Fantasy related but good info....
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.
