Fantasy Related but good info....
Help Me Obie Wan
I had a bit of a lost weekend, driving, hanging out with family, working, driving and then driving some more. I missed all of Saturday's action, when Trevor Ariza actually made some shots, JaVale McGee posted a monster line, Dorell Wright hit six more 3-pointers, the Super Friends all went off, Brook Lopez, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Arron Afflalo stunk, Carmelo Anthony returned, Caron Butler and Brandon Bass got hurt, and Earl Boykins went off in his return from a suspension.
Here's a look at some of the headlines as we enter Week 11 of the fantasy hoops season.
Two
</B>Two ways to tell the story (no one worries)
Two silver rings on our fingers in a hurry
Two people talking inside your brain
Two people believing that I'm the one to blame
Two different voices coming out of your mouth </B>
The above lyric is from the song Two, by The Antlers. The Clippers and Pacers play just twice in the upcoming week, making it tough to start any of them. I think Blake Griffin and Danny Granger are probably must-starts, but after Roy Hibbert was benched in real life on Sunday, this is a great week to bench him in fantasy and hope Jim O'Brien stops messing with his head. Hibbert got just 16 minutes on Sunday and should be reserved (not cut) until further notice.
What About The Voice Of Geddy Lee?
The latest news to hit my in box is that David Lee is now doubtful for Monday with a lower back bruise. As soon as he hit Golden State over the summer and broke his hand, you could almost sense an injury disaster was coming. He's got a bad elbow, ankle and now back, and might not fully recover this season from the freak accident that left Wilson Chandler's tooth and a nasty infection in his arm. In any case, it's probably best to leave Lee on your bench this week. According to my man Marcus Thompson, he's "walking like a 60 year old man."
Lightning Crashes
Gerald Wallace is out on Monday after aggravating an injury to his left ankle. He missed five games with a bone bruise and will now miss at least one more, if not another entire week. I'm benching him where I own him and if I were you, I'd look into trading him. This is the type of injury that will linger and stay in his head for the rest of the season. He's been a bit disappointing to begin with and I don't think things are going to get better any time soon now that he's got a chronic situation developing in his ankle. I also think this is (yet another) chance for Tyrus Thomas to show us something. I would be inclined to start him this week, even though we still have no idea how Paul Silas is going to use him. He'll be back from his wrist injury tonight, so he's not exactly a stone-cold lock to go off. But I'm guessing he has a good week.
Revolution 9
Andre Iguodala's achilles injury will keep him out for another full week. Bench him until further notice and think about picking up Evan Turner if you need to add a player this week. I have no idea how or why, but Doug Collins has turned ET loose over the last two games and he looks good.
Crushed Butler
Is there a more appropriate music reference than that one? Caron Butler's knee injury sounds serious and we will find out tonight what the diagnosis is. Actually, in one of the worst kept secrets ever, I can almost guarantee you he has a torn patella tendon and is going to miss a lot of time with the injury, if not the rest of the season. Maybe the MRI will tell a different story and the rumors surrounding his injury are terribly inaccurate, but at this point, I'll be surprised if Tough Juice plays another game this season. Jose Juan Barea, Dominique Jones, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion are all players who will see a bump in minutes going forward, with Marion the best player to pick up. Roddy Beaubois would be a great pickup right now, except that there is still no target date for his return to action from his foot injury.
Dirk Nowitzki is another story altogether. He is dealing with a right knee injury and has already missed four straight games, and there is still not timetable on his return. If I own Dirk, who turned out to be one of the greatest five-game week disasters of all time, he's on my bench this week, and this is just another reason to start Shawn Marion.
Six Pack Rings Around His Neck
Danilo Gallinari suffered a left knee injury on Sunday and my guess is he'll miss anywhere from two to four games. Then again, he's yet to be ruled out for Tuesday's game and says the injury is no big deal. His MRI results will come in tonight and while all indications are that he will be fine, we won't know for sure until then. The Knicks play just three games this week, meaning you should bench Gallinari unless we get some very good news tonight.
