Fantasy related but good info.....
Help me, Obie-Wan
I apologize in advance for the tone of this Dose. I don't know if it was Andre Johnson's late run last night, the deep freeze Georgia is under, the fact that Jim O'Brien destroying Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison, or if John Wall and Tyreke Evans' non-warrior like actions are wearing me down, but I just couldn't find many good things to say today. Or maybe it's just because the stories floating around fantasy hoops on Monday night weren't great ones. But if you own any of these guys, you can surely feel my pain.
Help me, Obie-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope
I would have liked to have found a harsher headline for our man Jim (Obie) O'Brien, but this will have to do. And it actually works, as he is singlehandedly trying to ruin fantasy seasons because he doesn't seem to like, well, anyone. O'Brien ripped on Roy Hibbert last night, has played mind games with Darren Collison all season, and played his bench more than his starters in Monday's loss to the Bulls.
The praise Obie has earned thus far isn't really warranted. His team still has a losing record, his players are struggling, generally baffled by what goes on in Indy, and good players like Hibbert and Collison are being ruined for no other reason than sport. Hibbert had just six points and three rebounds in 20 minutes last night, while Collison, who has one or less assists in three of his last five games, didn't even muster one in 21 minutes.
When asked about Hibbert's chances of winning Most Improved Player before the game, Obie said "I don't think he's having a very good season." Yeah, Jim, he was awful in October with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and nearly three blocks, and terrible in November with 16 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks per game. Oh, and the Pacers were winning back then.
As for Collison, he has constantly been benched for T.J. Ford and A.J. Price, has said he's confused about is role and the rotation, doesn't understand why he's not being allowed to play his game and obviously is not a fan of Obie. In fact, I don't know many, if any, players who enjoy playing for him.
I told those of you who emailed me over the summer predicting monstrous things out of Collison that I'd believe it when I see it. Not because I didn't love Collison and what he accomplished in New Orleans last year, but because we see this from O'Brien over and over again. He's not any fun to play for, his players tune him out, he gets mad at them and then they're never the same, at least for that season. Hibbert himself will tell you he has not played well lately ("like crap," I believe are his words), but my guess is O'Brien started him down this road with head games. In any case, Hibbert and Collison are no longer must-start fantasy players, and may not be all season because Larry Bird, for whatever reason, loves O'Brien. He's not going anywhere.
By no means am I suggesting you drop either player. There's still a decent chance this ship gets turned around. But there's also a chance it sinks and those two end up going the way of T.J. Ford last year – to the bench, without passing Go, without collecting $200. And who is this year's flavor of the minute at point guard? That's right. It's Ford, who couldn't even get into a game for half the season last year, and couldn't stand playing for O'Brien (and vice versa). I give up.
Family Feud
Brandon Roy threw Andre Miller, who is having a nice season, under the bus last night with the following quote: "I wasn't that slow until you put a guy who is kind of slow next to me." Roy hit 3-of-16 shots last night and has been struggling through his knee injury. In fact, in addition to his 3-of-16 last night, he's also gone 4-of-16, 4-of-12, 5-of-15 and 3-of-13 in five of his last six games and is shooting 35 percent in December. Roy can complain about the speed of Miller all he wants, but Miller is clearly the guy I'd rather own in fantasy right now. And given the fact Roy's knee isn't going to get healthy any time soon, this situation is only going to get worse.
Nate McMillan joined the fun, calling Nicolas Batum a "zombie," which is probably appropriate given Batum's recent 7-of-25 shooting run in eight December games. As long as he's not starting, I don't think you can hold onto him, unless you've got a deep bench to stash him on.
Timesharing
Jerryd Bayless will start tonight while Jose Calderon sits at home with a bum foot. He says the injury isn't serious and is hoping to play again on Wednesday, but Bayless has now won at least a timeshare, if not the starting job. Both players are still worth owning, but those of us thinking we'd landed a sure-bet in JC when Jarrett Jack was traded are not feeling so hot. If Calderon's not back Wednesday, he's expected to play on Friday.
