Fantasy related but good info......
Jennings Closing In On Return
The Trail Blazers have just two games this week, while most teams play four times. Only the Hawks, Bulls, Mavericks, Pacers, Clippers, Lakers, Heat and Spurs have three games. Let's go over the injury report as you prepare to set lineups.
Carlos Boozer is questionable for Monday with his sprained ankle. He played on Saturday and all signs are pointing to him playing again tonight, but it's not guaranteed to happen. I would probably start him this week, but remember the Bulls have just three games.
John Salmons missed another game on Saturday with his mysterious hip injury making him a very iffy play for this week. And since information out of Milwaukee is virtually nonexistent, starting him will be a crapshoot. Maybe we'll get an update before tonight's games start, but I'm not holding my breath.
Brandon Jennings will practice on Tuesday and is nearing a return to action after foot surgery. This is pretty surprising news and is just another reason to avoid Salmons right now. It's also bad news for guys like Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins, although I am reluctant to tell you to start Jennings until we see him play in a few games first.
Ramon Sessions is very iffy with an abdominal strain, but is traveling with the Cavs and could possibly play on Monday against the Nets. I don't have the guts to start him this week unless we hear that he's good to go prior to tonight's game. Mo Williams is still on the shelf, while Daniel Gibson is now a must-start with Anthony Parker still out with a back injury. Manny Harris could even be a sneaky play this week, but I don't trust him unless we find out Sessions is going to miss several games. So as you can see, a lot hinges on what the Cleveland reporters tell us about Sessions in the next five hours.
Kendrick Perkins is targeting a Feb. 4 return and could be the best center available on your waiver wire. Don't expect much offensively, but he should be solid on the boards and blocks once he's back. And with both O'Neal boys hurting, Perkins should get immediate use from Doc Rivers.
Eric Gordon's owners got some great news when his MRI didn't show any serious damage to his wrist. He's still very banged up though, as his right wrist, right finger and lower back are all hurting. The fact he's playing through so many problems, and playing well, means he's tough as nails, but you have to believe it will catch up to him at some point. But until you hear he's out, you have to keep running his broken body out there. The Clips play the Mavs on Tuesday, so we won't know his true status until then. My guess is he'll play.
Al Horford is hoping to play for the Hawks on Wednesday with a sprained ankle. They're off on Monday and Tuesday, and he's missed a couple straight games with the injury, but I would roll the dice and play him this week unless you have better options. And you might given that the Hawks have just three games.
Dwyane Wade missed Saturday's game with a migraine but his status for Thursday hasn't yet been determined. But given the fact the Heat don't play a game until then gives Wade and company four full days to heal. They only play three games this week, but I'm probably going to play Wade if I own him.
Chris Bosh isn't even running on his sprained left ankle, an injury that's starting to look a little more serious than it did initially. Bench him until you hear some good news.
www.miamiheat.ws
Francisco Garcia will likely miss at least another week with a calf injury, so I'm running new Kings' starter Omri Casspi out there for four games this week in several leagues.
Danny Granger left Sunday's game with a sprained ankle as he and Tyler Hansbrough played a game of 'trading places.' Granger finished with just eight points, while Hansbrough went nuts for a Granger-like 27 points and 10 rebounds. Hansbrough is still too inconsistent to start, but can at least be owned again. The Pacers are off until Wednesday when they host Orlando, and my guess is Granger will play.
Charlie Villanueva is very iffy tonight with a sprained ankle, and he should be benched until you see him on the court again. X-rays on his ankle were negative, which is good news.
Jose Calderon tweaked an ankle on Saturday, leaving his status for Monday night a little shaky. We will hopefully know if he's active or not prior to game time, so stay tuned. Linas Kleiza missed Saturday with a lingering sore knee and should probably not be in starting lineups right now. Leandro Barbosa will be out another week with his hamstring injury, which means he's probably on waivers in your league.
Luke Ridnour (hamstring) and Darko Milicic (ankle) practiced over the weekend and my guess is they are ready to play against the Rockets on Monday night. Hopefully we get confirmation on that later today, but for now, my guess is they're going to play.
Andre Miller missed most of Saturday's game with a stomach illness, but my guess is he'll play Monday night against the Kings. He's listed as probable. Marcus Camby questions are rolling in now that he's been dropped in many leagues. He's only about two weeks away from a return (targeting Feb. 11), so he's worth a look if you need a center. Camby for free could be a good thing down the stretch run. Brandon Roy says he still plans on playing again this season, but I don't see a reason to own him.
Monta Ellis played through his sprained ankle on Saturday but clearly wasn't himself, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-21 shooting. He rested on Sunday but the Warriors play the Spurs tonight, meaning Monta may still not be fully healthy. But with four games this week, it's nearly impossible to imagine sitting him right now. Unless you hear he's out, go with him.
Do You Drop These Guys?
Gilbert Arenas – I say hang onto him and hope he gets into the rotation soon. But yes, he is cuttable if you need to.
Jeff Green – He's been just awful, but I still can't bring myself to drop him.
Wilson Chandler – He's fallen off a cliff in the last few days, but he will get it going again. He's too talented to put on waivers.
Kirk Hinrich – Something popped in his elbow and he could be out for several games, if not more. It's probably time to dump him, while this is also good news for owners of Nick Young and John Wall.
Richard Jefferson – He showed some promise early, but just isn't very good these days. Dump him.
Chris Kaman – DeAndre Jordan looks like the starting center going forward for the Clippers. Kaman will get some minutes, and could even start at some point, but he's no longer a must-own player – especially since he could be out another month as the Clippers try to shop him.
Mike Dunleavy – He is a safer play at this point than Brandon Rush, but both veterans are now being pushed by rookie Paul George, who started the second half of Sunday's game and finished with 17 points. He's far from startable at this point, but it's probably time to give George a look. And if you need to cut either Dunleavy or Rush, it could make sense.
Al Harrington – Harrington was a hot guy to hold onto when the Melodrama was at its peak, but he's just a marginal bench player at this point. Just like teammate J.R. Smith. There will be situations when it makes sense to own these guys depending on league size, but they should probably be floating on waivers in most instances.
Andris Biedrins – How long do we have to wait for this guy to show us he still knows how to play basketball? He's been awful and it doesn't look like he's getting better. If you need to cut him, do it.
Aaron Brooks – What a nightmare his severely sprained ankle as been, as Kyle Lowry has destroyed his value and playing time. Maybe Brooks will get it going again at some point, but it's starting to look like he may never get back to last year's form this season. Should you cut him? Maybe, but I'd try to hang on as long as you can.