He's already listed as doubtful for Tuesday and it sounds like Ronny Turiaf will start in his place. Turiaf suddenly looks healthy, despite his shoulder popping out of place briefly on Sunday, and will start with Gallinari sidelined. Additionally, Toney Douglas, Shawne Williams and Landry Fields will see a boost in minutes and production with Gallo in street clothes. As for Turiaf, he's another guy I forgot to mention in Wired, as he went off for 10 rebounds and six blocks against the Pacers on Sunday. And if he's going to start all week, he might be worth an add with three games.
Continue reading for more tidbits and a full injury report link.
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Welcome Back?
Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson are expected back from their injuries on Wednesday, which will hurt the minutes of J.J. Hickson and Ramon Sessions. Both players have been hot lately, and while they're still possibly worth a pick up, the return of the starters is going to hurt.
Bass Song
Brandon Bass suffered a knee injury on Saturday night and is talking about having surgery to fix the problem. He made it through Monday's shootaround and his plan for now is to try to play through the injury. I'm benching him where I own him and would consider cutting him to pick up a hot player off the Waiver Wire. And if Bass does miss time, Ryan Anderson, who actually qualifies at C in Yahoo! leagues, will be the guy to grab.
Ticket To Ride
Kevin Garnett is probably going to miss the whole week with his calf injury, so make sure he's on your bench. Big Baby Glen Davis, who nearly had a triple-double last night, looks like a fantastic play this week. Rajon Rondo returned to action on Sunday and should be good to go if you want to get him back in your lineup. Paul Pierce, who had the dunk of the night, tweaked an ankle, but my guess is that he's fine. And after watching that video a few times, I can't decide if that was a dunk or not. I also can't figure out how it went in.
ReMemo
Mehmet Okur is now dealing with a back injury and it sounds to me like it could be a problem all season. Okur is in the same category with guys like Mike Miller and Roddy Beaubois. Man, it sure would be nice if they'd play and be productive, but chances are you'll go insane while waiting for it to happen. Let someone else deal with them. At least Miller and Roddy B have a chance at being productive, but I just don't see Memo getting enough run to make it happen.
Pork and Beanos
Beno Udrih hurt his knee on Sunday and didn't return to the game. And unfortunately, that is truly all we know at this point. The Kings have three games this week and I guess the best advice I can give is to bench him unless we get an update this afternoon. Jason Thompson is now starting over Carl Landry, but of course, Landry, Francisco Garcia and Omri Casspi were the guys who double-doubled last night, while DeMarcus Cousins went off for 28 points, eight rebounds and six dimes in a win over the reeling Suns. I didn't put Garcia in Waiver Wired, but probably should have.
I'm Sticking With You
Rodney Stuckey is due back from the flu on Monday, although he'll be limited and won't start tonight. The Pistons seem to love Tracy McGrady at point guard, but I don't think even John Kuester can bench a healthy Stuckey, can he? We'll soon find out. The Pistons play three games this week, meaning Stuckey is a somewhat risky play in most leagues.
Bargain?
Andrea Bargnani missed last week with a calf injury and there is no specific word on when he'll be back. The Raps play four times this week, so it's possible owners get two, three or four games out of him this week, but he's an extremely risky start. If your lineup deadline doesn't happen until game time, keep watching for updates throughout the day on Bargnani. Jose Calderon appeared to tweak his foot last night, but will continue to try to play through the lingering injury. He's still a bit risky, but I am starting him where I own him.
The Injury Report
For the rest of the injury rundown, Just click on this link.
Tidbits
Ersan Ilyasova was great on Saturday and it was probably because Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Drew Gooden were out with injuries. Feel free to pick up EI, but be warned that he's inconsistent.
Mickael Pietrus started in place of Channing Frye again on Sunday, but neither player was very effective. Pietrus played 35 minutes, while Frye got just 18 ticks, which is hard to believe. Maybe I'm naive, but I haven't cut Frye yet. Maybe I will when I'm done posting this column, but I still think he's going to get back into the rotation before too long. But Pietrus, despite struggles, is getting serious run right now and could have some big games this week. I'm starting him.