Sell high on Jason Kidd after last night's 11 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and 3-pointer. He has not been fun to own this year and it could only get worse once Roddy Beaubois debuts for the Mavs.
John Salmons had five points on 2-of-7 shooting last night and, like most Milwaukee players, will be terribly inconsistent going forward. Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings are the only ones I'd consider starting every night. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 14 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes, but who knows what he'll do in his next game?
Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 18 rebounds in the win over Indy, while Joakim Noah had just 12 points and five boards. Yep, the worst fears have come true for Noah's owners, as he and Boozer are going to trade off big games and hurt each other on a regular basis. And it looks like Noah might end up hurting more than Boozer on most nights.
Keep reading for the Injury Report - John Wall is OUT.
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Injury Report[/SIZE]
Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans will now travel with the Kings on their upcoming three-game road trip, and it will be up to him as to whether he plays or not. The Kings have made sure to tell us about 100 times that his plantar fasciitis is "minor," putting the onus on Evans to suck it up and play. I really don't know what his problem is, but he looks like half the player he was last year. Maybe he's just out of shape or doesn't like his coach. Whatever the problem is, it's highly frustrating, but he's not going to get into better shape by sitting on the bench in street clothes.
www.miamiheat.ws
Danny Granger
Danny Granger missed Monday's game with a sprained left ankle, but doesn't appear to be seriously injured. With Kobe and the Lakers coming to Indy on Wednesday, I'd be surprised to see him miss that one.
John Wall and Andray Blatche
John Wall is out with a sore right knee on Tuesday, while Andray Blatche remains doubtful with swelling in his left knee. Well, the swelling is mostly gone now thanks to the fact he had it drained, but that is not a great sign. Blatche's owners now have to hope the swelling stays away this time, or he could be looking at a surgical procedure somewhere down the line.
As for Wall, his reputation is vastly different today than it was a month ago. No longer is he the favorite for ROY who will lead your fantasy team to the Promised Land. Instead he's an injury-prone kid who can't seem to play through any setback, regardless of whether it's to his foot, ankle, knee or whatever. Maybe he's seriously injured and needs time to get fully healthy, but it looks a little suspicious. A few weeks ago I was bummed I didn't own Wall in any leagues. Now I'm kind of happy about that fact.
Injury Roundup
Derrick Rose injured his right wrist last night and is now iffy for Wednesday. He was having trouble putting on his shoes and socks after the game. He had 17 points, 12 assists and three more 3-pointers, but could be forced to sit against the Raptors with the injury to his shooting wrist.
Aaron Brooks (ankle) still has no timetable for a return, and the same goes for teammate Yao Ming, who is out with a left ankle injury. Both sound like they're close to playing again, but might not see the court this week, which is great news for Kyle Lowry's owners.
Stephen Curry is hoping to return from his ankle injury on Saturday against the Blazers. If you benched him this week, you made the right call. Reggie Williams had 18 points, four 3-pointers, five rebounds, six assists and two steals in his absence last night and should have a big week. I benched him with just three games in some leagues, but did pick him up in most.
Andrew Bynum is set to make his return to action for the Lakers on Tuesday and will start. If you want to throw him out there, go for it.
Mehmet Okur (achilles) is still planning to play this season, but the Jazz did some damage control yesterday after a member of management raved about Okur's progress and set some unrealistic expectations about his return. If you want to stash him and hold him, feel free, but there is still no target date for when he'll play again. And honestly, my tune hasn't changed since over the summer - I'm not expecting much.
Damion James had surgery on his broken right foot yesterday and we can only hope that clears minutes and a starting job for Terrence Williams. I'm not holding my breath. And if you're still holding onto Troy Murphy, it's time to let go. Avery Johnson has no intention of starting him, or even giving him 25-30 minutes a night, which means he's useless.
Drew Gooden returned for 22 minutes, eight points and four rebounds last night, but is a Buck. Therefore, I'd ignore him unless he takes over again like he did early in the season. And if you're holding Larry Sanders expecting him to get it done, the return of Gooden should end those thoughts.
Jonny Flynn (hip) and Martell Webster (back) should return from their injuries tonight for the Wolves, so keep an eye on them.
