Fantasy related but good info.......
Changes Brewing For Wolves
Welcome to another week of Waiver Wired. We're getting ready for 'Snowmageddon' here in North Georgia, which means five inches of snow could shut down schools the whole week. The Raptors took out the Kings early on Sunday, getting 30 points from Andrea Bargnani, 28 from DeMar DeRozan and 18 from Leandro Barbosa, while the Kings, who were without Tyreke Evans (ankle), were led by Beno Udrih's 25 points. Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, for once, both played well in the same game, while DeMarcus Cousins had another big double-double.
I'm also hearing this 17-player, three team deal to get Carmelo Anthony to the Nets has a decent chance of happening in some form, but it's such a huge deal that it could break down at any time. Chris Broussard is also reporting that Melo sounds open to joining the Nets, which is probably the biggest key to getting something done.
Follow me on Twitter, where I'll fill you in on what's going on in the league on busy Wednesday and Friday nights. If you're a waiver-wire junkie, you'll be the first to know of injuries or changes to rotations.
[SIZE=+1]Guards[/SIZE]
DeShawn Stevenson Mavericks
I'm as shocked as you are that Stevenson now has value, as it looked like those days were long behind us. He scored 24 points on Saturday and went for 14, 18 and 21 points in his previous three games, and has hit 19 3-pointers over those four games. Caron Butler's done for the season and while Stevenson is going to cool off at some point, he looks like an automatic add right now.
Trevor Ariza Hornets
Ariza was dropped in many leagues after basically sucking for the last two years, but is suddenly playing better. He was just 2-of-11 from the floor on Jan. 3, but in the other three games he's played in January, Ariza has hit 22-of-39 shots in his three 'good games' and averaged 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two 3-pointers in them. He's still going to be
Corey Brewer Timberwolves
Brewer is the new starting shooting guard for the Timberwolves, replacing rookie Wesley Johnson. We'll see how things work out with the new move on Sunday, but Brewer should be able to score 13 ppg to go along with 1.5 steals and 1.5 threes per game. If your waiver wire is dry and there's no much to choose from, a starting Brewer could be a nice score.
Leandro Barbosa & Linas Kleiza Raptors
Barbosa has hit double figures in scoring in 20 of his last 24 games and hit eight 3-pointers in his last three games heading into Sunday. He's been pretty consistent over the last month or so and is worth a look if you need points and threes. Kleiza was a mess at the start of last week, going for 7, 8 and 3 points before scoring 17 points on Friday. Sonny Weems is eventually going to come back, which is going to make minutes tight again in Toronto, but Kleiza appears to have locked down the starting gig, while Barbosa looks loaded as the team's sixth man.
Shannon Brown Lakers
With news that Matt Barnes will miss several weeks after knee surgery Brown now might become relevant again for the Lakers. However, I think he's only worth grabbing in deeper leagues, as Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest and Derek Fisher are all higher on the food chain than Brown is.
Tony Allen Grizzlies
Allen has been a steals master since replacing Xavier Henry in the starting lineup, racking up 11.5 points and 2.5 steals in six starts. We still don't know if he is now the permanent starter for the Grizzlies, but it's starting to feel that way. He's not a must-own player by any stretch, but if you need threes or are in a very deep league, he's worth a look.
Other Guards To Consider
Jordan Farmar for as long as Devin Harris is out.
Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins as long as Brandon Jennings is out.
[SIZE=+1]Forwards[/SIZE]
J.J. Hickson Cavaliers
Hickson got a DNP-CD recently for missing a mandatory practice, but was back out there the next game with 17 points, nine boards, a steal and two blocks. He's averaging 15 points, six boards, a steal and a block in his three January games and looks like a hot pickup again.
Tyler Hansbrough Pacers
Hansbrough is now the starting power forward in Indy while Roy Hibbert is ready to go to the shrink. However, that's another story. Psycho T had 23 points and 12 rebounds in his first start on Friday, and backed it up with 10 points and five boards on Saturday. It's going to be a bit of a roller coaster ride with Hansbrough, but at this point in the season, the same can be said of any of the guys in this column. Including…
Derrick Favors Nets
Like Hansbrough, Favors moved into the Nets starting five recently and is averaging 10 points, six boards and two blocks in his three starts. He's going to have some huge games as well as some terrible ones, but it does sound like he will start for the Nets until further notice. He could take a hit if he ends up as a Carmelo Anthony trade refugee, but that's probably not worth worrying about right now.
Chris Douglas-Roberts Bucks
CDR got hot for a few games a month ago, was picked up in most leagues and then vanished, losing his starting job in the process. He's suddenly on fire for the reeling Bucks, going for 24 and 30 points in his last two games. I have no idea if it will last, nor do I trust him. But he at least deserves a look after his last two games. As I've said before, using players from the Bucks, Magic or Pistons is always a roll of the dice, especially if they're not even in the starting lineup.
Austin Daye Pistons
Daye is finally back in the rotation for the Pistons, but as I said, owning guys on this team who don't start is risky business. Daye's scored 15, 7, 7, 9 and 12 points in his last five games and is averaging about 20 minutes over his last four. He really needs 30 minutes to become a must-add player, but he's at least getting off the bench again.
[SIZE=+1]Centers[/SIZE]
DeAndre Jordan Clippers
After Jordan's recent run he shouldn't be available in any leagues. All you need to know is Chris Kaman's not 'walking through that door' anytime soon, and that he's averaging 10 points, 16 boards and six blocks in January. He also averaged eight points, eight boards and nearly two blocks in December, and while his January numbers will level out quickly, he looks like a different player than he did a month ago.
Channing Frye, Marcin Gortat & Robin Lopez Suns
Frye has been dropped in a ton of leagues since losing his starting job and struggling badly with his shot and spot in the rotation. But with Sunday's news that he'll be back in the starting five for at least the next 10 games, he should be picked back up again. Robin Lopez, and not Marcin Gortat, is also locked into the starting five until further notice, and both players, as usual, are worth a look. I think Frye has the best chance for success in the next couple weeks, while Gortat will have to fight Lopez for minutes. I still think Gortat is worth hanging onto, but he's far from being a must-start player. Especially since Alvin Gentry still has no plans to start him anytime soon.
Greg Monroe Pistons
Monroe has suddenly emerged as a player for the Pistons and has posted double-doubles in two straight games. He hasn't blocked any shots in those two games, but had five steals and hit 12-of-31 shots. Keep in mind he had scored seven or fewer points in his previous nine games and don't forget who he plays for.
Kwame Brown Bobcats
I'm sure this will generate some laughter and for the record, I have not really considered picking him up myself. But Kwame is starting for the Bobcats and could do so for the foreseeable future. As a starter for the Bobcats he's averaging right around eight points and eight boards, and while he hasn't been racking up steals or blocks, then could be coming. Nazr Mohammed is out with a knee injury and DeSagana Diop is out for the season with an Achilles injury. And since the Bobcats seem to have no interest in using Tyrus Thomas at center, Kwame is the only real option for the time being.
Brad Miller Rockets
Miller is impossible to figure out, getting wildly sporadic minutes over the last four games. He played 30 minutes on Monday, double-doubled and filled the stat sheet, but then got just 11 and 14 minutes in his next two games. And just as all hope was lost, get got 37 minutes on Saturday. His line wasn't great, but he did have a couple steals and a couple blocks. With four games in the upcoming week, Miller is a true risk vs. reward fantasy option
