Krstic and Serge Ibaka, going off for 39 points and 18 rebounds, and hit 17 of his 20 free throw attempts. It's scary to think what Dwight might do if he played for a coach who ran the offense through him. Just scary.
Hedo Turkoglu is looking much more like Hedo Turkoglu lately, and hit just 2-of-9 shots for seven points last night. That's two bad games in a row, but he'll probably bounce back in his next one. I got a Twitter question asking if Hedo should be traded for Afflalo, which is clearly a case of the Afflalo owner trying to buy low on Turkoglu. I'm not really a big fan of his, but he's certainly worth owning now that he's been reunited with Stan Van Gundy. Gilbert Arenas had nine points in 19 minutes and I'm still trying to figure out why they acquired him.
Ryan Anderson could possibly be moving into the starting lineup soon, as Stan Van Gundy talked about a possible lineup change. Of course, it was in the heat of the moment after the Magic lost a tough game, but it's possible he's thinking about swapping Brandon Bass out and putting Anderson into the starting five. I don't think it' makes Anderson an automatic pickup, but this is a situation you'll want to keep a close eye on.
Triple shot of Westbrook
Russell Westbrook went off for 32 points, 10 boards and 13 dimes for his first triple-double of the new year and second of the season on Thursday night. After a mini-slump in December, Westbrook is clearly feeling it again.
Kevin Durant also wrapped up a spectacular two-game week with 36 more points on 13-of-17 shooting. I got cute and benched him in one league, and it will be interesting to see if it was the right call or not. I was punting points, but his field goal percentage, 66 points and six threes in two games was pretty sweet.
Karmic Sans
LeBron James missed Thursday's game with his karmically sprained ankle, but it doesn't sound serious. I'm guessing he'll play on Saturday against the Bulls, but he should be considered a game-time decision. Mike Miller had four points on 2-of-7 shooting last night, but also had eight boards and eight assists in the loss. Once Bron is back, I can't see Miller being worth holding. At least for now.
Be Easy's Ankle
Michael Beasley missed Thursday's game with his sprained ankle, which is clearly an issue going forward. He's pretty iffy for Saturday against Orlando, so check back for updates between now and then. Kevin Love enjoyed Beasley's absence by dropping 35 points and 11 boards on the Wizards, while hitting five 3-pointers and shooting lights out. How fun is this guy to own? If only he could block shots.
Matrix Reloaded
Shawn Marion will start at small forward the rest of the way, which should be music to his owners' ears. If you ran out and picked him up when Caron Butler went down, or for that five-game week he had, congratulations. If he could somehow get back to that Matrix form from a few years ago, he'd responsible for a lot of fantasy championships.
Andray Blatche
Andray Blatche is expected to play on Saturday against the Raptors, despite a shoulder injury that sidelined him on Thursday night. He dressed, but wasn't allowed to play, but it does sound like he'll be back tomorrow. Al Thornton had 14 points in his absence.
Roy, Matthews, Batum making headlines
Brandon Roy will have both of his knees scoped and could miss anywhere from three to eight weeks, depending on who you believe. What I believe is that he's going to see a very limited role the rest of the way and I see no point in holding him. So yes, I'm telling you to drop Brandon Roy. The dream is over.
Wesley Matthews sprained his ankle while playing one-on-one at the end of practice on Thursday, leaving him a bit iffy for tonight against the Suns. I don't think Matthews' injury is serious and he might play tonight. With Roy going under the knife and recent news that the Blazers consider Nicolas Batum untouchable, I still think Batum is a great pickup right now.
Kwame & Crash
Michael Jordan has possibly been pushing for Kwame Brown to start at center all season, which would make sense since he famously (or should I say infamously) drafted him for the Wizards in 2001. Kwame is starting and actually playing decently right now, but with Nazr Mohammed due back tonight against the Celtics, thinking Kwame could be a fantasy savior is foolish.
Kev-Martin
Kevin Martin practiced on Thursday and is expected to play through his wrist injury on Friday against the Hornets. It's Aaron Brooks' birthday, and it will be interesting to see if he starts or comes off the bench behind Kyle Lowry.
Old man, take a look at my life
It sounds like Jermaine O'Neal is going to have left knee surgery, which will wipe out any potential fantasy value he had. He's the youngest old man in the league.
Boobie Trap
Daniel Gibson practiced Thursday, but is not likely to play this weekend with his sprained ankle. That means Manny Harris should continue to get some run for the Cavs, as Anthony Parker is also out until further notice.
Darko
Darko Milicic somehow managed 14 points, 11 boards and two blocks last night, after being dropped by a ton of fantasy owners. I'm hoping his injury run is over and that he's ready to start playing like this on a nightly basis, but as usual, this was just one good line from Darko. Let's see him do it four times in a row.
B Jennings nearing return
Brandon Jennings is due back from left knee surgery sometime in the next two weeks, which will render Keyon Dooling useless. Then again, given how poorly Dooling has been playing, he's basically already there. If Jennings was cut in your league, it's time to grab him.
