Fantasy related but good info.......
Westbrook of the Fields: A-OK
The road trip with four kids was a major success, as we probably set a time record for getting from Georgia to Indy. I screwed up in yesterday's Dose, saying the Jazz beat the Blazers, which I will blame on fatigue. Hopefully that won't happen again. And I won my football league, meaning the Short Bus Blues trophy will reside in the Dr. A household for another year. Thanks, Mike and Adrian. Let's roll.
The Season Pass Live Chat has been pushed back to Sunday night at 7 p.m. Eastern. See you then.
Latest Injury News
Russell Westbrook is expected to play against the Nets on Wednesday. Luckily he just suffered an elbow stinger on Monday, which means a crisis has been avoided.
Rajon Rondo (ankle), who missed Tuesday's game, is doubtful for Wednesday, targeting a Friday return. He'll be a true game-time decision in that one, so don't automatically assume he's playing.
www.miamiheat.ws
Kevin Martin is dealing with a sore knee, but is fully expected to play against the Heat on Wednesday. He's been incredibly consistent and healthy this season, but this, as minor as it might sound, could be a warning sign that things might change.
Andre Iguodala is questionable tonight with his achilles injury, which could linger all season. I don't think we're anywhere near Brandon Roy territory here, but if Iguodala becomes unreliable, it's going to be tough to deal with, especially in weekly lineup leagues. Lou Williams is expected back Wednesday after missing a couple games for the birth of his child. With Iguodala hurting and Evan Turner invisible, Williams is worth a look in fantasy.
Al Horford has canceled an MRI on his sore right hand, which is all you need to know. He's sore, but good to go.
Andris Biedrins (foot) may or may not return on an upcoming five-game road trip for the Warriors, but if it happens, it sounds like it will be near the end of it, if at all. Keep him benched until further notice. This guy has gone from being rock solid to being one of the biggest question marks in the league.
Gerald Wallace practiced on Tuesday despite his ankle injury and should play on Wednesday against Cleveland. Tyrus Thomas, however, is dealing with a sore wrist and isn't expected to play tonight. Start Wallace at your own risk.
Kevin Love is dealing with an eye injury, but it sounds very minor and he should be in all lineups until someone tells you otherwise.
Dirk Nowitzki's right knee injury, while not appearing to be serious, kept him out on Tuesday night and could keep him out for a few more games. You have to be concerned anytime teams aren't sure about a guy's timetable, as Dirk's dream five-game week has pretty much blown up in our faces. Maybe he'll surprise me and play on Thursday, but he seems more likely to sit than play as of now (in my opinion).
Andrei Kirilenko missed Tuesday's practice with a lower back strain and is now doubtful for Wednesday, while my guess is Deron Williams (wrist) is good to go.
Tyreke Evans may or may not have a procedure done on his aching foot. Which is exactly where we were two days ago, and basically all season. I wish I had some advice for his owners, but I don't. I've got him in one league and I think I'm just going to keep running him out there until he breaks.
The Rockets are now in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, while the Nuggets are desperately trying to include Al Harrington's contract in any deal for Anthony. Which begs the question, why was Harrington even signed in the first place?
Mike Miller is still useless in fantasy and may stay that way for about another month. And even when he does finally get a "normal role in the rotation," there's no guarantees that means that he'll do anything more than stand outside, watch the Super Friends get theirs, and bomb a couple wide open 3-pointers every other quarter.
Keep reading for Tuesday Game Recaps.
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Tuesday Game News
Magic Gang Up On Cavs
Jason Richardson had 20 points, five boards, two steals, a block and four 3-pointers on Tuesday. Can you say "sell high?" Brandon Bass plummeted back to earth with two points and three boards, and like J.J. Redick, I've been waiting for this to happen. Bass and Redick should have some value going forward, but there's almost no way they play as well as they have over the last month. I think the run is coming to an end. Gilbert Arenas finally broke out for Orlando with 22 points, six boards, 11 assists, three steals and five 3-pointers, while Jameer Nelson mysteriously played better than he had been. The bottom line is that outside of Dwight Howard, the Magic are going to be a tough team to figure out in fantasy, as they just have too many options.
Anderson Varejao had 14 points, nine boards, five steals and three blocks in the loss, while also playing solid defense on Howard. J.J. Hickson is worth putting back on the fantasy radar and had nine points and eight boards.
Celtics Take Out Pacers
Nate Robinson's run has come to an end (almost), and the ride wasn't all that much fun. He had eight points and four assists on 3-of-8 shooting against the Pacers last night, and can probably be turned loose with the return of Rajon Rondo coming soon. Then again, maybe he'll play better once he gets back into his "microwave" role off the bench. Shaquille O'Neal fouled out quickly again, which is happening too often lately, while Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett led their team to another W.
Roy Hibbert still can't throw it in the ocean and hit just 3-of-9 shots in the loss. Hibbert is simply in a slump that should be ending any day now. Danny Granger was even worse, hitting just 5-of-21 shots for 15 points, and you know the Pacers probably lost when you look at the box score and see that Brandon Rush led the way with 17 points. He played well, adding seven boards and a couple threes to his line, but has proven to be unreliable, as usual. Darren Collison was disappointing again with 10 points and three assists, and those of you who thought that Jim O'Brien couldn't ruin him had better think again.
Heat Stop Knicks
Amare Stoudemire had 30 points, seven boards, two steals and two blocks as his dream season continues, but the Knicks couldn't stop the freight train known as the Heat.
Dwyane Wade blew up for a season-high 40, while LeBron and Bosh were solid. Zydrunas Ilgauskas even got into the act with a double-double, but isn't consistent enough to be worth owning.
Bulls Top Bucks
The Bucks lost again, this time to the Bulls. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute moved into the starting lineup and double-doubled, while Corey Maggette actually played well off the bench. I still don't trust Maggette, or any Bucks for that matter, but he might be worth grabbing. Andrew Bogut did a Roy Hibbert impersonation, hitting just 2-of-12 shots for four points, but also had 16 points and four blocks. Earl Boykins missed Tuesday's game due to a one-game suspension for making contact with an official, while Chris Douglas-Roberts was benched for the Prince. I cut CDR across the board, and you should too.
The great Taj Gibson explosion we were expecting to see may never happen. He was 0-for-5 last night with two rebounds, but did manage five blocks in 15 minutes. I've given up on him and moved on.
Spurs Drop Lakers
The Lakers have lost three straight games, sending half of L.A. into a panic. Granted, two of those losses came against the Heat and Spurs, although two of them also have come at home, in embarrassing fashion. The Lakers are going to be fine, although it is interesting that the struggles started when Andrew Bynum returned, which is also about the time that Pau Gasol went into a funk. Gasol was as good as they come to start the season, but isn't playing at nearly the same level.
The Spurs got a monster line of 17 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and a block out of DeJuan Blair, but if you grab him and stick him in your lineup, be ready for those three-point, five-rebound lines to kick in weekly. George Hill is back and had 10 points and nine boards, while Tim Duncan (1-of-7) and Manu Ginobili (3-of-12) both struggled badly, making it even more surprising the Spurs won. Duncan had his worst game of the season, but was probably due after exceeding expectations all year. He's actually been pretty bad in three of his last four games, but should also be ready to get it going again.
Calderon Out, But Raps Beat Dirkless Mavs
Jose Calderon (foot), Andrea Bargnani (calf) and Dirk Nowitzki (knee) missed Tuesday's game with their injuries, as the Raptors held on to beat the Mavs. Jerryd Bayless started, struggled with his shot, put up some decent numbers and then left with a sprained ankle. He left the arena on crutches and if Calderon and Bayless are out again on Friday, say hello to Leandro Barbosa at point guard. However, late reports indicate that Bayless is planning on playing in that one. Linas Kleiza remains hot with Sonny Weems out, and Joey Dorsey continues to start (and play fairly well) at center for Bargnani. Amir Johnson actually played a career-high 42 minutes with 12 points and six boards, as one of the biggest fantasy teases around continues to flirt with having some value.
The Mavs started Shawn Marion for Dirk, but he had just 12 points and five boards. But if you took a five-game flier on Matrix this week, so far so good. Caron Butler is playing through a finger injury and scored 15 points, and is another guy who will benefit from every game missed by Dirk.
Nuggets Beat Blazers
Kenyon Martin played last night, but is out on Wednesday, along with Al Harrington (thumb). And given the fact Carmelo Anthony is out
again tonight, Chris Andersen is looking like a solid option. He had eight points, 12 boards and two blocks last night, and while he's unreliable, it makes sense that he'll have a good game tonight. KMart may struggle with playing back-to-backs for a while. J.R. Smith made another start for Melo and scored 17, while Chauncey Billups is finally rounding back into form. Expect Melo back in action on Saturday against the Kings. Ty Lawson struggled last night, hitting just 1-of-7 shots for two points and one assist, but played 22 minutes. I don't care who the player is, but in fantasy, the reason we want to see our guys start so badly is because a dud off the bench is always a possibility. Lawson has been great, and I wouldn't let last night change you're mind about him.
Then again, Wesley Matthews started for the Blazers and had a similar line to Lawson's, hitting just 1-of-8 shots for six points. He'll bounce back. LaMarcus Aldridge, in case you haven't noticed, has been on fire since Brandon Roy's knee problem came to light, and had 18 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and a career-high seven blocks last night. Dante Cunningham started at center for Marcus Camby and had six points and one rebound, so continue to ignore him.
John Wall - G - Wizards </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Flip Saunders missed shootaround due to a family emergency, reportedly involving his mother, and is not expected to coach Wednesday's game against the Pacers.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
